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Illinois Senate Hearing on Energy- What took them so long?
Springfield, Illinois – With businesses and residents around Illinois facing record-high electric bills the Illinois Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee has finally held a public hearing on Monday August 18, 2025, at 2pm. It’s about time.
This hearing is late in coming, but we are thankful that the Senate is taking up the issue and we request that this hearing include members of the House Energy and Environment committee.
Three months ago, conservative House Republican members organized a letter signed by every House Republican member of the Illinois House Energy & Environment and Public Utilities Committees requesting immediate bipartisan, bi-cameral hearings on looming energy price spikes and shortages. Our request was ignored.
We held multiple press conferences warning of the coming summer energy cost crisis and offered solutions to expand energy production capacity. Our legislation was mothballed.
Illinois should be an energy powerhouse. We are number one in nuclear energy production and number two in recoverable black beautiful clean coal. Unfortunately, during the Pritzker administration we have become a net importer of energy instead of a net exporter as the 2021 CEJA bill aims to shut down coal and natural gas suppliers. At the same time, demand for power is accelerating due to data centers, incentivized with tax credits, having located in Illinois.
There is a reckoning coming on energy and the Democrats only solution is more green energy scams. They have plans to expand heavily subsidized wind and solar farms backed up with expensive grid-scale batteries. These plans will raise costs even higher and destabilize the grid.
The committee hearing on Monday provided an opportunity to hear from experts on this issue. However, considering that the title of the subject matter hearing is “New Federal Energy Policy and Increasing Summer Rates”, we are concerned that this hearing was a planned attack by Governor Pritzker to again blame President Trump and his One Big Beautiful Bill for a problem Governor Pritzker created.
Illinoisans deserve an honest conversation about real solutions on how we can deliver affordable, reliable critical energy to our families and businesses.
Surging Electric Bills are an Unsustainable Cost for Business and Residents.
Last week I held a press conference with my colleague State Rep Brad Halbrook and Ryan Garrett, owner of the emBARas bar and grill in Villa Grove. In one month his electric bill surged over 60%.
I want you to know that we warned of these higher electric prices due to Gov. Pritzker’s green energy scam policies four years ago. And we called for comprehensive hearings in May, but Democrats refused to hold a hearing on our electricity needs and costs.
Illinois’ Energy Bills Skyrocket
Conservative House Republicans and Eastern Illinois Republican lawmakers are calling for action to combat soaring electric prices that are a result of failed policies passed by Democrats in Illinois and Washington, D.C. They want to see clean energy laws repealed and get coal back on the grid.
This summer, Illinois families and businesses are facing electric bills that have risen 20-40% higher than average.
“The Biden-Harris administration, as well as the Pritzker administration, have a severe case of Trump derangement syndrome, and they’re trying to blame our current president for the mess they created,” said Rep. Chris Miller
Republicans are blaming Governor Pritzker’s Clean and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) for the price increases, and Democrats’ Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition puts the blame on Trump Administration policies and big tech’s energy-hungry data centers.
“We have over 200 billion tons of big, beautiful coal available. All we have to do is go get it,” Miller said. “It would be a tremendous driver for jobs and opportunity. This whole CEJA thing, this whole green energy scam needs to be thrown in the garbage where it belongs.”
Energy consulting firm Energy Professionals reported ComEd’s rates increased 53% and Ameren Illinois’ rates increased 47%.
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_84e8700a-517d-453e-a494-d4ef413f8f7e.html
Caution: Next Year Universal Mental Health Screenings are Coming to Your Public School
Governor Pritzker signed HB1560 which requires school districts to universally offer to every student in grades 3-12 an annual mental health screening. The requirement does not come into effect until the 2026-27 school year and parents can opt-out of the screening for their children.
There are multiple problems with this mandate, and I voted against the legislation. In the future, my office will provide an all-encompassing opt-out form you can file with your school district. In the meantime, I will file and/or support legislation to repeal this new law. I encourage concerned parents and citizens to voice their concerns to their school board.
Illinois is once again the first in the nation to mandate universal mental health screening and the national press are warning about the consequences of universal screening of young people.
PARENTS – please read/view the following important media about this new law.
