From highway repairs to the loss of population in Illinois, two state legislators held a conversation with a large crowd at the Kewanee Public Library Wednesday evening.
State Sen. Neil Anderson and State Rep. Travis Weaver, both Republicans, answered questions from the audience about matters confronting the legislature.
Topics included:
— Highway repairs. An audience member asked when state highways 81 and 82 might be fixed, and Weaver said, “The squeaky wheel gets the grease” with the Illinois Department of Transportation. If state legislators and the public share their concerns about the condition of a road, he said, the state transportation agency is more likely to act.
— “Bugging the DNR.” The legislators were asked about necessary repairs to four state-owned facilities in Bishop Hill. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR) owns the Colony Church and the town park, as well as a couple of other smaller buildings.
The church needs to be painted and the roof needs repairs, and the fence around the park must be fixed or replaced.
Weaver, who met last week with Bishop Hill officials, noted that there is a new DNR director, and “change can only be a good thing.” He said the Bishop Hill sites are on the state agency’s priority list, and he invited anyone with concerns about the historic site to contact the DNR to stress the need for the repairs.
— Nuclear energy. Anderson said the closing of conventional coal-burning power plants in Illinois in recent years has required electric companies to buy “dirty power” — generated by burning coal or oil — from nearby states.
The senator said that while he supports solar power (he said he is having solar panels installed on the roof of his home), solar can’t come close to producing as much electricity as even a small nuclear-powered plant.
— Loss of population. Illinois was one of just three states, the others being West Virginia and Mississippi, to lose population in the latest census. “They’re telling Illinois it’s not a conducive place to do business,” Weaver said.
— Assault weapons ban. A bill banning assault weapons has been appealed to the state Supreme Court, and Anderson said that court will probably rule in favor of the bill. He said if that happens, the state court’s ruling will be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which, Anderson predicted, will overturn the measure.
Since the Democrats have a “supermajority” in the General Assembly, it’s a challenge for Republican legislators to get anything done. But Weaver said he’s proud to say that in his first term in the legislature, he got three pieces of legislation passed.
Weaver and Anderson also announced that they will be opening a district office in Kewanee. The office will be in the space in the Amtrak station formerly occupied by the Henry County Tourism Council.
