Dear Friend,

It was another busy week in Springfield, with Senate Bills beginning to move through the House Committee process. There remains just a little over one month of the Spring 2025 Legislative Session, and there is a lot of work to do. The legislature has so far failed to produce any meaningful ethics reforms, despite multiple public corruption related arrests, indictments, and convictions.

We are also tasked with passing a balanced spending plan for 2026 Fiscal year that begins on July 1, 2025. In recent years, lawmakers have seen budgets dropped on our desks with very little time to review the massive spending plans. Back in January, I helped sponsor several House Resolutions that would change the Rules of the House of Representatives. One of those, HR 9, would require 24 hours for lawmakers to review any budget before voting on it. Unfortunately, that change in House Rules, which would greatly increase transparency and accountability for how your tax dollars are spent, has been ignored by the supermajority Democrats who control the House.

I will continue to highlight the need for ethics reform and good government in the waning weeks of this Session. It is my honor to serve you in Springfield. If I may ever be of service to you, please do not hesitate to contact me. Now, let’s get to this week’s news!

Representative Patrick Windhorst and Senator Dale Fowler to Host Prescription Drug Drop-Off Event in Metropolis TOMORROW SATURDAY, APRIL 26 FROM 10 A.M. – 2 P.M.

April 22, 2025

Harrisburg, Illinois -State Representative Patrick Windhorst and State Senator Dale Fowler are teaming up to host a Prescription Drug Drop-Off event on Saturday, April 26, to help residents safely dispose of unused or expired medications.

The event will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Metropolis Police Department, located at 1020 Broadway Street in Metropolis.

“Too often, unused medications sit in homes where they can be misused or end up in the wrong hands,” said Representative Windhorst. “By working together with local law enforcement, we’re helping ensure these substances are disposed of safely and appropriately.”

“Properly disposing of prescription medications not only protects our environment but also helps prevent the risk of accidental poisoning and reduces the chance of misuse or abuse,” said Senator Fowler. “Events like this provide a safe and convenient way for families to clean out their medicine cabinets responsibly.”

Accepted items include:

• Prescription medications
• Sealed liquids and creams
• Pet medications
• Vitamins

Needles, syringes, and illegal drugs will not be accepted.

For more information, please contact Senator Fowler’s office at (618) 294-8951 or Representative Windhorst’s office at (618) 294-8703.

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Rep. Windhorst Hosts Lara Shaw of Hope Haven of Southern Illinois in Springfield for ‘Women to Watch’ Leadership Event

April 23, 2025

SPRINGFIELD, IL – On Tuesday, female leaders from across the state of Illinois descended on Springfield for the House Republicans’ Annual “Women to Watch” Leadership Conference.

117th District State Representative Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) says he is honored to have hosted the founder and Executive Director of Hope Haven of Southern Illinois, Lara Shaw of Harrisburg, for a day filled with activities in and around the State Capitol.

Hope Haven of Southern Illinois is dedicated to empowering youth by fostering resilience, reducing trauma, and providing mental health resources through holistic services, advocacy, and community collaboration.  Windhorst thanked Shaw for her outstanding leadership and welcomed her as a “Woman to Watch” among Illinois leaders. 

“I want to congratulate Lara Shaw on her success in building Hope Haven of Southern Illinois into an outstanding entity whose mission is to serve our youth community,” Windhorst said. “I was proud to welcome Lara to share in conversations and panel discussions with fellow female leaders from throughout the state. The future for youth in southern Illinois is brighter because of the important work that Lara is doing through Hope Haven of Southern Illinois.”

Lara Shaw is a Licensed Social Worker who, in addition to being the founder of Hope Haven, works as a youth clinician and mental health consultant. Throughout her many years of service in the social work field, Shaw has remained a consistent advocate for the youth community. In February, she founded Hope Haven of Southern Illinois and is now working to address shortages in services and create new opportunities to serve youth and families. Since its founding, Hope Haven has developed new program proposals, fostered local and statewide partnerships and collaborations, organized a community committee, a local youth advisory board, worked as a liaison for the Handle with Care Initiative, and started a Saline County Early Childhood Collaboration.

Shaw continues her efforts to incorporate services needed to support youth, while still contributing to serve the needs of families and the community at large.

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HOUSE REPUBLICANS WEEK IN REVIEW

AGRICULTURE

• Illinois House Republicans Working to Save Family Farms

On Wednesday, three Illinois House Republicans, who also work as family farmers, held a Capitol news conference to highlight legislation they are sponsoring to support Illinois’ agriculture industry. State Representatives Dan Swanson, Jason R. Bunting, and Wayne Rosenthal have sponsored legislation they say will help save family farms in Illinois. 

State Rep. Dan Swanson is a 6th-generation family farmer near Alpha, Illinois. His family raises various crops and livestock. Swanson says Illinois must do more to preserve agriculture for the future. Swanson is sponsoring HB 1501, legislation that creates an income tax credit for the owner of an agricultural asset who sells or rents that asset to a beginning farmer.

