State Senator Dave Koehler is sponsoring a plan that will make it easier for farmers and other vendors to sell their products at farmers markets throughout the state.

Under Illinois' current law, local health departments set the rules for buying and selling food at farmers markets, which has resulted in a hodge-podge of conflicting regulations. Koehler's plan would allow the Illinois Department of Public Health to establish a single set of regulations for the entire state.

"Many farmers want to sell their fresh produce in communities all over Illinois," Koehler said. "But current farmers market regulations are confusing. What's legal in one community might be forbidden by another just a few miles down the road. Creating a single statewide set of rules will make it much easier for farmers to meet the increasing demand for locally grown food."

State Senator Dave Koehler believes that communities like Pekin, East Peoria, Washington and Gifford shouldn't have to shoulder the entire cost of cleaning up after the deadly tornadoes that tore through central Illinois last fall.

He is proposing a new law that allows the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to reimburse local governments in state disaster areas for the costs of debris removal and emergency protective measures. Though many homes and businesses in the affected communities were damaged or destroyed, the federal government chose not to provide financial assistance, leaving local governments to pick up the entire cost of these services on their own.

"The people who live in these communities relied on their local governments to clean up after these storms and help make their towns habitable again," Koehler said. "Clean-up work is expensive, though, and now the bills are coming due. At the same time, the tornado damage has reduced the tax base in those communities. They're facing serious budget challenges."

“We have difficult decisions to make this year. Vital programs like K-12 education, financial aid for college students, and important programs for seniors, people with developmental disabilities and others all face major cuts.

“I was glad to see the governor lay out a strategy to address our problems. We’re all going to have to work together to do what’s best for the people of Illinois this year.”

Ameren Illinois and One Change are joining forces for an energy-efficiency campaign in the greater Peoria area. The campaign is intended to help Ameren customers aware of simple changes they can make to reduce energy usage and save money on their electric bills.

Representatives from One Change will be distributing a box of six compact flourescent lightbulbs to 25,000 homes in the Peoria area and ask a short three-question survey of the resident's energy-efficiency habits.

For more information, see the flyer below.

(click here to view the .pdf; right-click and select "Save Target As..." to download)