“Any opportunity to grow jobs in downstate Illinois should be looked at,” Koehler said. “By allowing the private sector to come in and create jobs, we are helping the community.”

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Senate passed legislation today allowing Peoria County to redevelop the site of the former Hanna City Work Camp for private use.

The property was obtained by the county in 2008 under the condition that is would remain available for public use or be returned to the state. House Bill 4319 would allow Peoria County to sell the land for private development.

State Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) sponsored the legislation alongside State Rep. Mike Unes (R-East Peoria) and State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth (D-Peoria) to spur economic growth in rural Peoria County.

“Any opportunity to grow jobs in downstate Illinois should be looked at,” Koehler said. “By allowing the private sector to come in and create jobs, we are helping the community.”

The state will receive 10 percent of the proceeds of the sale under HB 4319. The measure now goes to the governor.

“To be frank, I was shocked to learn that this isn’t already the law,” Koehler said. “Gold Star families shouldn’t be tied down to leases when going through the loss of a loved one.”

SPRINGFIELD – Legislation that would give families of armed service members killed in action or on duty the power to terminate their fallen loved ones’ lease obligations passed the Illinois Senate today.

Current law allows service members to terminate a lease if they receive orders for a change in duty station or deployment longer than 90 days. House Bill 4317 would extend the right to terminate to the dependents of fallen service members.

State Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) is sponsoring the measure after a constituent in his district brought the matter to Springfield.

“To be frank, I was shocked to learn that this isn’t already the law,” Koehler said. “Gold Star families shouldn’t be tied down to leases when going through the loss of a loved one.”

HB 4317 now goes to the governor’s desk for his signature.

“Bringing transparency to fracking operations can help allay those concerns and bring peace of mind to those nearby property owners.” - State Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria)

SPRINGFIELD – Legislation that brings transparency to the fracking process passed the Illinois Senate last week.

Senate Bill 3174, sponsored by State Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria), would require the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to post drilling reports from fracking sites within 30 days of receiving them. The legislation also requires the operators of the wells to provide a list of chemicals being used in drilling and the GPS coordinates of their wells.

Koehler said the bill is about letting landowners know what’s going on in their backyard.

“As we have seen in Oklahoma, fracking can cause serious problems and bring about environmental concerns for adjacent property owners,” Koehler said. “Bringing transparency to fracking operations can help allay those concerns and bring peace of mind to those nearby property owners.”

The legislation now moves to the House of Representatives.

“SB 3015 will help children even more by allowing backup inhalers to be kept at the school, similar to EpiPens.” - Statew Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria)

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Senate passed legislation today to protect students with asthma by allowing their schools to keep backup inhalers on hand.

The measure, Senate bill 3015, would allow school nurses or other personnel to administer asthma medication that is registered in the name of a school district, public school, charter school or nonpublic school to a person in respiratory distress. Similar laws already apply to life-saving EpiPens, which are applied to combat severe allergic reactions.

State Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) said the legislation will help build on the progress the state has made thus far in combating asthma.

“Illinois has made great strides in helping children with asthma attend school without the fear that their school will be unprepared for an inevitable asthma attack,” Koehler said “SB 3015 will help children even more by allowing backup inhalers to be kept at the school, similar to EpiPens.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Illinois Department of Public Health, approximately 8.4 percent of children in the United States and 13.6 percent of children in Illinois currently have asthma. Asthma is one of the leading causes of school absenteeism with an estimated 13.8 million school days missed due to asthma in the United States in 2014 alone.