“We have difficult decisions to make this year. Vital programs like K-12 education, financial aid for college students, and important programs for seniors, people with developmental disabilities and others all face major cuts.

“I was glad to see the governor lay out a strategy to address our problems. We’re all going to have to work together to do what’s best for the people of Illinois this year.”

Ameren Illinois and One Change are joining forces for an energy-efficiency campaign in the greater Peoria area. The campaign is intended to help Ameren customers aware of simple changes they can make to reduce energy usage and save money on their electric bills.

Representatives from One Change will be distributing a box of six compact flourescent lightbulbs to 25,000 homes in the Peoria area and ask a short three-question survey of the resident's energy-efficiency habits.

For more information, see the flyer below.

(click here to view the .pdf; right-click and select "Save Target As..." to download)

SPRINGFIELD – ATV owners would be protected when using their vehicles on private property under a plan that passed the Illinois Senate today.

In 2012, the Illinois General Assembly passed a law to help finance the Department of Natural Resources through a series of new and expanded fees – part of an effort to keep the desperately underfunded agency afloat. However, after hearing from a number of ATV owners who believe the fees for all-terrain vehicles are unfair, Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) began working with DNR to find a solution that ensures the agency gets the funding it needs, while ATV owners get a better deal.

"When ATV owners came to me with this issue, I saw that they had some good, constructive criticism of the ATV fee law," Koehler said. "I wanted to work with them to fix it."

The flawed 2012 law failed to differentiate between golf carts, vehicles used by people with disabilities and ATVs used in state and local parks and preserves. It also charged a flat fee for all ATVs, failing to differentiate between adult ATVs and vehicles used by children.

Koehler's plan (Senate Bill 2633) cuts the current $15 registration fee down to $10 for vehicles with smaller than 75 cc engines (normally used by children). It also provides clear exemptions for golf carts, vehicles for people with disabilities, ATVs used by governments and ATVs used by farmers. It clarifies that ATVs used only on a family's own property are also exempt, as are vehicles used only in ATV competitions.

In addition, DNR has pledged to use much of the money raised by the new fee to develop and maintain ATV trails on state property. This new money allows the agency to qualify for hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal matching funds.

"For years, we've been struggling just to keep state parks open and perform basic maintenance," Koehler said. "It's exciting to see the Department of Natural Resources start building ATV trails to provide even more opportunities for Illinois nature lovers."

The legislation now goes to the Illinois House of Representatives for further consideration.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Dave Koehler's plan to make it a crime for a police dispatcher to tip off a criminal that law enforcement is nearby passed the Illinois Senate. It now goes to the House of Representatives for further consideration.

In 2010, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that it's not a crime for a 911 dispatcher to let a drug dealer – or other criminal – know that police are in the area. The court called the case "troubling" and the defendant's actions "unjustifiable," but found nothing in Illinois law making such behavior illegal.

"The people of Illinois need to be able to trust the entire law enforcement system," Koehler said. "911 dispatchers hold an important position, and they should be held accountable if they breach the public's trust."

In 1998, a police dispatcher tipped off a local drug dealer that law enforcement officials were in the area near his house in the Chicago suburbs. The Cook County State's Attorney charged her with official misconduct. The trial court found her guilty and sentenced her to two years of probation and 250 hours of community service.

However, the 911 dispatcher appealed the verdict. The appellate court ruled that nothing in Illinois law allowed her to be charged with official misconduct. The local police department had every right to fire her, but she hadn't broken any Illinois law. In 2010, the Illinois Supreme Court agreed.

Koehler's proposal, Senate Bill 2695, would make it a Class 3 felony for a police dispatcher – or anyone in a similar position – to warn a criminal that law enforcement is nearby or on the way by expanding the definition of official misconduct to include this circumstance.

The crime of official misconduct already covers a wide variety of corrupt acts by public employees, including accepting bribes and misusing one's authority for personal gain. The penalty for a Class 3 felony is two to five years in prison.