Rezin’s Report: Dollinger Farm Fun!

 

Dear Friends,

I hope you had a great week and things aren’t too crazy, especially with Halloween approaching.

Speaking of Halloween and fall traditions, last weekend, I had a great time the Dollinger Farm in Channahon. Wow, did it bring back great memories. Here is a picture of my family there back in the day. That’s my husband on the left and my four kids. Today, my youngest is in college and the three others are all in the working world! Where did the time go?

This time, it was just as fun, as new memories were created as I brought my daughter and my great niece.

I know you parents can relate, it’s these traditions and these experiences that make being a parent so much fun. I can vividly remember the joy on my children’s faces, the laughter, and teaching moments every year we went to the Dollinger Farm. It was just so much fun, so it was great to be back, and relive those memories while creating new ones.

Please write me back. What are some of your favorite fall traditions? What are some of your favorite pumpkin patches in the 38th District?

I hope you have a great weekend!

Sen. Sue Rezin

And just for fun, what movie did this building in the 38th District appear in? (answer at the bottom of the newsletter)

Around the District

What a school! Honored to be apart of the new Hall High School dedication ceremony this past weekend in Spring Valley. This new school epitomizes what happens when a community comes together to support its young people and education and looks toward the future. It’s a teacher’s, student’s, and communities’ dream, and it is something to be very proud of.

Thank you to everyone who came out to the our Senior Fair this week and thanks to all our vendors who participated!

I toured the CITGO plant in Lemont this week. These tours are a great way to learn more about the energy industry and better understand the important role energy producers play in our state’s economy, job creation, and moving us more toward energy independence. From left to right: George Papoutsis, CITGO Manager of Process Technology, Pete Colarelli, CITGO Government Affairs Manager, Senator Rezin, Jim Cristman, CITGO Vice President, Lemont Refinery, Representative Anthony, Rick Kwasneski, KCS Consulting (former mayor of Lemont).

Thanks to AARP, the Plano Library, and everyone who came out to our Medicare Part D seminar. This is Bob Flynn, my neighbor and AARP representative.

At the Capitol

Former Illini basketball star Dee Brown in the Senate!

Welcome Illinois’ newest Senator, Check Weaver! He replaced now Congressman Darin LaHood.

Rezin legislation to keep two ICCB programs afloat during budget impasse

Springfield, IL – State Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Peru) filed legislation that would keep two Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) programs going during the state’s budget impasse.

Senate Bill 2188, filed this week, appropriates $18.5 million in federal funds for career and technical education and $24.5 million in federal funds for adult education. If passed and signed into law, ICCB would then have the authority to spend these federal dollars on the programs.

“Without this piece of legislation, these two programs are in danger of shutting down,” Sen. Rezin said. “This will keep the career and technical education and adult education programs afloat until the programs can receive all of the funding they deserve through the passage of a balanced budget, something that needs to happen as soon as possible.”

Rezin spoke to leaders at Joliet Junior College during a recent state hearing on higher education on their campus. Rezin says these programs are two very critical pressure points higher education is facing right now.

“Earlier this summer, the legislature passed a federal spending bill with bipartisan support, so I am confident we can get this legislation passed very soon,” Rezin said. “The entire situation, however, underscores the importance of passing a balanced budget for our state, one that makes fundamental reforms to state government and one that will help create jobs, boost the state’s economy, and put our state on a path of good fiscal policy.”

Sen. Rezin is hopeful this legislation remains a stand-alone bill during the legislative process to allow these federal dollars to be passed through to the ICCB.

The Illinois House and Senate return to Springfield Oct. 20.

I spoke at the State Higher Education Committee hearing at Joliet Junior College in September.

Senate Week in Review: Oct. 19-23, 2015

Both houses of the Illinois Legislature met in Springfield this week for a rare fall session day, amid the ongoing budget impasse now well into its fourth month, according to State Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Peru).

Meanwhile, the real-world impact of that impasse – and the majority Democrats’refusal to embrace pro-jobs reforms – are being seen more clearly every day. Two of the three credit rating agencies officially downgraded the state’s credit this week, and new jobs figures highlighted the vital importance of cutting through the logjam to get Illinois’ economy back on track.

The Oct. 20 Senate session was the first for State Sen. Chuck Weaver (R-Peoria), selected last month to replace former State Sen. Darin LaHood, who was elected to Congress. The Senate also unanimously approved the recommendation of State Rep. Frank Mautino as the state’s next Auditor General and hosted a speech by the Consul General of the Philippines.

The onset of fall means that Illinois’farmers are wrapping up the 2015 harvest and preparing their fields for next year. When preparing for Halloween and Thanksgiving celebrations this year, Illinois residents should remember to thank a farmer: 90 percent of the pumpkins grown in the U.S. are raised in Illinois!

