News

SPRINGFIELD – Democrats in the Illinois General Assembly pushed through legislation Jan. 28 purported to fund community colleges and MAP grants for students, but did so without providing any revenue or means to pay for it.  State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford) described the bill as more empty promises for higher education. “They could have tied in spending reductions or attached

SPRINGFIELD – Governor Rauner laid out a series of bold initiatives in his second “State of the State” address that State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford) describes as the type of ideas that will finally turn Illinois in the right direction.  “The Governor is continuing his push to improve our business climate and grow good-paying jobs, but he’s also working to

SPRINGFIELD – Governor Rauner’s recent order to bring all of Illinois’ information technology (IT) systems under the newly created Department of Innovation and Technology is major step toward finally modernizing the state’s IT infrastructure says State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford). “Finally we have a Governor that is addressing an issue I have been raising concerns about for over a decade,”

SPRINGFIELD – As Illinois’ budget impasse extends into the new year, and the need for comprehensive restructuring and reform grow increasingly critical, Republican legislative leaders and the Governor continue to offer reform proposals intended to help right the state’s fiscal course. On Jan. 21, Republican legislative leaders joined Gov. Bruce Rauner in endorsing a pension reform plan that would save

SPRINGFIELD, IL – Illinois Senators returned to the Capitol for the first time after their holiday recess, and as the 2016 legislative session officially begins, many of the issues from 2015 still remain, according to State Senator Dave Syverson (R-Rockford). Senate Republicans are taking a stand against the scourge of human trafficking by adding some much-needed publicity to the worldwide

Springfield, IL – As Illinois is now in its seventh month into the fiscal year without a state budget, based on legislative archives, this has been the longest time without a complete and constitutional, twelve month state budget since at least 1970. While the lack of a budget at the start of the fiscal year is a serious disappointment, 2016

2015 saw its first Republican governor in 12 years–ushering in a new sense of bipartisanship that has challenged the status-quo and made reforming state government a top priority. While Senate Republicans continue to push for passage of a balanced budget for this fiscal year and reforms that will boost Illinois’ economy and create jobs, there were many legislative achievements this

Gov. Bruce Rauner and legislative leaders – minus House Speaker Michael Madigan – continued negotiations during the week regarding the state’s ongoing budget impasse and while a budget deal wasn’t reached, it was described as a “good” meeting. Meanwhile, a recent report shows Illinois’ unfunded pension liability continues to grow, now at $111 billion. The state received good news during

A bipartisan compromise that passed the Illinois Senate this week and was signed into law by Gov. Bruce Rauner means local governments will receive funding to help them salt icy roads this winter, local 9-1-1 centers will be able to continue to provide vital services, and the state’s portion of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) will be funded.

SPRINGFIELD – State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford) is reminding drivers that due to the ongoing budget stalemate, residents will not be receiving reminders from the Secretary of State’s office to renew their license plates. According to Secretary of State Jesse White’s office, the move to temporarily stop sending renewal notices is due to the lack of money to pay for