September 15 marked five years since Governor JB Pritzker signed the controversial Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), which put Illinois on a state-mandated path to phase out fossil-fuel power generation.

In the years since its passage, Senator Jacobs (formerly Rep 118th district) has raised concerns about whether Illinois is moving too quickly to take dependable generation offline without having enough replacement power ready to meet demand. Those concerns have grown as families and businesses face higher energy costs and Illinois moves closer to CEJA deadlines that will require additional generating units to either meet zero-emissions requirements or shut down completely. [Read more...]

By U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill.

In Southern Illinois and across America, there are veterans who were wounded in combat and medically retired before they could reach 20 years of service. Their own government tells them they have to give up part of the retirement pay they earned in order to collect the disability benefits they also earned. They sacrificed for this country, and Washington made them choose between two checks they were promised. It’s called the “wounded veteran tax,” and it is wrong.

As Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I introduced the Take Care of America's Veterans Act to end that tax and to deliver the largest expansion of veterans' health care and benefits in a decade. It brings together more than 60 pieces of veterans' legislation, and more than 20 veteran and military organizations stand behind it. In leading the committee, I worked with my colleagues to bring the federal government back to its real job: taking care of the men and women who served. [Read more...]