Inside:
- Department of Early Childhood law signed
- Gas tax increases again
- Slight increase in unemployment
- Veterans and Senior Fair coming up in September
Department of Early Childhood law signed
Legislation which would consolidate several state agencies and services into one department, the Department of Early Childhood, has been signed into law. The new Department will take over existing programs which are currently spread between the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). The transition will occur over the next two years.
DCFS will give up supervision of day care centers and group day care homes to the new agency, a move that could alleviate some of the serious issues DCFS has been facing in recent years. Early childhood education programs and care programs for at-risk children will also transition to the new department. Recent audits and reviews of the inner workings of DCFS have found a series of problems in the way the department manages these programs and cares for the children who use them.
This year’s state budget included $14 million for startup costs for the new department.
Gas tax increases again
In 2019 the state doubled gas taxes to pay for infrastructure projects. The tax hike included a provision that would incrementally increase the gas tax each year to keep up with inflation. I voted No.
At the start of this month the latest increase in the gas tax went into effect, a 2.6 cent-per-gallon hike. The state’s gas tax is now 47 cents on every gallon we buy – an increase of 3.5%. Five years ago the tax was 19 cents.
The tax on diesel fuel has also increased, going from 52.9 cents per gallon to 54.5 cents, a 3% increase. Drivers pay a federal gas tax on 18.4 cents per gallon, and in some areas additional taxes enacted by local governments.
The state constitution forbids sweeping the funds collected by this tax for any purpose other than transportation. But while transportation purposes can be defined to include fixing roads, it can also include projects like expanding passenger rail service or paying for city buses.
Other states have similar methods of funding transportation, but at a much lower tax rate. For example, our neighbors in Indiana have a tax rate of 18.9 cents per gallon.
Slight increase in unemployment
Joblessness in Illinois increased slightly in May, with the state moving from a 4.8% unemployment rate up to 4.9%. The national unemployment rate stood at 4.0% for the same month.
Sectors of the Illinois economy which saw the most job losses included Manufacturing (-2300 jobs) and Leisure and Hospitality (-1200). The Professional and Business Services sector saw a big increase, adding 7100 jobs. Overall, there are 317,400 Illinoisans considered to be unemployed and looking for employment.
For many years Illinois has seemed to trail behind the rest of the country and our midwestern neighbors in job creation. House Republicans have introduced a package of legislation to improve Illinois’ jobs climate and make us more competitive with neighboring states. The leader of our Reigniting Illinois’ Strong Economy (RISE) working group, Rep. Dan Ugaste, spoke about our legislative package on a recent podcast.
Veterans and Senior fair coming up in September
Last week we had our first organizational meeting at the Old Dairy in Macomb for an upcoming Veteran/Senior Fair to be held in Macomb on September 9th from 9 a.m. until noon at the Spoon River College Community Center, located at 2500 E. Jackson Street in Macomb. Rep. Norine Hammond and I are partnering with McDonough District Hospital and Western Illinois Home Health Care to put this together.
Mark your calendar and make plans to attend. This is for anyone, but we like to focus on the needs of veterans, senior citizens and those who care for them.
We will send invitations to vendors later in July, but if you would like to ensure you receive an invitation please contact my office.
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