Sosnowski Expecting Solutions from the Governor’s Budget Address

Rockford, IL… State Representative Joe Sosnowski (R-Rockford/Belvidere) has hopeful expectations for Governor Quinn’s Budget Address scheduled for Wednesday.

“I am hoping that the Governor will take this opportunity to offer solutions to many of the issues that Illinois faces. He has a great opportunity to take leadership on several issues including effective pension reform measures, Medicaid reform and also address general state spending in order to reduce costs and increase efficiency in state government. He can talk about a lot of stuff, but we need proper pensions, managed Medicaid and smart spending programs,” Rep. Sosnowski said. “Specifically, I expect the Governor of our state to offer some concrete examples of how we can reform our pension program and not just pass the costs on to the local property tax bills. The Governor also needs to secure a federal waiver to implement the bipartisan reforms we passed last year which he has already signed.”

Sosnowski Receives 100% on 2011 Legislative Voter Card Report

Rockford, IL… The Illinois General Assembly 2011 Legislative Voter Card ranked State Representative Joe Sosnowski (R-Rockford/Belvidere) with 100% for voting pro-liberty on important key legislation during the calendar year. 

“I am happy to see that my views on crucial and important legislation are shared with the Illinois Policy Institute,” Rep. Sosnowski said. “I will continue to use these same views during this year’s legislative session.”

Voting pro-liberty means voting on bills with topics like budget/taxes, government regulation and education which ultimately will have an identifiable impact on job creation and liberty. 

Bills that were reviewed for this report include the highly controversial state income tax bill, the charter school equality act bill and many more. Each representative is ranked on how they voted on each bill. 

Sosnowski was one of 26 state representatives to receive 100% on this year’s report. 

The full 2011 Legislative Voter Card can be found by visiting http://illinoispolicy.org.

Sosnowski Prepares for Legislative Session with Initial Full Agenda

Rockford, IL… State Representative Joe Sosnowski (R-Rockford/Belvidere) is looking forward to working with his fellow legislators this spring on passing important bills to help his constituents and the residents of Illinois.

Sosnowski has sponsored House Bill 4541 which will amend the Disabled Persons Rehabilitation Act to prohibit criminals and individuals with active warrants from being employed as personal care assistants under the Department of Human Services’ Home Services Program. The bill will also reduce fraud by requiring background checks and prohibit immediate family members from being paid by the State. Currently, there is little or no oversight.

House Bill 4542 will eliminate liquid drain cleaners from the list of substances regulated by the Federal Caustic Poison Act. Substances under this act require buyers to show valid identification and sign a log documenting personal information, products purchased and date/time of transaction. Liquid drain cleaners are a common household product purchased daily by thousands of people and created burdensome bureaucratic regulations.

Sosnowski also filed House Bill 4543 which will amend the Higher Education Student Assistance Act to also allow for-profit educational organizations to be considered “qualified institutions” concerning the Monetary Award Program. In particular, this will allow students to use MAP funds at schools like Rockford’s Rasmussen College.

Amidst the pension reform which has begun in Illinois, Sosnowski has also filed House Bill 4646 to amend the Illinois Pension Code so that “compensation” does not include any overtime pay payable to an employee for personal services performed in excess of the full normal working period for his or her position.

This is a first in a series of bills that Rep. Sosnowski will work on to address particular issues.

Additionally, Rep. Sosnowski will work on pension reform and reductions in spending to balance the State’s budget and catch up on the State’s past due bills. Sosnowski will work with members of the House to make sure these important bills become law.

Sosnowski Proud to have Dodge Dart Production Begin in Belvidere

Belvidere, IL… State Rep. Joe Sosnowski (R-Belvidere/Rockford) attended a special event at Chrysler’s Belvidere Assembly Plant yesterday for the announcement of production of the new fuel-efficient Dodge Dart.

“It is an exciting time to see Chrysler keeps its presence in our region and continue to grow its line of new products.  I am very pleased to see the Dodge Dart begin production here in Belvidere and the additional jobs that will be created.  We’re looking forward to continuing a great relationship with the Chrysler company for many years to come.”