On Wednesday, February 7, 2024, State Senator Dale Fowler, and members of the Illinois Children’s Health Caucus gathered for their first meeting of the year at the Stratton Building adjacent to the Illinois Capitol.
The bipartisan group of four lawmakers in which Sen. Fowler serves as a co-chiar of, heard from a panel of experts covering the topic of, “Children in the IL Medicaid Program 101.” More than one million children across the state rely on the state’s Medicaid program. Speakers at the meeting were: Susan Hayes Gordon, Senior Vice President/Chief External Affairs Officer, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital, Stephanie Altman, Director of Healthcare Justice and Senior Director of Policy, Shriver Center on Poverty Law, Diana Merdian, Parent Perspective, Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. Senator Fowler recognizes the important of Medicaid and how it serves as a lifeline for children in low-income families and kids with special healthcare needs. For more information on Illinois Medicaid, click here: https://www.benefits.gov/benefit/1628
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State Senator Dale Fowler alongside the Illinois Department of Natural Resources are announcing more than $2.3 million in Open Space Land Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grants throughout the 59th Senate District. “Investing in our outdoor spaces and local parks is a great opportunity to enrich the lives of many seeking a new modernized all-inclusive space for all,” said Senator Fowler. “The OSLAD program not only invests in parks and recreation, but it also fosters a healthier, happier community for all.” This year, $54.9 million in OSLAD grants were awarded to 111 projects across the entire state. The OSLAD program was established by the Illinois General Assembly in 1986 and is a cost sharing program between state and local governments to help fund land acquisition and development for outdoor recreation. Projects across the 59th Senate District include: - Carbondale Park District - $600,000 - Aims to replace current playground structures at Crispus Attucks Park to allow for accessible and inclusive play for a wide variety of ages. Further, this project will allow for accessible playground surfacing.
- City of Hurst - $586,000 – The rehabilitation of existing baseball field and related appurtenances, creating improved parking areas, and installing new playground equipment, fitness equipment, pickleball court, picnic pavilion, walking/biking path, disk golf course, gaga pit, and lighting and native landscaping.
- City of Mound City - $599,800 - Improvement project to provide an ADA accessible walking path, connecting sidewalks throughout the park plus the construction an ADA accessible parking area. Upgrades to playground equipment to include a new playground structure and ground cover pad. Replacement of the dilapidated basketball court and addition of new benches.
- Village of Elkville - $574,400 - Renovation of the existing baseball and softball fields with associated appurtenances, improved accessible parking areas, renovation of an existing pavilion, installation of a pickleball court, and play area, extending the walking/biking path, and installing new lighting and landscaping.
In the 37-year history of the program, OSLAD has provided more than $585 million for park projects across the state. For a full list of projects and the amount communities are receiving, click here.
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The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) announced that they will begin accepting 2023 tax returns on January 29, 2024. Illinois residents can file state returns for free online through the MyTax Illinois website. IDOR is expecting more than 6.2 million individual tax returns this year with 90 percent of all tax returns filed electronically last year. According to IDOR, the quickest way to receive a refund is to set up a direct deposit source at the time of your filing. April 15 will be the tax-filing deadline this year. This year is the first time Illinoisans can receive the Volunteer Emergency Worker Credit (EIC), which is designed to help offset up to $500 of the training and equipment costs for volunteer firefighters and EMTs. Additionally, taxpayers 18 years or older (with or without qualifying child), 65 years or older (without qualifying child) and residents with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number are eligible to claim the Illinois Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). IDOR officials say they will continue to crack down on tax fraud. In 2022, they were able to prevent $104 million worth of tax fraud through various methods. They advise that vigilance detecting scam calls, emails and protecting your personal information are the best ways to prevent tax fraud. Taxpayers may call 1-800-732-8866 or 217-782-3336 or visit tax.illinois.gov for additional information.
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The Army Corps of Engineers is taking further efforts to stop the spread of invasive carp in Illinois waterways and lakes. The Brandon Road Interbasin Project is designed to prevent invasive carp from leaving the Illinois and Des Plaines Rivers and moving into Lake Michigan and other nearby bodies of water. The project could take six to eight years and would cost more than $1.4 billion for barricades alone. Sound blasts, an electrical barrier, a flushing lock, and a bubble wall are all different steps in the project plan. The carp first became a problem in the 1990s when the fish were able to enter the Illinois River. Today, the Illinois River has more carp per capita than any other waterway in the world. These fish have the potential to disrupt and obliterate the natural food chain in the Great Lakes if they make it into Lake Michigan. This would affect many related businesses in the commercial and recreational fishing economy of the Great Lakes, which totals $7 billion per year.
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Last year, Illinois farmers raised almost 649 million bushels of soybeans, a slight decrease from the previous year, making Illinois the top soybean-producing state. However, the state fell to second in corn production last year, losing to the nearby state of Iowa. The 43,000 soybean farmers in the state averaged 63 bushels per acre. These Illinoisans persevered through extremes like dry spells, and heavy rains to maintain the soybean production crown.
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