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Illinois 58th District State Representative Newsletter |  |
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Greetings! Happy New Year to all. December and January have been a flurry of activity. As a member of the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, I attended three forums focusing on the environment. More on this later. I was sworn in for my fourth term to represent the 58th District. More on this later. Our district office is moving, February 1. More on this later. The most important thing is I AM A GRANDMOTHER. My beautiful grandson, Jackson Hunter May, was born December 19, 2006. Mort and I were at the hospital for 15 hours awaiting the birth which happened at 12:38 am. I certainly learned how to use my new digital camera instantaneously. Here is Jackson, the first day, weighing 8 pounds, 4 ounces. Jackson’s parents, Stacey and Andrew are doing wonderfully well. 
In 2006 Illinois took great strides to improve our environment. Over the next three to five years Illinois will reduce mercury from our state’s 21 coal- fired power plants in a far-reaching agreement between the Governor’s office, the EPA and the power companies to rid our state of the leading source of mercury pollution. Our state will be among the first to require plants to capture 90% of toxic mercury before it leaves their smokestacks. After two years of working hard, my legislation passed, requiring that car parts containing mercury be properly disposed, our state’s second largest source of mercury pollution. Last week I met with Midwest Generation in Waukegan to review their plans to reduce toxic mercury, as well as SOX, NOX and particulate matter. I will continue to focus on environmental issues in 2007. During December I attended the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators’(NCEL) Fifth Annual Midwest/Great Lakes Forum. Over 40 Democrat and Republican NCEL participants from the Midwest met to compare local environmental initiatives and conference with experts on how to promote renewable energy, increase support for public transportation, manage electronic waste and regulate toxic chemicals. According to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, a presenter at the forum, the Midwest region is one of the top sources of greenhouse gas emission in the world, greater than Japan, Germany or India. I also attended events in Seattle, WA and Racine, WI focusing on toxic flame retardants and climate change. As new technologies become part of our mainstream lives, we are all witness to the environmental and health impacts they can bear. On January 3, I announced my intention to organize members of the Illinois General Assembly as part of a regional initiative to address climate disruption in 2007. Illinois has an opportunity to lead the Midwest and our nation as a steward of our environment and I am committed to using my position as Chair of the House Environmental Health committee, to get us there.
If you need to make room for all your new electronic holiday gifts, here’s an opportunity to dispose of no longer needed items responsibly. The City of Highland Park, in partnership with the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County, is sponsoring a collection program for outdated, broken, or unwanted household electronics. The next collection event will be held on Saturday, January 20 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Firearms Training Center, 1180 Half Day Road. The event will be open to household electronics only; no commercial, governmental, or institutional materials will be accepted. For more information, contact Brandon Wright, Administrative Intern, at (847) 926-1030.
On February 1, my district office will move to 427 Sheridan Rd., Highwood. The new location will provide almost double our space. This will enable group meetings at the district office because very often we have had to scramble to get meeting rooms in the district. Our office will be located in the same building as Senator Susan Garrett’s district office. This will enable many constituents one-stop shopping when wishing to meet with both of us. We will continue to collect cell phones at our new location.
On January 10, I was sworn in for my fourth term in ceremonies in Springfield. I am humbled by the confidence you have given to me by allowing me to serve you once again. I pledge to remain accessible to my constituents as state representative and look forward to hearing your viewpoints and perspectives on issues. In the coming legislative session I am committed to continuing my work toward maintaining a clean and healthy environment, increasing access to quality health care and maintaining superior schools.
Effective January 1, 2007, Illinois consumers may request credit reporting agencies place a freeze on their credit reports so that reports are not provided without the consumer’s knowledge and consent. Prior to January 1, the law provided for a credit report freeze only for victims of identity theft. You should only need to contact one of the credit reporting agencies. The credit reporting agency will walk you through the process and should contact the other agencies on your behalf. Call any of the following:
Several of my constituents had suggested the idea of moving up the Illinois primary so that the presidential primary election process is not finished before it reaches our state. Moving the March 18 Illinois primary to February 5 would certainly make our primary elections more exciting and interesting to voters of both parties. I will be enthusiastically working for passage of this legislation.
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