“There are young people in Illinois right now who want to get started in farming, but don’t always have the opportunity,” Swanson said. “We need to get that next generation up and running in agriculture. Unfortunately, my bill wasn’t called before the required deadline. We need to get serious about preserving the future of agriculture in Illinois.”

State Rep. Jason R. Bunting operates a family farm in Emington in rural Livingston County. Rep. Bunting noted the very real and dangerous conditions that farmers encounter in several aspects of their work. Rep. Bunting is sponsoring House Resolution 29, which would designate the week of September 15-21, 2025, as Farm Safety Week. Bunting also noted two other bills that would emulate Scott’s Law, which requires drivers to move over and slow down for stopped emergency vehicles. Bunting’s HB 3204 and HB 3205 would make Scott’s Law provisions applicable to farm implements.  

“My bill would require drivers to make room for farm equipment on the roads so they can safely pass the equipment,” Bunting said. “This legislation would make the road safer for farmers, and for every other Illinoisan who drives the rural roads of this state, so that we can all make it home safely to our families.”

State Rep. Wayne Rosenthal is the former Director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and a 4th-generation family farmer. Rosenthal argued for the Illinois estate tax exemption to be raised to help save family farms from double taxation.

“I know first-hand what this unfair estate tax means to my family and to every other family farm in Illinois,” Rosenthal said. “This isn’t just a tax, it’s a threat to our way of life. Too often, I have heard from families, friends, and neighbors who have been hit hard by this unfair tax. Illinois estate taxes are levied on farm owners when they pass on. Unlike monetary assets that can be moved, land cannot, so our family farms are penalized. Illinois has not adjusted the estate tax on farmland in more than a decade. Inflation has risen, and we haven’t made the necessary changes to our estate tax. We still have time to fix this problem this Session, we need to get to work so we can save Illinois family farms.”

ECONOMY

• House Republicans Glad Democrats Want to Join the Conversation to Make Illinois More Competitive

State Representatives Jeff Keicher, Joe Sosnowski and Travis Weaver are calling on the Illinois General Assembly to prioritize state-level policies that directly benefit Illinois families and small businesses, rather than deflecting blame toward federal actions.

In recent hearings, Democratic members of the House Revenue and Finance Committee have repeatedly pointed to Washington and federal tariff policy as primary drivers of economic pressure in Illinois. The reality is that Illinois’ economy has been lagging for decades due to failed policies enacted under Democratic rule. While there is finally some acknowledgement of the current challenges facing our job growth and economy on all sides of the aisle, the Republicans said it is time for all Illinois lawmakers to take responsibility for their actions and control what they can control.

“Rather than using federal politics as a scapegoat, Illinois lawmakers should take ownership of the policies within our control,” said Keicher, Weaver and Sosnowski. “Illinois’ economic struggles predate current federal policy by decades, the result of burdensome regulations, tax hikes, and anti-business legislation championed by Democrats in Springfield. By acting responsibly and enacting better policies, our state can be set up to enjoy beneficial economic impacts once the federal trade deals and tariffs are negotiated and ironed out. While there is a lot of uncertainty going on at the federal level, no amount of blaming changes what can be done in Illinois.”

For example, Illinois has lagged behind the national average in home construction, with only a 3.4 percent change in housing units built between 2013 and 2023. That is only better than West Virginia and Michigan.

According to the latest WalletHub survey, Illinois families will pay the second-highest property tax rate in the nation in 2025, spending more than double that of the average American family. Illinois is also hamstrung by the nation’s largest unfunded pension liability, the third most outmigration, and the seventh-highest unemployment rate. This is all the result of bad public policy, not tariffs.

The Republicans concluded, “State lawmakers in Illinois can take this as a moment of unity to focus on cooperating with the federal government and enacting policies to lower taxes and strengthen our economy at home. It’s time to enact real pro-growth policy, and no amount of finger-pointing can undo decades of stagnation.”

EDUCATION

• House Republicans Fight to Protect Women in Athletics

Illinois House Republican lawmakers gathered in the Capitol Thursday to present legislation protecting women’s sports. In light of a recent Executive Order handed down by President Donald Trump, which prohibits biological men from competing against biological women in sports, House Republicans have continued to work to protect women and have filed legislation to provide those needed protections.

Last month, House Republican lawmakers sent a letter to the Illinois High School Sports Association to ask for clarification on how current policies will be amended to align with the Executive Order. Instead of action, the IHSA chose to deflect responsibility. That lack of direction has spurred further response from lawmakers, including State Representative Tom Weber and State Representative Regan Deering, who spoke out at a press conference to relay their own pieces of legislation to create clarity for women across Illinois.

“Our objective here is simple – to protect the many female student athletes here in Illinois who are facing undue challenges when competing,” said Rep. Weber. “Women have fought for decades to have equal athletic opportunities through Title IX, and we cannot let those great strides turn into steps backward. By designating interscholastic and intercollegiate teams as male, female, or co-ed, we can protect women’s sports by ensuring every athlete has access to safe and competitive opportunities.”

