Senate Week in Review: June 3 – 7, 2013
Moments after Moody’s Investors Services became the second major credit rating agency to downgrade Illinois this week Pat Quinn announced lawmakers will be called back into special session June 19, said State Sen. Dale Righter (R-Mattoon).
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Education funding inequities continue in Democrats’ Fiscal Year 2014 budget
Senate Democrats pushed through a portion of their Fiscal Year 2014 budget plan on May 29 despite objections from State Senator Dale Righter (R-Mattoon) and Senate Republican lawmakers that the proposal continues to shortchange downstate and suburban school districts by perpetuating the gross inequities in Illinois’ school funding formulas.
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Democrats advance $3 billion Medicaid expansion to Governor’s desk
Just one year after lawmakers placed a moratorium on all state Medicaid expansions, State Senator Dale Righter (R-Mattoon) reports that on May 28 Democrat legislators approved yet another expansion of the program that will cost taxpayers almost $3 billion over the next seven years.
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Two Minute Drill: One Week Until Scheduled Adjournment
With just a week to go until the scheduled May 31 legislative adjournment, I’m disappointed to report that there are still a host of major policy issues yet to be acted on by lawmakers. I encourage you to watch the most recent edition of my “Two Minute Drill,” where I discuss at greater length the status of pension reform, concealed carry and the state budget...
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Senate Week in Review: May 13 – 17, 2013
Though many in the Illinois Statehouse believed the Illinois Senate would consider a highly-anticipated concealed carry measure on May 17, State Sen. Dale Righter (R-Mattoon) reported lawmakers did not take up the Right-to-Carry measure. However, the Senate debated another contentious bill that would legalize the growth, distribution and sale of medical marijuana in Illinois.
Additionally, Sen. Righter noted that earlier in the week the Illinois Senate approved a measure that will allow for greater scrutiny of state education dollars, while an audit of the state’s Road Fund was released that confirmed troubling reports that state road fund dollars are not being used for road infrastructure construction or maintenance.
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