Sunday, May 12, 2013
"A couple of years from now, we will be back here with the same issues, fighting the same battles,” the state senator says.
State Sen. Jim Oberweis, R-Sugar Grove, issued a statement about Senate Bill 2404 — the Senate’s version of pension reform — that passed the Senate May 9 by a 40-16 vote. Oberweis said he voted “no” on Senate Bill 2404 because it falls short on its intended goal of cost-savings to the state. “I voted against Senate Bill 2404 because it does not do enough to solve our problem. A couple of years from now, we will be back here with the same issues, fighting the same battles,” Oberweis said. “State officials have made pension benefit promises they knew, or should have known, they couldn’t possibly keep. We are now at the point where we have to stand up and resolve these issues for our state’s long-term fiscal health. We need to do what is …
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Passed by a 41-6-1 vote, Senate Bill 2356 now moves to the House of Representatives for further consideration.
- GOVERNMENT
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Wednesday, April 24
Illinois’ speed limit would increase to 70 mph, under legislation sponsored by state Sen. Jim Oberweis, R-Sugar Grove, and Transportation Committee Chairman Martin Sandoval, D-Cicero, and passed April 23 by the Illinois Senate. During debate, the 25th District state senator was subjected to the good-natured ribbing that all freshmen senators are traditionally subjected to by their legislative colleagues when their first bill comes before the senate for a vote. Oberweis’ legislation is cosponsored by 29 other senators. “This is a bipartisan, good-government bill, which would allow the maximum speed limit on tollways and interstate highways to increase to 70 mph — to bring Illinois in line with most of the rest of the country," Oberweis said…
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Letter to the Editor: "I think it is time we follow private industry’s lead, and move government pensions to a defined contribution plan."
Dear Editor, Illinois faces a pension liability conservatively placed at $95 billion. Gov. Pat Quinn and his legislative leaders have finally recognized the problems caused by years of offering too many pension sweeteners without meeting state funding obligations. It is unfortunate that their rhetoric has — so far — not been accompanied by action. Quinn has neithe rproduced his own plan nor rounded up votes for other plans and, quite frankly, I’m getting fed up. Further clouding the issue are claims by House Speaker Michael Madigan that suburban and downstate school districts are receiving a “free lunch” from the state in terms of paying teachers’ pensions costs. The Speaker and other Chicago leaders are pushing a proposal to shift those …
Sunday, March 10, 2013
What do you think about Jim Oberweis' efforts to get rid of Pat Brady as party chair?
A couple of big-name, hyper-local politicians in the state's Grand Old Party are going toe-to-toe over the direction of party leadership and the issue of same-sex marriage. A bunch of Republicans, led by state Sen. Jim Oberweis of Sugar Grove, cancelled a Saturday (March 9) meeting to decide whether to oust state GOP Chairman Pat Brady of St. Charles over Brady's personal position on gay marriage. The meeting was cancelled because the Republican group couldn't get enough votes to remove Brady, according to reports in the Chicago Tribune and other sources. Sixty percent of the party vote is required to make that happen. But it doesn't sound like the issue is going away any time soon. Brady has said on a number of occasions that he supports …
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Republicans Jim Oberweis and Karen McConnaughay, as you might expect, say this week's budget address is too heavy on spending and short on leadership. What do you think?
State Sens. Jim Oberweis (R-Sugar Grove) and Karen McConnaughay (R-St. Charles) each reacted separately to Gov. Pat Quinn's March 6 budget address, but the theme is pretty much the same: too much spending and not enough leadership. Oberweis pointed out "the extreme problems caused by years of offering too many pension sweeteners without meeting state funding obligations." “He knows the importance of reforming that system; however, he has not demonstrated the leadership needed to solve this problem,” Oberweis said. The 25th District senator said he is willing to work in a bipartisan manner to address Illinois’ budget crisis, but Quinn and Democrat legislative leaders first need to start working together. “Not only do the Democrats have …
Saturday, February 16, 2013
See how the state senators who represent portions of St. Charles voted on the Illinois Senate's same-sex marriage bill.