 

Illinois credit woes continue: Fitch and Moodys downgrade

On Oct. 19, credit rating agency Fitch officially downgraded its ratingon $26 billion in Illinois general obligation bonds from A- to BBB+, the worst rating of any state in the country. On Oct. 22, Moody’s followed suit, downgrading Illinois bonds from A3 to Baa1. Moody’s had warned earlier in the week that a skipped pension payment planned for November could affect their rating of Illinois’debt further.

In downgrading the state’s debt, Fitch cited Illinois’weak economic recovery compared to the rest of the country – long-term liabilities, ongoing budget gaps, and reduced flexibility as a result of the budget impasse. Fitch also lowered the rating from BBB+ to BBB for bonds on the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, McCormick Place, and Chicago’s motor fuel revenue bonds.

Moody’s also lowered its rating of sales-tax bonds from A3 to Baa1 and lowered the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority and Civics Center bonds from Baa1 to Baa2. Moody’s outlook for Illinois and each additional obligation remains negative.

Fitch downgrade: https://www.fitchratings.com/site/fitch-home/pressrelease?id=992554

Moody’s downgrade: https://www.moodys.com/research/Moodys-downgrades-Illinois-outstanding-27B-of-GO-bonds-to-Baa1–PR_337211

 

Illinois economy continues to struggle: Change needed

Sen. Rezin continues to push for much-needed reforms in Springfield, especially those that would improve Illinois’s struggling economy.

According to the Illinois Department of Employment Security, Illinois lost nearly 7,000 jobs in the month of September, the fourth straight month of statewide job losses.

At this rate, Illinois will not fully recover from the recession until April 2017 – a year and a half from now – while our neighboring states have already surpassed their pre-recession jobs totals.

Compared to the pre-recession peak for employment, jobs nationwide are up 2.9 percent, but Illinois is still more than 3 percent below its peak.

In downgrading the state’s credit this week, Fitch specifically cited Illinois’lagging economic performance:

“Employment growth has been well below the national average through the recovery/expansion period and has weakened relative to the U.S. in recent months. Non-farm employment grew at just a 0.5% year-over-year rate in August 2015. Through August 2015, the state has recovered only 71% of jobs lost in the downturn, among the weakest of the states at less than half the national recovery rate. Both GDP and personal income declined at a steeper rate in Illinois during the recession and have been increasing at a slower rate during the expansion.”

According to Sen. Rezin, these aren’t just abstract numbers. These numbers represent people trying to find work, families struggling to make ends meet, and businesses coming to the conclusion that Illinois is not a place to grow.

 

Senate welcomes new members, visit from Philippines Consul General

New State Sen. Chuck Weaver (R-Peoria) gave his first speech on the floor of the Senate this week, pledging to put his personal experience as a small-businessman to work in the Legislature.

Weaver was joined on the other side of the aisle by another first-timer, State Sen. Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines), who replaced State Sen. Dan Kotowski.

The Senate was also joined on Oct. 20 by D.G. Calonge, the Consul General of the Philippines in Chicago. The Consul General addressed the Senate with an update on the Philippines.

 

Senate approves Mautino as Auditor General

The Senate voted unanimously Oct. 20 to approve the appointment of State Rep. Frank Mautino to serve as the next Auditor General of Illinois. Mautino will replace Bill Holland, who has served as Auditor General since 1992, at the end of this year.

The Auditor General oversees state agency budgets and reviews the state’s financial records, issuing about 150 audits of targeted agencies every year. Holland oversaw the high-profile 2005 audit of the Department of Central Management Services that eventually led to former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s impeachment, and the 2014 audit of former Gov. Pat Quinn’s controversial $54 million Neighborhood Recovery Initiative.

The bipartisan Legislative Audit Commission had recommended Mautino for the post after a nationwide search.

Me, Leader Radogno, Rep. Mautino, Sen. Barickman.

 

Farmers wrapping up 2015 harvest

Across Illinois, most farmers have now completed their 2015 harvest and are now performing tillage operations and preparing their fields for next year.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, 85 percent of all corn acres have now been harvested, compared to a five-year average of 68 percent. Both current progress and the average are equal to corn, at 85 percent and 68 percent respectively.

Winter wheat planting, which often takes place after soybeans have been harvested, is now 63 percent complete, with 33 percent of the plants having emerged from the soil.

Many farmers are beginning to become more concerned with how dry the weather and soil have been: 53 percent of topsoil moisture is now rated as short or very short, with 41 percent of subsoil rated similarly.

Movie Answer

Superman! The movie was filmed in Plano.

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