Cavaletto Passes Underground Storage Tank Fund Protection Bill out of Illinois House

3/31/2009

Salem….Legislation offered by State Rep. John Cavaletto (R – Salem) designed to protect the leaking underground storage tank fund from being raided by the Governor and used for unrelated budget items passed the Illinois House of Representatives on Tuesday.

In previous years, funds collected from the Illinois Motor Fuel Tax that were supposed to be dedicated to pay companies to clean up leaking underground fuel storage tanks have been diverted into the General Revenue Fund.

“I feel very strongly that dedicated funds should be left alone so they can serve the purpose they were meant to serve. Here we have honest, hard working people doing a great service for our state in cleaning up dangerous leaking storage tanks, and the state of Illinois refuses to honor its obligations,” Cavaletto said. “Something needs to be done to ensure that these people are getting paid for the work they do on behalf of the state.”

More than $54 million has been swept from the fund since 2003, causing hardship for environmental companies in Illinois that specialize in cleaning up dangerous leaking storage tanks.

The bill originated at the request of Mr. Jay Koch of Mt. Vernon. Koch is the President of United Science Industries. Currently, USI, Inc. and its subsidiaries are owed nearly $20 million for storage tank clean up work they have performed throughout the state since 2003 when the fund raids began.

HB 770 now moves to the Senate for consideration.

Cavaletto Opens District Office During Open House

3/31/2009

Salem….State Representative John Cavaletto officially opened his State Representative district office to media members and constituents of the 107th district on Monday. Cavaletto opened the evening by offering comments on the fire that damaged and destroyed buildings in downtown Centralia.

“I was sorry to hear about today’s fire in downtown Centralia. It has caused a lot of damage. I have been in contact with Mayor (Becky) Ault today and I have assured her that I will work closely with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and the Governor’s office in the coming weeks to help Centralia rebuild,” Cavaletto said.

Representative John Cavaletto makes remarks to constituents during a recent open house at his district office in Salem.

Rep. Cavaletto also made a brief presentation on the Governor’s proposed budget as well as his own legislative agenda. “I have sponsored legislation that tackles issues related to the economy, our state’s national resources, and protecting children from dangerous sex offenders,” Cavaletto said. “Being a freshman can be tough, whether you’re in high school, college, or the state legislature, but I am happy with the legislative progress I have made so far.”

Cavaletto offered criticism of Gov. Quinn’s tax increase and pension raid plan. “I have said for the last 7 years that big tax hikes and skipping pension payments would add to our state’s financial problems. And now we are facing a budget deficit that’s almost $12 billion,” Cavaletto said. “For too long the approach to budget making in Illinois government has been to first ask, ‘What do we need to pay for?’ and then ask ‘How will we get the money?’

As the spring legislative session moves forward, Cavaletto predicts that the budget that has been proposed will not be the budget that passes in late May. “The bottom line is that we need more people working so we can ease the tax burden on working families,” Cavaletto said.

The district office is open from 8:30 to 4:30 Monday through Friday. The office is located at 1370 West Main Street, Suite A in Salem. Rep. Cavaletto’s district office can be reached by calling (618) 548-9080 or by e-mailing john@johncavaletto.com

Cavaletto to Host District Office Open House

3/24/2009

Salem….State Representative John Cavaletto will open his district office to media members and constituents of the 107^th district on Monday, March 3oth. Representative Cavaletto will be available to meet with members of the media from 4:45 – 5:00 p.m. 

Cavaletto will offer brief remarks on the state budget, a proposed capital plan and his own legislative agenda.

From 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. the office will be open to constituents who wish to stop by for the purpose of a tour or to meet with district office staff regarding any concerns.

The office address is 1370 West Main Street, Suite A in Salem. Please refer questions to Rep. Cavaletto’s district office by calling (618) 548-9080 or e-mail john@johncavaletto.com

Light finger foods will be available. The public is invited to attend.

Jones and Cavaletto Address Community Concerns About Power Holdings

3/26/2009

SPRINGFIELD, IL – Public concerns about the proposed Power Holdings coal gasification plant will be closely followed by Jefferson County’s legislators, State Sen. John O. Jones (R-Mt. Vernon) and State Rep. John Cavaletto (R-Salem).

“We are greatly concerned by the public sentiments that have been expressed at local hearings about the proposed plant,” Jones said. “We are going to make sure that the permitting process is both thorough and complete.”

