I’ve been enjoying the county fairs, chicken dinners with constituents, and the final weeks before harvest season begins on the farm. Last week I received a wonderful surprise when I was selected as the 2024 VOICE AWARD recipient. This is awarded to one person annually nationwide. I was awarded for my advocacy for people with I/DD and autism. I do not do this work for the recognition, but it certainly is a wonderful feeling to be appreciated. Thank you to the committee and everyone involved in the selection process.
Legislative Update
The Governor signed my legislation to cut costs on local government. House Bill 5138 requires IDOT to make road studies available to local governments upon request. This will reduce duplication of effort and save local units of government taxpayer dollars.
The idea for this legislation came from a local leader at the Greenville Chamber After Hours, when the city manager raised his frustration with the red tape. I took this idea to Springfield, worked with colleagues to create a good piece of legislation, and got it passed. Anything we can do to cut spending for local units of government helps take some pressure off our taxpayers.
Still Waiting for Resolution in Firearm Legislation Court Challenge
The court ruling we have all been waiting for on Illinois’ recent gun ban and registration law is delayed. We were hoping that the United States Supreme Court would hear the lawsuit challenging this law quickly and not require the case to work through the other layers of the courts first. However, the United States Supreme Court has decided that the Illinois case will not be considered there until it works its way through the lower courts. I have seen some people’s reaction to this news, and I want to let you know – this does not mean that the law is constitutional, it just means we have to wait longer for the US Supreme Court to weigh in.
Of course, I will continue to watch this lawsuit closely and give you updates along the way. You can read more about the Supreme Court’s decision here. And, as always, I will continue to advocate on behalf of our 2nd Amendment rights and for repealing this terrible law.
Help Us Repeal the TRUST Act
The TRUST Act in Illinois is a law that now allows undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses in Illinois, which recently went into effect on July 1. I voted against HB3882 because I believe it sets a dangerous precedent and undermines our country’s immigration laws.
This is the latest in a long line of legislation and executive action by Governor Pritzker that prioritizes illegal immigrants over Illinois citizens. This year’s budget alone provided FREE premium healthcare benefits for illegal immigrants, with taxpayers spending more than $1 billion for non-citizens.
This is backwards. The State of Illinois gives undocumented immigrants free healthcare benefits, housing assistance, drivers licenses, and other taxpayer-funded benefits. Illinois taxpayers cannot continue to shoulder this financial burden of free benefits, especially at a time when costs for our own citizens are going up.
The TRUST Act has got to go. Over 628,000 undocumented illegal immigrants live in Illinois right now. Illinoisans are begging for tax relief while the Illinois Democrats raised taxes to cover the costs for illegal immigrants.
You can sign a petition to repeal the TRUST Act at Meier TRUST Act Petition – Illinois House Republicans (ilhousegop.org)
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Books open up a child’s world. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is offering free monthly books to kids in Southern Illinois. The program is free for children from birth to five years old and a new book is sent each month. Books are mailed directly to families at no cost.
You can read more about the program here and to sign a child in your life up, go to www.readsi.org.
Activists Keep Trying to Ban Gas Powered Vehicles
Remember last year when democrats introduced a bill to adopt California’s vehicle emissions standards? We were able to kill the bill because thousands of Illinois signed witness slips opposing this terrible legislation. It would have limited the kinds of vehicles on the road in Illinois including banning the sale of gas powered vehicles in the next ten years.
Now, activists are trying to pass this law through the backdoor of the Pollution Control Board.
You can read more about this petition here.
I will fight to make sure this petition fails and that these standards do not get adopted in Illinois. We already killed this bill once, we can do it again.
Pritzker to Provide Medicaid Benefits to Convicted Felons
The Medicaid program is funded through a mix of state taxpayer dollars and federal dollars. However, to get a funding match from the federal government, the program that is being funded has to meet federal requirements. If it doesn’t, states can ask for a waiver. This process can allow states to be creative and better serve people.
But, the taxpayer dollars we have from state and federal sources are limited. They need to be prioritized for the populations who need it most. Unfortunately, in Illinois, the governor’s administration is continuing down the same path of prioritizing criminals over other citizens in Illinois’ new waiver request.
You can read more here, but included in the new waiver, Illinois intends to spend medicaid dollars on convicted felons. This comes on top of the hundreds of millions of medicaid dollars that are being spent providing non-citizens with free healthcare. Pritzker’s priorities are backwards. We should prioritize providing care for our own citizens and our own law-abiding citizens.
Down on the Farm:
The first farm update is that farmers who were impacted by the recent storm may be eligible for assistance. You can view more details here: https://charliemeier.net/2024/07/31/rep-meier-farmers-impacted-by-severe-weather-may-be-eligible-for-help/
The Meier family also got all cleaned up last weekend as my niece Hannah got married. I wish them decades of love and happiness!
Canning is in full swing! I’ve been filling mason jars with all kinds of canned goodies from the garden.
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