State Rep. Mike Tryon has sent out his latest “Legislative Update:”
This past week, the General Assembly addressed many important issues facing our state. As always, I am committed to keeping you informed regarding my progress in Springfield.
Transparency in State Spending
As many of you know, last year I partnered with Americans for Prosperity to introduce comprehensive transparency legislation to show taxpayers how their money is being spent. Americans for Prosperity is a grassroots activist organization leading the charge for transparency in Illinois and throughout the nation. They helped me craft legislation to require the state to create the Illinois Transparency and Accountability Portal, a transparent website that details nearly every financial transaction in state government including state expenditures, tax credits, contracts, and state employee salaries. Last year, the bill passed the House and was never called for a vote in the Senate.
This past week, House Bill 35 to create the Illinois Transparency and Accountability Portal was approved unanimously in the House of Representatives. I am confident with a new Senate President and a new Governor, that this legislation will be enacted into law this year. Public trust in state government is at an all-time low as Illinois is still trying to recover from the widespread corruption and impeachment mess created by former Governor Rod Blagojevich. Not only do tax payers have little faith in the ethics of Illinois government, they are also facing one of the greatest economic crises in decades. We need to put an end to pay-to-play politics once and for all by putting state spending on the web and ensuring that elected officials are held accountable for how they spend taxpayer money.
Funding Local Road Projects
This past week, the House also approved legislation I introduced that finds state money to help pay for local and state road projects. House Bill 1322 creates the Local Transportation Match Fund and allows revenue generated from county sales tax and supplemental motor fuel tax to be eligible for matching federal funds dedicated for transportation. This legislation will allow local governments to use locally-raised resources to jumpstart road projects which have been held up in Springfield because of the absence of a capital bill. I will continue to fight for the passage of this bill so that we can begin to repair our crumbling roads in McHenry County.
Veterans Advocacy
I spearheaded legislation to create a task force to study the possibility of establishing a Military and Veterans Court within judicial circuits in Illinois. House Bill 4212 was approved unanimously in the Illinois House. Our military service members and veterans struggle with unique issues that were incurred as a result of their service to this country. I believe that a Veterans Court will help create a fair justice system that will consider the very real service related mental health problems that may put our veterans into the court system. If it is enacted into law, the task force would meet every other week, and submit a report including recommendations for establishing a Veterans Court by November 1.
Homeowner Protection
I introduced House Bill 1142, which was unanimously approved in the House last week, to create the Manufactured Housing Buyer Protection Act. The legislation provides that if the seller of a manufactured housing unit is unable to honor the express warranties, the manufacturer must: provide the consumer with a new manufactured housing unit of a like model or accept the return of the manufactured housing unit from the consumer and refund the full purchase price or lease price including all collateral charges. This bill is meant to protect homeowners from purchasing manufactured lemons.
Public Health/Clean Water
I introduced legislation to protect Illinois Clean Water Agreement and ensure that Illinois is following federal regulations. Approved by the House this past week, House Bill 170 will prohibit the installation of surface discharging septic systems without a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit issued by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. This legislation is intended to protect public health by ensuring surface discharging systems are properly used so that any discharges are properly treated and safe.
These are among several of my bills that passed this week in the House. Additionally this week, the General Assembly approved legislation to overhaul the pension system – implementing several reforms. Finally, the indictment of former Governor Blagojevich and friends serves as a reminder that state government needs to continue to work hard to implement ethics reform and eliminate the corruption of past administrations.
The General Assembly begins a two-week Spring Break this week and I look forward to spending time in the community meeting with constituents. For anyone in the manufacturing industry, mark your calendar for 7:30 a.m. on April 16 for a Manufacturer’s Roundtable which I am hosting with the McHenry County Center for Economic Development at McHenry County College Shah Center, 4100 W. Shamrock Lane in McHenry. I will provide details about the proposals including Governor Quinn’s FY 2010 budget proposal and I look forward to hearing about how this will impact the manufacturing industry. A representative from the Illinois Manufacturing Association will also provide a brief presentation. Please RSVP to my district office if you can attend.
As always, do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns regarding state issues. It is an honor to serve you in Springfield.
Sincerely,
Michael W. Tryon
Illinois State Representative
64th District