Mentally Disordered IL Dems Force All Schools to “Screen” Kids’ Mental Health
Abigail Shrier: Stop Asking Kids If They’re Depressed
VIDEO
Doctor reveals why he is ‘concerned’ about mental health screenings in Illinois schools
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6376828987112
Manipulation And Hypocrisy at Its Finest
Governor J.B. Pritzker recently harbored Texas Democrat lawmakers who are opposing map redistricting mid-Census, but Pritzker and his Illinois Democrat Supermajority have hypocritically gerrymandered our state map beyond recognition.
The current Illinois congressional maps Pritzker signed into law for Illinois in 2021 received a grade of “F” by Princeton’s Gerrymandering Project.
Not only is he a manipulative storyteller, he doesn’t seem to comprehend that while Illinois is bleeding residents, the states he loves to hate (particularly Florida and Texas) have their populations growing in leaps and bounds.
Perhaps ATTRACTING residents and businesses to Illinois would help increase its representation.
Illinois has joined a lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton against 33 Texas House Democrats who absconded from the state to stop legislative proceedings by avoiding a quorum. The move prevented a vote on new congressional maps during a special legislative session.
A Texas judge ruled that the plaintiffs had failed to present a legal basis for the court to obtain subject-matter jurisdiction, but Republicans say the case is not over.
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_9cd8ff22-d7d8-4eba-8f5b-2a1471b6ddd6.html
Democrats Continue To Lie About Crime Rates
Illinois’ law enforcement, particularly Chicago’s, is under orders not to cooperate with Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) even if it is constitutionally required. Not only will police officers, ICE agents and federal agents get hurt, the general population is being put in harm’s way so Democrats can play their political games.
Anyone in a leadership position who doesn’t prioritize safety should be removed and held accountable.
Telling Illinoisans that crime is low is a straight up LIE.
Listen to Wirepoints’ Ted Dabrowski on AM 560 Morning Answer discuss President Trump’s recent comments about intervening in Chicago’s crime crisis and how Mayor Brandon Johnson and Gov. J.B. Pritzker are making things worse with their inflammatory rhetoric:
And there are more ridiculous comments coming out of Democrats like Illinois Congresswoman Delia Ramirez, who calls herself a ‘Guatamalan first’. She is demonizing ICE and labelling them a ‘terrorist group’.
https://www.aol.com/democrat-said-she-guatemalan-american-
It’s Back To School Time
How does your local school district measure up?
Despite the fact that Illinois property taxes are some of the highest in the nation, 6 out of 10 third through eight grade students couldn’t read at grade level in 2024 on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness, and 7 out of 10 couldn’t perform math proficiency.
And this comes at a taxpayer cost averaging $15,902 per student!
This Illinois Policy article has a chart where you can look up your own district’s results:
A federal tax-credit scholarship program for both public and private school students, the Educational Choice for Children Act, would help boost students academically. Many leaders and lawmakers are urging Governor Pritzker to make this available to ALL Illinois students.
Meanwhile, Democrats’ lazy solution to the problem is to just lower academic standards:
Gotion Is Moving Full Steam Ahead
The Chinese company Gotion will hit another milestone in their $2 billion taxpayer-funded plot to manufacture electric vehicle (EV) batteries beginning next month. Gotion told Crain’s Chicago Business that they will have five production lines in Manteno, Illinois, and an additional line that makes residential and consumer energy-storage products starting in April.
The project will move forward despite major lash back from area residents and the fact that the demand for EV vehicles is down and consumer tax breaks for EV purchases will end on September 30.
The article mentions that Gotion will manufacture EV batteries for Rivian, a company that has not turned a profit despite massive subsidies from government. Rivian just announced an additional $100 million revenue drop as the Trump administration relooks EV credits that traditional car companies buy as carbon offsets related to CAFÉ standards (miles per gallon standards).
It’s likely neither Gotion or Rivian would be in business without government support and bogus renewable energy portfolio standards.
Dog Days
From water parks to amusement parks to museums and zoos, there are plenty of places in Illinois to enjoy the last days of summer fun with your family!
Here are some great ideas:
https://www.enjoyillinois.com/plan-your-trip/travel-inspiration/family-fun-in-illinois
