Inside:
- Budget uncertainty as deadline approaches
- Another electricity price spike could be ahead
- Honoring SFC Kyle Wehrly
- Lia Barraza Sloan serves as House Page for a Day
- Recognizing leaders at Sandburg College
Budget uncertainty as deadline approaches
The House and Senate are scheduled to adjourn the spring session on May 31. The passage of a state budget usually caps off a hectic end of session. This year looks to be no different.
House Republicans have been warning all year that the state’s spending is on an unsustainable trajectory. For the last several years, spending has gone up and taxes have been raised to keep up with the spending. The state budget was around $40 billion in 2019; it is now over $55 billion.
New revenue forecasts from both the Governor’s office and the legislature’s budget agency have revised revenue estimates downward for the upcoming fiscal year, meaning there will be less revenue to cover the proposed spending. This should encourage policymakers to trim their spending to keep it in line with revenue. But it is also possible that it could spur Democrats to ask for even larger tax increases. We will find out in the next couple of weeks.
Another electricity price spike could be ahead
Last year residents of our area and other locations in downstate Illinois saw their electric bills shoot upward during the summer. We could be in for another round this year according to a warning from the electricity company Ameren.
The warning came after the most recent capacity auction, which utilities use to obtain future electricity from the power grid operated by MISO, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator. With the results of the capacity auction, Ameren Illinois customers can expect to pay 11 cents per kilowatt hour this summer, which is an improvement from last year’s 12.2 cents, but is more than double the 4.8 cents which customers paid just five years ago. Last year’s costs were worsened by a heat wave early in the summer. About half of a residential bill is due to supply costs.
Illinois is pursuing an ambitious climate agenda which calls for shutting down many existing power plants and replacing them with cleaner energy sources. Rather than invest in maintenance on a plant which is going to have to be shut down in a few years anyway, some utilities are opting to start phasing out these plants earlier – but before the new clean energy plants are fully online and able to meet the growing demand for energy.
House Republicans have proposed legislation to extend the shutdown deadlines to make sure there is no interruption in the supply of reliable, affordable electricity to Illinois homes and businesses, but so far that legislation has not been allowed to be considered.
Honoring SFC Kyle Wehrly
Last week the House adopted a resolution which would designate a portion of U.S. Route 150 through Galesburg as the SFC Kyle Wehrly Memorial Highway. Sergeant First Class Wehrly was born in Galesburg and graduated from Galesburg High School in 1996. He served with the 123rd Field Artillery in Iraq, where he made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation on November 3, 2005.
Presenting this resolution was personal for me, because SFC Wehrly served in my unit when I was battalion commander. I learned from soldiers who served with him in Iraq that he did not have to go on his final mission, but his noncommissioned officer in charge could not go on the mission, so SFC Wehrly volunteered to go. Not volunteering was simply not in his DNA.
He left behind his wife and young daughter. When his family came to me with the idea of dedicating this highway in his name, I was honored to do so.
Click here to learn more about SFC Wehrly.
Lia Barraza Sloan serves as a House Page for the Day
Lia Barraza Sloan of Galesburg served as a Page for a Day in the Illinois House of Representatives on Tuesday. Lia has been a very active leader in her community, and it was a great honor to introduce her to the members of the House of Representatives and talk about her accomplishments.
Lia is a home-schooled sixth grader and is the daughter of Leno and Sabrina Barraza. She is active in 4-H and recently starred in the lead role in her home school co-op play about a toy store. She started a community service initiative called Hands and Hooves Working Together, which raises awareness and support for therapeutic horseback riding. Lia has raised over $5000 for Rainbow Riders in Monmouth by organizing a bridal show and making speeches at the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. She volunteers at a local senior center and is the current Junior Miss Illinois.
Recognizing leaders at Sandburg College
The House of Representatives recently recognized leaders and students at Sandburg College in Galesburg. We commended the college and its student development division for their significant service to the community and commitment to developing the leadership abilities of students.
Student clubs at Sandburg had a participation rate of 76% from August 2024 to March 2026, completing 4261 verified volunteer hours and 67 additional event hours as they fulfilled 2178 commitments across 349 service opportunities. This generated an economic impact of approximately $148,247. The clubs’ service initiatives had an impact in multiple areas, such as education, civic and community engagement, health initiatives and children and services.
The clubs involved included Men of Distinction (MOD), Women of Character (WOC), International Student Club (ISC), Hispanic-Latino Student Association (HLSA), Black Student Association (BSA), and African Student Association (ASA).
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