ELGIN- The Illinois Environmental Council released their 2017 Environmental Scorecard today.

State Senator Cristina Castro joined a bipartisan group of 12 senators in recieving a 100% environmental rating from the Illinois Environmental Council.

Some of the bills on the 2017 Environmental Scorecard include:

HB2831: PROPERTY ASSESSED CLEAN ENERGY ACT

HB2831 allows local governments to create their own property-assessed clean energy programs and issue low interest bonds to finance clean energy projects.

SB71: NEW PUBLIC UTILITY WIND PROJECTS 

SB71 removes certification requirements for new, utility-scale wind projects, which makes it easier to build these projects under the Future Energy Jobs Act.

SB1029: NATURAL AREAS STEWARDSHIP ACT

SB 1029 promotes stewardship of Illinois’ natural resources by allowing Natural Areas Acquisition Funds to be used on stewardship activities in addition to land acquisition.

HB3399: BOBCAT HUNTING

HB3399 bans the hunting and trapping of bobcats in many parts of Illinois, and limits the number of bobcats that can be killed in the parts of the state where it’s allowed.

SB1417: RECYCLING E-WASTE

SB1417 requires manufacturers to provide e-waste programs to transport and recycle residential electronic devices through a convenience-based standard. These programs are to start in 2019.

SB1420: COOKING OIL COLLECTION

SB1420 exempts non-profit organizations and government entities that collect cooking oil in collection drives from the public from registration, licensing, fee, and reporting requirements.

Read more ...

AURORA – The city of Elgin will soon see a face lift and an influx of economic opportunity thanks to a new law signed today.

State Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin) sponsored Senate Bill 1783 which extends the Illinois Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program to free up much-needed funding for the restoration of older buildings in downtown Elgin.  

“River Edge economic incentives make up a proven, bipartisan economic tool that increases investment in our communities to create millions of new good-paying jobs,” Castro said. “The extension of this important program will help us preserve our local history while we continue to see the job-creating benefits of the investments we have made in Elgin’s riverfront and downtown revitalization.”

According to the city of Elgin, about 100 buildings in the downtown Elgin area can now potentially be rehabilitated.

“I came to Springfield to make sure the people of my district are receiving the things they need from the state, such as job creation and economic development. This will help accomplish that,” Castro said. “This legislation not only helps restore older structures to their former beauty, but helps us accomplish our big-picture goals such as job creation.”

The measure passed the Senate and House with bipartisan support. Senate Bill 1783 goes into effect immediately.

ELGIN- The 22nd Senate District may be one step closer to reinstating a bipartisan economic development program, thanks to a measure championed by Democratic Senator Cristina Castro of Elgin.

House Bill 162 reinstates the Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) program, allowing the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to offer tax credits to businesses that invest in Illinois.

“This bipartisan legislation will help energize our economy and create good-paying jobs for local residents,” Castro said.

EDGE tax credits are an economic development program that helps Illinois attract and retain jobs.

House Bill 162 will require the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to repossess economic development funds if a business granted the tax credit does not fulfill their part of the contract.

That money would then be distributed to the local workforce investment area.

EDGE credit recipients will also be required to submit an annual report to DCEO containing supplier diversity information to help promote diversity in state economic incentives and programs.  

The Illinois Manufacturer Association supported passage of this economic incentive.

“The IMA is pleased that legislators passed a short-term extension of the EDGE tax credit,” Mark Denzler, Vice President & COO of IMA said. “It's an important tool to help attract and retain jobs.”

House Bill 162 passed the Senate and House with bipartisan support.

ELGIN – Illinois residents can now tackle eliminating and reducing more than 7,000 units of government.

Senate Bill 3, which allows counties to dissolve certain units of local government through a voter referendum, was signed into law today.

State Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin) supported the passage of this monumental government consolidation measure to allow local residents to find additional property tax savings by eliminating outdated and impractical government bodies.

“This is a no-brainer,” Castro said. “Government needs to evolve with the needs of the people. This common-sense legislation will empower local residents to be active participants in deciding how government works for them.”

Senate Bill 3 expands the ability of townships to consolidate and create greater efficiencies for taxpayers.

The plan allows adjacent townships to merge, allows townships to take over the duties of smaller township road districts, removes the current cap on township size and allows voters to approve the dissolution of townships that are coterminous with a municipality.
Illinois currently has more units of government than any other state in the nation.

“This common-sense approach to consolidating government services will lighten the load on taxpayers without sacrificing services,” Castro said. “This one small step will make government more effective and efficient.”

Senate Bill 3 passed the Senate and House with bipartisan support. The law will go into effect on January 1, 2018.