Press Release from State Senator Dale Fowler

SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Illinois Senate is scheduled to adjourn on May 31, which is injecting an increased sense of urgency into Senate lawmakers working to negotiate a budget compromise, according to State Sen. Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg).

Legislative leaders and staffs continued “behind-the-scenes” meetings to hopefully resolve the budgetary impasse that has affected the state for more than two years.

DRA Visit to Cairo

Senator Fowler began the week with his 14th visit to Cairo, meeting with officials from the federal Delta Regional Authority (DRA) on May 8. The DRA engages in economic development and infrastructure upgrades in the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers Delta region. Chairman Chris Masingill toured the southern-most point of Illinois with officials from the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity, representatives from Illinois’ Congressional Delegation, and several local officials.

The purpose of the tour was to expose the DRA to the economic challenges facing Southern Illinois and provide a financial boost for the “soft costs” associated with the start-up of the proposed port terminal in Cairo. If completed, the terminal would serve as a regional hub of transportation to get coal, grain, and many other Southern Illinois products to foreign markets.

Cairo is unique in that it is the most northern point of both rivers that are less susceptible to drought or winter freezing. It is estimated that southern Illinois farmers and coal producers would flock to Alexander County for the availability of another intermodal facility to get products downstream.

Fowler holds telephone forum

Senator Fowler took to the “telephone air waves” for his second forum of the legislative session to give residents of the 59th Senate District an update on what was happening in the Capitol. The Senator fielded a number of questions from more than 3,000 constituents who tuned in for the forum. The forum provides a venue for hundreds of constituents to get their questions and comments heard from the comfort of one’s recliner or kitchen table.

Fowler hosts Capitol guests

Constituents from the Williamson County Early Childhood Cooperative were welcomed by Senator Fowler to the Capitol. The educational professionals were in attendance to speak with lawmakers about the WCECC’s backlog of payments which amounts to more than $1 million. The WCECC is a function of the five school districts that encompass Williamson County’s early childhood population.

Senator Fowler also greets constituents from Franklin and Saline Counties, who were in town to lobby for breast cancer research funding. Finally, Senator Fowler welcomed the Cairo High School’s TECH 2017 team, which had a digital presentation on the history of Cairo and Alexander County.

Dear Neighbor,

I hope you stayed safe during the heavy rains we experienced this past week. Thankfully there have been no serious injuries or fatalities to report. Thank you to all the Fire Departments, Emergency Management Agencies, county, and municipal leaders. If not for their proactive efforts, the effects of the weather could have been much more damaging. If you need assistance we have provided contact information below.

Williamson County Emergency Management Agency

618-998-2123

http://www.wcema.com/

Franklin County Emergency Management Agency

618-439-4362

http://www.franklincountyil.gov/ema/contact

Hamilton Count Emergency Management Agency

618-643-3744

https://www.hamiltoncountyillinois.com/departments/emergency-management/

Outside of the storms we have had several things going on in the district this week. Here is a recap of what our office has been working on.

Williamson County Early Childhood Program

Last week I was told that the Williamson County Early Childhood Program is in danger of shutting down due to the budget impasse. In response I have contacted and been working with the Illinois Comptroller’s office requesting hardship payments to keep the program running into the next fiscal year.

The program services all five districts in Williamson County with Pre-K education that many families would otherwise not have access to. It is critical that we keep this program running for the children and families that rely on it.

Honor Flight Recognition

Many of you have heard about the Veterans Honor Flight that flew out of Marion in late April. It was a tremendous event and to recognize this special occasion, I introduced House Resolution 328 which recognizes April 25, 2017 as Veterans Honor Flight Day in the State of Illinois.

On Tuesday, I presented the Honor Flight board with a copy of the Resolution as well as certificates for all the veterans to acknowledge their selfless service to our country.

Open House

Thursday, my staff and I held an open house in our district office and we were very happy with the turnout! I had a great time meeting some new faces, showing off the office, and talking about what is going on in Springfield with constituents. Thank you to all of you who came out and I encourage those who could not make it to stop by and say hi.

The Marion office is staffed Monday through Friday, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. You can email me through the Contact Form on my website at www.repseverin.com. My staff and I are here to serve you! So please feel free to share your opinions with us.

SPRINGFIELD, IL – Senate lawmakers were at the State Capitol for four days, passing a number of legislative measures dealing with a multitude of law changes, according to State Sen. Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg).

Staff from the Governor’s Office continued to meet with Senate Republican and Democrat lawmakers and their appropriations staffs in the hopes of achieving a budget deal. Fowler said Senate Republican lawmakers continue to advocate for reductions in spending and reforms to reverse the culture of waste and lost economic growth opportunities.

Flood dominates the news

Even though Senator Fowler was at the Capitol nearly all week, he stayed in nearly “round-the-clock” contact with local mayors, village presidents, levee districts, and emergency service disaster agency professionals about heavy rains and the resulting localized flooding.

Several creeks and flooding along the Big Muddy River caused local residents to remain vigilant because of the April 27-30 storms, which left much of Southern Illinois with nearly 10 inches of rain. The localized flooding meant that smaller river tributaries quickly filled and flooded neighborhoods in Franklin County and Williamson County, which do not often deal with serious flooding conditions.

Senator Fowler took part in a series of conference calls with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency so as to keep lines of communication open in terms of the state response.

The states of emergency that were declared in Franklin County and Williamson County mark a potential first step to seeking higher levels of disaster relief for flood-ravaged units of government, businesses, and possibly individual properties. Sadly, the thresholds for federal government disaster assistance are quite high and the totality of the damage across the region could take another couple of weeks to assess, as rivers are to crest in the coming days.

Senator Fowler encouraged citizens to check local media resources and with their county-level ESDA to see if any flood assistance may be availabl

Press Release from State Senator Dale Fowler (R – Harrisburg) 

Legislators used the two week in-district work period to catch up on constituent communications, hold meetings, and attend community forums, according to State Sen. Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg).

The two-week period marks the final time that lawmakers will have a significant amount of days back in their district before the regularly scheduled May 31 adjournment.

Senator Fowler noted that he spent several days down in Cairo as a result of the April 10 announcement by the federal department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that they would be requiring residents to move from the Elmwood and McBride Complexes.

During Fowler’s repeated visits, he met with constituents and local leaders concerning the quick five-month time frame for vacating the premises, set forth by the federal government.

The Senator is part of a local working group looking at housing options for a portion of the affected constituents.

A number of legislative tours were part of his two weeks back in-district, among the visits were: a factory tour of Aisin of America in Marion, the Rea Clinic in Christopher, the Autism Project on SIU’s Campus, Shawnee Christian Nursing Center and Shawnee Community College.

Senator Fowler also took part in more than two dozen smaller meetings throughout the district and in his’ Harrisburg district office. On April 20, the Senator joined fellow Southern Illinois Senator Paul Schimpf for an SIU forum which allowed community members an opportunity to meet the two new lawmakers.

After nearly 100 days in office, Senator Fowler noted that Illinois continues to face many challenges because of the two-year budgetary impasse, but he remains optimistic that a solution will come.

The Illinois Senate returns to session on April 25 and Senator Fowler’s final public event for the two weeks will be a Southern Illinois Coal Forum to be held in Murphysboro.