BARRINGTON – The Village of Barrington has been awarded a $250,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Safe Routes to School program to enable and encourage local students to walk and bike to school, State Representative Mark Beaubien (R-Wauconda) announced today.

The grant funding will go towards the construction, replacement, or repair of sidewalks leading to Grove Avenue Elementary, St. Anne, Hough Street Elementary, Roslyn Road Elementary, and the Arnett C. Lines Elementary School in Barrington.

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WAUCONDA – Giving local residents a new tool to become activists for reform in state government, the Lake County Republican delegation to the Illinois House are urging taxpayers to visit the newly created www.reinventillinois.com website to submit ideas on how lawmakers should cut the state budget and suggest reforms needed to re-focus state priorities on  fiscal discipline and economic growth.

The site is the latest effort by House Republicans to incorporate public opinion and cultivate a broad range of feedback to help address the growing state budget crisis and fuel the need for budget and ethics reform.

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SPRINGFIELD – Dealing a blow to Governor Pat Quinn and top legislative Democrats seeking approval of a massive income tax hike, the Illinois House of Representatives has voted decisively to reject a budget blueprint that would have increased the state income tax rate on individuals and businesses without providing any property tax relief. Instead, the General Assembly approved a partial-year piecemeal budget to keep state government operating through the end of the year without addressing a staggering budget shortfall.The House voted down a plan advocated by Governor Quinn to raise the income tax rate by 50% on individuals (from 3 to 4.5%) while boosting the corporate income tax rate to the maximum allowed under the State Constitution (from 4.8 to 7.2%). Needing 60 votes for passage, the Quinn income tax plan failed by a margin of 42-74-2.

The Lake County Republican delegation to the Illinois House responded to the Democrat leadership’s hurried attempt to pass a budget mere hours before Sunday’s deadline and expressed resolve in their shared commitment not to raise taxes on working families.

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SPRINGFIELD, IL… State Representative Mark Beaubien (R-Wauconda) announced today that Patrick Collins, Chairman of Governor Pat Quinn’s Illinois Reform Commission (IRC), came to Springfield to discuss the commission’s recommendations at an open caucus held by House Republican legislators.

“I was thrilled that Chairman Collins came to Springfield to discuss the IRC’s recommendations,” said Rep. Beaubien. “While I may not agree with each and every one of the recommendations, I do believe that they all deserve an open, public debate and ultimately each one should be given an up or down vote by the legislature. It is important that we debate ways to bring transparency to state government in the open, not behind closed doors, and this open forum was a good first step.”

The IRC took hundreds of hours of testimony and put together an unbiased list of reforms aimed at cleaning up state government and restoring the public’s trust. Members of the IRC included people like Reverend Willis, who lost his children in the George Ryan licenses for bribes truck scandal, and Pam Davis, a whistleblower who sparked the federal investigation that led to the impeachment and removal from office of Rod Blagojevich. Many of the reforms have also been endorsed by numerous newspaper editorial boards, including the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, and Daily Herald.

“I am doing everything I can to help get these reform ideas moving in the legislature, and because time is running so short, I call on Speaker Madigan to give each of the reform proposals a fair hearing on the House floor,” said Rep. Beaubien. “He should immediately convene a Committee of the Whole to discuss the recommendations for needed ethics reforms as presented the IRC. Unfortunately, it clear that the Democrats are dismantling this legislation to either water it down or sweep it under the rug; like they did with the Recall Amendment and the Special Election for the United States Senate.”

Beaubien is serving his seventh term as state representative in the Illinois General Assembly. The 52nd District includes all or parts of the communities of Barrington, Wauconda, Round Lake, Cary, Ingleside, Island Lake, Fox Lake, Lakemoor, Volo, Tower Lakes, Fox River Grove, McHenry, Crystal Lake, Holiday Hills, Prairie Grove, Johnsburg, Wonder Lake, and Woodstock.

SPRINGFIELD, IL… State Representative Mark Beaubien (R-Wauconda), chief budget negotiator for the House Republicans, said he does not support Governor Pat Quinn’s proposal for the largest income tax increase in Illinois history. Quinn’s proposal amounts to $7 billion in income tax rate increases, loophole closings, tobacco tax increases, license plate increases and other fee increases.

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Springfield…State Representative Mark Beaubien (R-Wauconda) is co-sponsoring legislation that will help school officials throughout the state end the fiscal year with a balanced budget. Specifically, House Resolution 1293 urges the Governor to accelerate the final two General State Aid payments from July to June for Illinois schools.

Illinois law requires school districts to have a balanced budget at the end of the fiscal year. The 23rd and 24th General State Aid payments in fiscal year 2008 total nearly $387.5 million. Continue reading »

Springfield…In the midst of a devastating economic climate, State Representative Mark Beaubien (R-Wauconda) put the interests of taxpayers first by voting against the recommendation of the Illinois Compensation Review Board to give legislators a substantial pay raise.

“Our state has racked up $1.7 billion in unpaid bills and is experiencing a $750 million hole in this year’s budget. Considering a legislative pay raise at this time is out of the question. Instead, Illinois legislators should be focused on passing a balanced budget, paying our Medicaid bills on time, funding our pension system and passing a capital bill to fund road improvements and school construction,” Rep. Beaubien said. Continue reading »

Wauconda…The McHenry County Conservation District and the Round Lake Area Park District have each been awarded Open Space Land Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grants, announced State Representative Mark Beaubien (R-Wauconda) who was integral in securing the grants. The funding will be used for land acquisition and park enhancements.Round Lake Area Park District received $400,000 to develop Fairfield Sports Park on Beverly Drive. The 14.25-acre parcel will include a softball field, playground, trail/walkway, family game area, picnic shelter and wetland interpretive stations.

“The Department of Natural Resources should be commended for maintaining the OSLAD program, which provides funding to help parks flourish throughout the state. I believe it is important to maintain a good balance between open space and economic development. Fairfield Sports Park will provide fun and educational activities for the entire community to enjoy,” Rep. Beaubien said.

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McHENRY – Over 75 local parents and students turned out for a first-in-the-state outreach program on Teen Driving Safety held at McHenry High School’s west campus Tuesday night highlighting a wide range of issues from new state laws to speed and seat belt safety. The event, sponsored by State Rep. Mark Beaubien (R-Wauconda), featured presentations by the Illinois State Police, McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, and the City of McHenry Police Department.

Representative Beaubien’s Teen Driving Safety outreach was co-hosted by McHenry High School’s east and west campuses with outstanding support from the school’s principals, Dr. Barbara Small and Lynn Schnelker, respectively. The event was held in the auditorium of the west campus and was attended by dozens of local parents and students. Continue reading »

WAUCONDA – In an effort to restore a long-awaited school construction grant for Big Hollow School District 38, State Representative Mark Beaubien (R-Wauconda) voted today in favor of legislation to fully fund the six-year old appropriation left unfunded by the State since FY 2002.

The current legislation, House Bill 4130, would re-authorize the appropriation of the $251,812 grant to Big Hollow School District 38 in Ingleside for school construction purposes. The bill passed the House of Representatives unanimously on Tuesday. Continue reading »