SPRINGFIELD — State Senator Michael Frerichs (D-Champaign) issued the following statement after voting for Senate Bill 2404, the comprehensive pension reform measure the Senate passed today:

I am proud today to stand in support of legislation done the right way – at the negotiating table with representatives of the hard-working public employees who will be affected.

There is no perfect solution to Illinois' pension crisis. Teachers and state employees held up their end of the bargain even when the state failed to keep its promises. But public workers and retirees understand we need them to share in the sacrifices now required to sustain our retirement systems and core state functions. Today we asked them to make these sacrifices, but in a way that respects both the constitution and these employees' indispensible contributions to the state of Illinois.

I'm excited about the momentum behind this legislation, which proves that meaningful reform can be achieved without bypassing or strong-arming the people who have given their working lives to the public good. I'm confident that our state's fiscal health will improve if this plan becomes law. We stand or fall together; sound finances mean a brighter future for public employees, private sector workers, senior citizens and the next generation.

Details of SB 2404 can be found at the Illinois Senate Democrats' website.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Michael Frerichs (D-Champaign) was honored Saturday by the Independent Voters of Illinois – Independent Precinct Organization. The nonpartisan good-government group presented him with its Best Legislative Voting Record Award for the previous General Assembly.

"This is a group that understands that the public good should be the driving force behind political action, so I'm pleased to receive their recognition of my work for the 52nd District and the state," Frerichs said. "I'm proud of my record of making government work better for ordinary people fed up with partisanship."

Other award recipients included Senators Kwame Raoul (D-13th), Heather Steans (D-7th) and Michael Noland (D-Elgin) and Representatives Naomi Jakobsson (D-Champaign), Barbara Flynn Currie (D-25th), Elaine Nekritz (D-Buffalo Grove) and Robyn Gabel (D-18th).

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Michael Frerichs (D – Champaign) announced that a number of road construction and public transit projects will be completed in the 52nd District as part of the six-year transportation infrastructure plan Gov. Pat Quinn unveiled today.

"This is the next phase in the push for sound infrastructure and good construction jobs in Illinois," Frerichs said. "During the next six years, more than $68 million in state and federal funds will go toward repairing bridges, resurfacing roads and improving public transit right here in Champaign and Vermilion Counties."

The area projects announced today include the following:

Last week, the Senate voted to close a problematic loophole in Illinois' video gaming law.

The law allows for-profit establishments with liquor licenses, like bars and restaurants, to obtain video gaming licenses, too. Currently, nonprofit organizations such as VFW posts and Knights of Columbus halls can't. They honor our veterans and serve an important cultural function in our communities; they shouldn't be left out of video gaming revenues.

After several organizations in the 52nd District came to me to ask how they could get video gaming licenses, I sponsored Senate Bill 2371 to make the law more inclusive. If the House passes my legislation and the governor signs it, nonprofit veterans' and cultural societies will be able to offer video gaming if they choose. The revenues could mean the difference between staying open and going under. I'm proud to help Knights of Columbus halls, American Legion posts and VFW posts remain part of the bedrock of our communities.

Ferry emits more pollution than all other lakegoing vessels combined

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Michael Frerichs (D-Champaign) secured the adoption today of a Senate resolution urging the federal Environmental Protection Agency not to renew an exemption that allows the S.S. Badger, a car ferry operating on Lake Michigan, to continue spewing nearly four tons of coal ash into the water each day. Frerichs and his Senate colleagues joined U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) in criticizing a deal reached last week that would allow the ship to continue polluting the lake through the end of 2014.
 
“The EPA has already given the Badger’s owners four years to clean up their act, and now they want another two years to pollute one of our state’s greatest natural resources,” Frerichs said. “The Illinois Senate is saying no to another thousand tons of toxic ash in Lake Michigan. This needs to stop now, not in 2015.”
 
The ash emitted by the steam-powered, coal-burning S.S. Badger contains arsenic, lead, mercury and other heavy metals that can damage aquatic ecosystems. The 500 tons of pollutants it dumps each year far outstrip the 89 tons emitted annually by all other lakegoing vessels combined. The Badger’s owners have considered several alternatives to the coal-fired engine, including diesel, liquid coal and a system that would store the coal ash and then deposit it in a landfill.
 
“We’re adding our voices to the chorus encouraging the EPA to do its job instead of protecting a major polluter,” Frerichs said. “I hope the Badger keeps sailing, but with cleaner technology. I don’t think we have to choose between preserving the lake’s history and protecting its water, air and wildlife.”