Senator Stadelman's Weekly Bulletin - August 16, 2018

Stadelman honored for 100% pro-environment voting record

State Senator Steve Stadelman has received a perfect rating from the Illinois Environmental Council. The nonpartisan advocacy group recognized Stadelman for supporting legislation to increase the use of compost in transportation projects and help communities access funding for clean energy projects, among other eco-friendly measures approved in Springfield in 2018.

"Senator Stadelman voted 100-percent of the time with the environmental community on nine pieces of key legislation," IEC Executive Director Jen Walling said. "The IEC is honored by Senator Stadelman's dedication to Illinois' evnironment, and we look forward to working together in the future."

Consumers protected from hidden rental car fees under new Stadelman law

After returning a rental car, many Illinois motorists have been surprised to find they were charged additional fees for a tollway collection device similar to an I-PASS. That changes under a new law advanced by State Senator Steve Stadelman to allow drivers to opt out of these devices.

Stadelman said the governor's signature this week on Senate Bill 2522 will increase transparency in the car rental business as the number of cashless tolls continues to grow in Illinois. Under the new law,   companies must make renters aware of their right to decline to use the tollway collection device. If a company fails to offer a customer the ability to opt out, fees are capped at $2 a day that the device is used plus the cost of the tolls. 

“Drivers deserve to know they can opt out of these costly tollway devices instead of being stuck with costly fees when it is already too late,” Stadelman said. 

Passed by the Illinois General Assembly this spring, the law takes effect Jan 1, 2019.

Stadelman law extends the life of prescription drug refills

Doctors can write prescriptions for medicines that are valid for as long as 15 months now that a proposal passed by State Senator Steve Stadelman has been signed into law. Except for controlled substances, prescriptions can be refilled for up to 15 months from the date they are issued, unless the physician issuing the prescription specifies otherwise.

"Patients often see their doctor just once a year but run out of medication prior to their annual visit, necessitating multiple calls to the office and pharmacy for refills that could be handled at the office visit," Stadelman said of Senate Bill 3170, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2019. "A prescription that is valid for 15 months, rather than 12, alleviates the problem."

Governor offers tweaks on Stadelman bill to curb student credit card debt 

A proposal passed by State Senator Steve Stadelman in the General Assembly this spring looks to prevent skyrocketing credit card debt faced by college students. Pending the outcome of recommendations issued this week by the governor, House Bill 4710 would establish the College Student Credit Card Marketing and Debt Task Force to study include how credit cards are marketed to students, students’ payment history and several other related issues. 

While credit cards can be useful for students to purchase school supplies and pay for tuition, students run the risk of running up significant balances that take years to pay down. According to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, in 2016 41 percent of students graduated with credit card debt averaging $3,000.

“If utilized responsibly, credit cards can be a great tool to build a credit history and pay for school supplies,” Stadelman said. “However, many students are unaware of the potential pitfalls of credit cards and cost themselves dearly in the long run.”

In case you missed me on Facebook...

Steve Stadelman
Lincoln Middle School teacher Mustafa Abdall brought five van- and carloads of ESL students to the Zeke Giorgi Center yesterday as part of his summer Government Appreciation program. The students attend Lincoln, East High School and elementary schools including Maria Montessori, Swan Hillman and Whitehead, and their native languages include ArabiSwahili. They asked about my work as a state lawmaker, and presented posters expressing their gratitude and their thoughts on unity and freedom.

See photos here.

Stadelman proposal to crack down on mugshot websites signed into law

Earlier this spring, State Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) passed Senate Bill 2560 through the Illinois General Assembly to prevent privately owned websites from charging a fee to remove mugshots and other criminal information. Friday, the governor signed the bill into law.

Stadelman proposal to educate students on college debt signed into law

College students would be able to make more informed financial decisions about their education under a measure passed this spring by State Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) and signed into law today. 

Stadelman’s proposal, Senate Bill 2559, creates a three-year pilot program that requires each public university and community college to send an annual letter detailing the current loan and annual repayment amounts to all students with college loans. 