Representative Weber has filed House Bill 4027 to require public schools and colleges that have interscholastic or intercollegiate athletics to provide equal athletic opportunities for members of both sexes. The bill lays out clear requirements that schools designate sports teams as either male, female, or co-ed, and prohibits biological males from competing for or against teams designated for females.

State Representative Regan Deering has also backed a measure in the Illinois House, House Bill 1117, which would require school sports teams to be designated as male, female, or co-ed, with students only being able to participate on teams that match their biological sex.

“Fairness in girls’ sports is not up for negotiation,” said Rep. Deering. “Privacy and safety are not political issues. I refuse to stay silent while unelected bureaucrats and politically pressured institutions make decisions that compromise our daughters’ futures.”

The lawmakers were joined at the Capitol by two young women who have advocated for safety and fairness in women’s sports: Kaitlynn and Abbigail Wheeler, who are Riley Gaines Center Ambassadors. They were able to provide testimonials during Thursday’s press conference to further express the need for change to protect women in sports.

FIRST RESPONDERS

• Chicago Firefighter David Meyer Dies After Blaze In West Side Garage

A veteran Chicago firefighter died Wednesday from injuries he suffered battling a morning blaze on the West Side.

Captain David Meyer, 54, had been with the Fire Department since 1996, department spokesman Larry Langford wrote on Twitter.

About 4 a.m. Wednesday, firefighters were called to a garage fire in the 1200 block of North Pine Avenue, spokesman Larry Merritt said.

The fire was put out and companies were clearing out the scene when the garage roof collapsed on Meyer, who had 28 years on the job and worked his way up to a captain in the department, Fire Department Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt said.

“He spent most of his career on the West Side, in busy fire houses, doing what he loved to do,” Nance-Holt said at a press conference. “It’s one of those things. We go to work every day and we never know if we’re going to come home. But this is what he loved to do and he was really good at it.”

Meyer was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he died from his injuries, officials said.

Read more about Captain Meyer from Block Club Chicago.

JOBS

• Illinois unemployment rate remains unchanged at 4.8%

Illinois’ unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.8% in March, while the revised unemployment rate was 4.8%, unchanged from the preliminary February unemployment rate, according to data released by the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES).

Illinois’ unemployment rate was 0.6% higher than the national 4.2% unemployment rate for March. As with recent previous months, the March 2025 estimates included substantial year-over-year Illinois job losses in manufacturing (down 5.500 jobs over the 12-month interval) and professional and business services (down 12,900 jobs during the same period).  Were it not for the competing sectors of government and health care, Illinois would have lost jobs during the most recent 12-month period.

The number of unemployed workers was 321,500, up +0.1% from the prior month, and down -2.5 percent over the same month one year ago. The labor force was down -0.1% over-the-month and up +0.6 percent over-the-year.

STATE GOVERNMENT

• Illinois tourism agency hit with scandal

The self-described “face of Illinois tourism” was financially benefitting from efforts to market the state, according to findings from Illinois’ executive inspector general.

Daniel Thomas made frequent appearances in the media promoting Illinois through his work as deputy director of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, but the inspector general found he was still profiting from his former company that was hired to help with the marketing effort. 

“Mr. Thomas received over $136,000 in payments from TimeZoneOne after he began working at DCEO,” the inspector general determined.  

At one point, Thomas was vigorously negotiating his own payment from his former firm, TimeZoneOne, while overseeing the company’s contracts with the state, “raising serious questions regarding his ability to be independent and objective in his dealings,” the inspector general concluded. […]

The inspector general said Thomas increased the firm’s production of marketing videos and marketing materials under the “Illinois Made” campaign during his tenure with the state.  He also traveled to Europe, Mexico and the Rose Bowl in California as part of his work with the Illinois Tourism Office.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration said Thomas was terminated immediately following receipt of the results of the investigation. 

Read more about this scandal from WGN Investigates.

WOMEN TO WATCH

• House Republicans Honor Local Female Leaders at Annual Conference in the Capitol

House Minority Leader Tony McCombie held the fourth annual House Republican Women to Watch Conference in Springfield this week. The event drew women leaders from across the state on Tuesday to recognize and celebrate their efforts to make a difference in communities throughout Illinois.

This spring Leader McCombie called for nominations from her 89th District, which ultimately produced 16 impressive area leaders. From that number, three were chosen to attend the Springfield event: Daisha Boehm, Katie Herrig, and Allison Huntley.

“It is important to continue to recognize and honor women who have worked hard to make communities throughout our state a better place to live and work,” said McCombie. “Beyond that, I am continually impressed with the number of nominations I received. This is just the beginning, and I look forward to continuing to celebrate all the leaders in northwest Illinois.”

Leader McCombie plans to invite all event nominees to a special event this summer to further recognize their accomplishments. The House Republican Caucus will continue to make Women to Watch an annual event, building on the success of the first such event hosted in 2019.