Stadelman law to help families avoid utility disconnnections passes in committee
In an effort to protect vulnerable utility customers, State Senator Steve Stadelman has introduced legislation that would establish a Disconnection Protection Program in Illinois.
“Ensuring that our residents have continuous access to basic utilities like electricity and gas is not just a matter of comfort but of public health and safety,” Stadelman said. “This measure would prevent families from having to choose between paying for utilities and other essential needs like food and medicine, especially during times of financial difficulty.”
Low-income households that seek energy payment assistance do not currently have any protections from being disconnected by electric and gas utilities. Stadelman's proposal would mandate electric and gas utilities serving more than 500,000 customers implement measures to prevent the disconnection of services for customers actively seeking energy payment assistance.
“This bill is a step forward in our ongoing efforts to support vulnerable populations and ensure that our energy policies are fair and just,” he said.
House Bill 4118 passed the Energy and Public Utilities Committee this and now heads to the Illinois House for further consideration.
Stadelman bill empowers teens with independent access to blood typing
State Senator Steve Stadelman has introduced a measure that aims to allow 17-year-olds to receive blood-typing services without the need for parental consent.
“Knowing your blood type is not only critical in emergency situations, but it also encourages a deeper understanding and responsibility toward one’s health,” Stadelman said. “This bill supports our young adults in making proactive health choices independently.”
House Bill 4271, which passed the Senate Pubic Health Committee this week, would lowering the age threshold for blood typing without parental consent to 17. If the proposal is approved by the full Senate and signed by the governor, Illinois would be recognizing the maturity of these individuals to make informed decisions about their own health care, Stadelman said.
“This is about trusting our young people and giving them the tools they need to take charge of their health,” he Stadelman said. “It’s a small but significant step in ensuring our health care system is responsive and accessible to everyone.”
Interest mounts in Stadelman's proposal to ban reporting of medical debt
State Senator Steve Stadelman sat down this week with Champaign-based WCIA-3 to discuss his legislation that would prohibit the inclusion of medical debt on people's credit reports in Illinois. Senate Bill 2933, approved last month in the upper chamber of the General Assembly, is under consideration in the House. Click on the image below to watch the interview:
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Steve Stadelman
April 30 at 3:01 PM
Congratulations to the Belvidere Park District on today's ribbon-cutting for its new "Park & Play Rec-Mobile." The converted mini-bus will function as a pop-up outdoor game station, traveling to neighborhood parks and events with everything from a life-size, weather-resistant version of Connect Four to plastic axe-throwing sets similar to safety darts. A grant from the Community Foundation of Boone County helped make this latest Belvidere attraction possible.
Steve Stadelman
April 29 at 5:529 PM
Congratulations to the Rock Valley College men's and women's bowling teams for their outstanding national championship three-peats last month. I was honored to present the Golden Eagles with Certificates of Recognition from the Illinois Senate during a victory party today in the Student Center atrium.
Steve Stadelman
April 29 at 5:19 PM
It was my great pleasure today to surprise Victory Bell with an official Illinois Senate Resolution commemorating his 90th birthday and his many accomplishments as a leader in Rockford including, of course, his 38 years of service on the City Council as Rockford's first Black alderman. Victory is one of those people who never seems to change -- neither his personality nor, remarkably, his appearance! I was happy, too, to welcome back Victory's wife, Carol, who worked on my staff part-time for three years after she retired.
Steve Stadelman
April 28 at 1:06 PM
Congratulations to Collins Aerospace and Vice President Eric Cunningham on Friday's groundbreaking for a 6.5-acre solar farm on its grounds at Alpine and Harrison roads in Rockford. The solar farm is expected to generate 10 percent of Collins' electricity, avoiding more than 3,500 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year.
Steve Stadelman
May 2 at 5:52 PM
Illinois State AFL-CIO President Tim Drea led the annual Rockford United Labor-organized Workers Memorial Day observance Sunday at the Zeke Giorgi Center. The ceremony pays tribute to union members who lost their lives on the job. Roger Stambaugh, an Operators Local 150 retiree who accepted an assignment in Machesney Park and died in a worksite accident in August, and Jay Larson with the National Association of Letter Carriers 245 who was killed with three others in a mass stabbing in March, were remembered this year.