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Saturday, February 16
By Melissa Sersland The Illinois Senate approved legislation Thursday that would allow same-sex marriage in Illinois, according to the Chicago Tribune. The Senate voted 34-21. The bill provides "equal opportunity for the same federal marriage benefits to same-sex couples that are currently awarded to other couples," according to a release from Illinois Sen. Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant. Here's how our area's state senators voted: See how each member of the Illinois Senate voted. The measure will now go to the Illinois House, where the fight to pass the bill is expected to be tougher, according to the Trib. Gov. Pat Quinn is expected to sign the bill if it makes it to his desk.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
State senators Jim Oberweis and Karen McConnaughay react to the governor's address. “In your household you would not plan a vacation with a hole in your roof," McConnaughay says.
Two state senators from our area say Gov. Pat Quinn's Feb. 6 State of the State speech failed to address Illinois' two most-serious problems: financial insolvency and pension reform. “His support of Senate Bill 1, the public pension reform bill, doesn’t go nearly far enough," said state Sen. Jim Oberweis, R-Sugar Grove. "Senate Bill 1 only solves a small part of our problem—if that is all we do, we’ll be back here facing the problem again in another year or two. We ought to do the right things now to fix this problem on a long-term basis." State Sen. Karen McConnaughay, R-South Elgin, said she would be looking forward to Quinn's budget address next month, "to see specifically how he intends to accomplish" new programs he's put on his wish …
Monday, January 28, 2013
Jim Oberweis' heart may be in the right place, but we've still got to work on his head.
One of my very favorites things in life is when, soon after writing a series of columns on a sensitive subject, a reader or reality comes around to prove my point. This time, my point is proven by Geneva’s brand new 25th District state Sen. Jim Oberweis. The topic we’ve been occupied with is how the wackiest elements of the Republican Party insist upon dooming its prospects by wielding social issues as the kind of cudgel that makes most of us cringe. Of course, Mr. Oberweis made me look good when he called on preposterous Illinois Republican Chairman Pat Brady to resign. Considering Mr. Brady’s questionable judgment and abysmal track record, I’m right behind the senator, but the problem is he issued the proclamation based on Brady’s sudden…
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Perennial candidate wins race for 25th State Senate seat.
Jim Oberweis has finally won his seat in Springfield. The Republican outpaced Democrat Corinne Pierog Tuesday night by a total of outpaced 51,282 to Pierog's 37,802. Oberweis won yet another GOP primary this March to take on Democrat Pierog for the 25th District State Senate seat. The campaign was far from his first: Oberweis, chairman of Oberweis Dairy, has made tries for the U.S. Senate and House, as well as running for governor. This time around, he was endorsed by the Chicago Tribune, despite the paper's vocal criticism of him in the past. Pierog, a St. Charles resident, sits on the St. Charles School board and was appointed to the St. Charles Housing Commission. -------------------------- Be part of the conversation as the votes …
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Letter to the Editor: Batavia resident endorses St. Charles School Board member over Jim Oberweis in the Nov. 6 General Election.
- OPINION
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Saturday, October 27, 2012
To the editor, I have the pleasure of knowing Corrine Pierog, a candidate for the Illinois Senate in the 25th District, and heartily endorse her for that position. Corrine offers a fresh new alternative to the usual list of political candidates. Her experience working with nonprofit organizations has taught her about being a prudent money manager when funds are limited, a much needed trait to bring to Springfield. Her experiences as a current member of the St. Charles School Board, a businesswoman, a former teacher and a Director of an organization that supports opportunities for children with developmental disabilities, make her a well-rounded individual who will empathize and relate to a broad range of constituents. With all the news …
JR
3:18 pm on Monday, May 13, 2013
The unions and the pols worked side by side for year fleecing the taxpayers of IL in return for bigger and bigger payoffs. The pols kept promising more and more money in return for the union's support. The union wasn't sharp enough (or didn't care) that the promises got so big that the pols couldn't even begin to honor them. If the union had forced the state to make annual payments, the pols … more ›