SPRINGFIELD – Supporters of independent redistricting in the State of Illinois have been denied again, as a key deadline came and went on Sunday, May 6 with no legislative action.

Article XIV of the Illinois Constitution requires a minimum six-month window between when a constitutional amendment ballot referendum is approved by three-fifths of both chambers of the General Assembly and the next General Election. Consequently, there will be no “Fair Maps” referendum on the November 6 ballot this year.

“It is unfortunate and yet another sign of poor leadership in Springfield that voters are once again not allowed to vote on fair maps,” said State Representative Sosnowski, R-Rockford. “It is long past time that we give voters the ability to end the practice of politicians choosing their own voters.  There is no mistaking that the current redistricting process is deeply flawed and must be reformed.”

Representative Sosnowski is a co-sponsor of House Resolution 995 calling for independent redistricting reform and enacting a non-partisan mapmaking process prior to the upcoming redistricting cycle. The resolution has a total of 51 co-sponsors in the Illinois House of Representatives.

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ROCKFORD—State Representative Joe Sosnowski (R- Rockford) is pleased to announce four local library districts are winners of the Annual Per Capita Grants from the Illinois Secretary of State.

The Library districts are Ida Public Library receiving $31,981.25, Cherry Valley Public Library District receiving $20,010, Talcott Free Library District receiving $17,221.25 and South Beloit Public Library receiving $9,865.

“Libraries are very vital resource to our community,” said Sosnowski. “These grants will allow the local libraries to keep up needs such as new material, technology and other resources to serve our community better.”

SPRINGFIELD – As the first wave of the 10-year Firearm Owners Identification card come due for renewal, Illinois State Police Director Leo Schmitz is urging FOID card holders to apply early to remain active.

“We expect tens of thousands of renewal applications to come in over the next few months,” Schmitz said. “We recommend gun owners get their renewal applications in at least one to two months in advance so we have adequate time to process them and get a new card out before expiration.”

More than 50,000 FOID cards are due for renewal between June 1 and August 1. The General Assembly amended the state’s law that requires gun owners to carry a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card in 2008, allowing the cards to be valid for ten years.

The Illinois State Police (ISP) oversees the FOID card system and issues the cards. They’ve already sent renewal notices to people whose cards will expire June 1.

Applicants can visit the ISP’s Firearm Services Bureau website at www.ispfsb.com to renew online. Anyone who needs assistance with FOID card renewal, and those who prefer paper applications, can call 217-782-7980 and select menu option 0.

Applicants should make sure the name and address on FOID applications match the records on file for them at the Secretary of State’s Office, otherwise the renewal process will be delayed.

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House of Representatives unanimously approved common-sense pension reform legislation on April 19 sponsored by State Representative Joe Sosnowski, R-Rockford, to allow a municipality to hire a chief of police that had previously retired from the municipality without allowing them to collect a pension in addition to a salary.  The legislation, House Bill 5490, will now advance to the State Senate for consideration.

Specifically, Representative Sosnowski’s legislation provides that a chief of police who has voluntarily entered into an irrevocable agreement with a municipality to not participate in that municipality's pension fund is not eligible to participate in that municipality's pension fund.

“Cities around the state are looking to enter into these types of agreements,” Representative Sosnowski said. “This is common-sense, good government legislation. Municipalities can bring a retired former chief of police back to work and without having them entitled to start earning a second pension. Communities can benefit from the public safety experience and leadership of their police chief in a way that does not add additional taxpayer burdens on the pension fund.”

Our children’s education remains a top priority for Illinois House Republicans, which is why they have taken action to address the growing teacher shortage in our state. First and foremost, our members are committed to ensuring highly prepared and effective educators are teaching our children. To do that, Illinois must address the teacher shortage. 

Background 
The Illinois State Board of Education said the 2017-18 school year began with about 2,000 unfilled teaching positions across the state.* And a recent survey conducted by the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools found that school districts were increasingly having difficulty finding qualified candidates to apply for teaching positions.

SPRINGFIELD – State Representative Joe Sosnowski, R-Rockford, joined Illinois House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, and members of the House Republican Caucus in filing House Resolution 975 on Tuesday to state their opposition to a proposed progressive income tax on Illinois residents. 

“The General Assembly cannot continue spending money frivolously and expect Illinois taxpayers to pick up the tab with more tax increases like this progressive income tax proposal from the Democrat party,” Durkin said. “It is our constitutional duty to protect our constituents, and we will remain firm as a caucus on blocking any progressive tax measures.”

Sosnowski echoed Durkin’s remarks, adding, “These progressive income tax proposals would raise taxes on most Illinoisans, including the vast majority of people living in Boone and Winnebago Counties. By implementing a progressive income tax, we would be driving higher income earners out of Illinois and saddling middle class families with a huge tax increase, all without any spending reforms whatsoever. This is the wrong solution for Illinois.” 

I am very excited for the Indoor City Market. This will be a great addition to downtown Rockford and continue to breathe excitement into the central business district. Congratulations!