“Thousands of Illinois students graduate from college each year and face the reality that they owe tens-of-thousands of dollars in student loans. For many of these students, it’s the first time they fully realize the expense of their education,” Stadelman said. “This new law will ensure students know up-front about the cost of their education and can make better financial decisions to save them money later on.”

Student loan debt in the United States skyrocketed from $833 billion to an all-time high of $1.4 trillion according to recent students. On average, college students graduate with over $34,000 in debt, up 62 percent in the last decade. 

In 2012, Indiana University began sending new and returning students a letter projecting the amount of debt they were expected to graduate with, along with what their monthly payments would be. After implementing this system, the university saw a decline in the amount of education loans taken out by students. The state of Indiana passed a similar law to cover all state universities and community colleges in 2015. 

Senate Bill 2559 will take effect Jan 1, 2019.

Senator Stadelman's Weekly Bulletin - August 3, 2018

Stadelman named Legislator of the Year
State Senator Steve Stadelman has been named Legislator of the Year by a preservation group for his work to expand the River Edge tax credit for redevelopment of historic property. Stadelman passed legislation to continue the tax credit for four years and expand the program statewide.

Originally, the economic incentive only was available in Rockford and four other communities. Projects like the $12 million Prairie Street Brewhouse in downtown Rockford have been made possible because of the  tax credit, equal to 25 percent of rehabilitation costs.

Landmarks Illinois is presenting Legislator of the Year along with its President's Award jointly to Stadelman, State Senator Pamela Althoff of McHenry and State Representatives Steven Andersson of Geneva and Jehan Gordon-Booth of Peoria during an awards ceremony in Chicago in September.

"All four of these lawmakers have been champions of historic preservation and instrumental in helping to enact preservation legislation in the State of Illinois," the nonprofit group stated this week in a news release that referred to the River Edge expansion as "a major accomplishment for the state and preservation community."

HoopStars returns for 6th year
Sports Factory again hosts free Labor Day youth tourney
 
Hundreds of boys and girls can spend Labor Day on the basketball court at Senator Stadelman’s HoopStars, a free 3-on-3 tournament taking place for the sixth time Sept. 3.
 
Online registration is open now through game day at www.senatorstadelman.com, Stadelman announced this week.  There are no fees to enter.

The popular event, which has drawn as many as 400 players in 3rd through 8th grades, returns to UW Health Sports Factory for a second year after three years on outdoor courts at Davis Park.
Air-conditioning and ample parking are among the amenities that proved popular with parents and players in 2017. The increase in available game surface allowed for warm-up courts and reduced wait times between rounds in the single-elimination, two-game minimum competition.
 “Our venue has changed, but the primary goal remains the same – to provide a positive, no-cost activity for boys and girls as summer ends and the school year begins,” Stadelman said. “We’ve become a Labor Day tradition for some families, and that wouldn’t be possible without the continued support of the Rockford Park District and faithful financial contributors like ComEd and Comcast.”
 
All players receive free commemorative event T-shirts, and winning teams take home medals. Event sponsors operate interactive courtside information booths with giveaways, and refreshments are available for purchase.
 
Stadelman launched the tournament in 2013, his first year in elected office. The inaugural games were at Patriots Gateway.

 Flood heroes receive Senate honors
 

State Senator Stadelman presented Certificates of Recognition from the Illinois Senate to the three men and two students whose heroic efforts saved a 70-year-old mortician from drowning in a flash flood in June and received international attention.

Ryan Craig (far left) and Mark Pickett (3rd from right) pulled Bruce Salley (next to Senator Stadelman) from his car, which became pinned against a guardrail along Keith Creek and engulfed by rushing water. Manuel Meza, Markinez Gray and Demari Hart (2nd, 3rd and 4th from left) assisted in the rescue in the parking lot of Rockford Plaza at Charles and 20th streets. Gray and Hart are East High School students and swim instructors at Alpine Pool.

"The photos from that day are so compelling, and I have so much respect for what all of you did," Stadelman said. "Not everyone would have shown the same bravery and rapid response."

It was the first time Salley and his five rescuers had been together since the storm. Video of their efforts went viral on the internet, and their story was reported in the Chicago Tribune and on "Good Morning America" on ABC.