“Illinois’ EPA officials are closely monitoring the permitting process,” Cavaletto said. “I personally want to make sure that every‘t’ is crossed and every ‘i’ is dotted.”

As a practice, many legislators support corporate requests for EPA permitting. The two local lawmakers stressed that Illinois’ EPA officials will continue to hold additional hearings about the proposed plant and will take the necessary steps to ensure that permit – if issued – is issued properly. It is important that the public keep current with all of the latest developments concerning the plant.

“While we are supporting the company’s request for an EPA permit, we are insisting that every agency involved in this process conduct a thorough check on the Power Holdings’ request for a permit,” Jones concluded.

Cavaletto: Tax Increase Plan Bad for Illinois’ Economy

3/18/2009

Springfield….State Representative John Cavaletto (R – Salem) turned a thumbs-down to Governor Pat Quinn’s proposed 50% hike in the Illinois income tax following the Governor’s budget address to a joint session of the Illinois legislature on Wednesday.

“The NCAA tournament may have already started, but Governor Quinn brought his own kind of ‘March Madness’ to the capitol today,” the former basketball coach said. “In a bad economy the worst thing you can do is raise taxes on working families, and that is exactly what the Governor proposed today.”

Quinn’s budget plan would raise Illinois’ income tax from 3% to 4.5% for individuals and families that meet certain income thresholds. Additionally, Quinn has proposed raising corporate income taxes to the highest level allowable by the Illinois constitution.

“Illinois unemployment levels are at a 15-year high. There are parts of the 107^th district that have 10% unemployment rates and median income levels are at or near poverty levels,” Cavaletto said. “Raising the personal and corporate income taxes will only make already growing unemployment lines in southern Illinois even longer.”

Cavaletto pointed to past fiscal irresponsibility as the cause of the current budget mess. “For the last six years state spending has increased $6 billion. Now the Governor and the majority party want to raise taxes $7 billion to pay for their past irresponsibility,” Cavaletto said. “Before we hand a blank check to a party that has proven to be bad money managers, we should identify areas where the budget can be cut. We also need to pass a jobs and infrastructure program to ease the burden on working families.”

“Right now I find the idea of tax hikes on working people facing an already difficult economy offensive,” Cavaletto said.

Cavaletto Passes Financial Transparency Measure

3/18/2009

Springfield, IL….State Rep. John Cavaletto (R – Salem) received unanimous support in passing his first piece of legislation through the full Illinois House today. House Bill 769 amends the state finance act by requiring that the Governor provide a report to the General Assembly and the public regarding the financial impact of all Executive Orders issued or signed during the previous fiscal year.

“This bill requires the current governor and all future governors to report to the General Assembly every July 31st on the fiscal impact of all Executive Orders issued or signed during the previous fiscal year,” said Cavaletto. “Currently, there is no statute in Illinois law that requires the Governor to report at the end of the fiscal year how the monies appropriated through an Executive Order were spent.”

The measure specifies the items that must be included for each Executive Order to reflect the cost of implementing, administering, and enforcing the order and the percentage of those costs borne by current and future appropriations.

The 107th District State Representative said the bill would require more transparency regarding the fiscal impact any and all executive orders have on the State. “It’s just good government” said Cavaletto. “With this legislation, Illinois taxpayers will know exactly where their tax dollars are going when the Governor issues an Executive Order.”

The bill that was approved on a 116-0-0 vote now heads to the Senate for their consideration.

Cavaletto Passes Child Protection Measure Out of Committee

3/12/2009

Springfield, IL….State Representative John Cavaletto (R – Salem) passed legislation out of the House Judiciary II – Criminal Law Committee Thursday that targets sexual predators. HB 1319 would require individuals convicted of intentionally distributing harmful material to minors, in this case defined as pornography, to register with the Illinois State Police Sex Offender Registry.

“I was an educator for 37 years in Illinois schools, and my life’s work has been about protecting our children,” Cavaletto said. “This measure is designed to further the goal of keeping our kids safe from sexual predators. It also requires these sex offenders to register with the Illinois State Police and have their information placed on the State Police Sex Offense Registry Web Site.”

The bill passed the Judiciary II committee with overwhelming support and now heads to the full House for consideration.

For further information, contact Representative Cavaletto’s district office at 618-548-9080.