End of Session Newsletter:

I hope you and your family are doing well and enjoying the warm weather.

We just wrapped up our 2023 Spring Legislative Session where we passed a new balanced state budget that invests in key priorities such as education, child care, and takes care of important local needs. The state budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 now on the Governor’s desk is one of several yearly efforts at getting the state’s finances on track while spending tax dollars wisely.

The statewide investments include: $350 million for increased Evidence-Based Funding formula dollars for K-12 schools; more than $200 million increase in childcare program funding; targeted funding increases for state colleges and universities and MAP grant recipients, for vocational education, and for local governments.

Housing and rental assistance will receive $28 million, including $4 million that I pushed for to help low-income families facing eviction receive legal assistance. Wages will increase by $2.50 an hour for frontline workers who care for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Locally, we worked hard to protect important funding issues in this budget.

Elgin Community College will again be in line for a $25 million grant for its manufacturing training facility, with $9 million already released for the project. Another $12.5 million will go toward the Longmeadow Parkway Bridge to ensure its costs would not need to be covered by driver tolls.

Other local projects include:

$500,000 to the City of Elgin to replace lead water lines for low-income and working families
$250,000 for capital needs in the Village of Hoffman Estates, including fire stations development and green improvements such as stormwater upgrades
$250,000 for purchase and installation of a backup generator of the Village of Carpentersville’s wastewater treatment plant

Every state budget is a direct reflection of our state’s priorities, and I am proud to say this budget hits my top priorities for the district and for Illinois. We are stepping up to support our schoolchildren, making real progress for our health care and social service needs, and balancing our budget while ensuring taxpayers get a great return on their investment. We have struck the right balance here to continue to rebuild our state and yet make the wise spending choices to help Illinoisans, for today and tomorrow.

In addition, our office has hosted several events that connect people to information and resources in the community and help improve the 43rd District. Below you will find more information on the Spring Session and what our office has been up to over the past several months. You will also find information on upcoming events in the district.

On April 11th, I joined Senator Castro and Representative Hirschauer in hosting a town hall with Congresswoman Delia Ramirez, the new U.S. Representative for Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District, which includes portions of the Cook County part of the 43rd District. The event provided local leaders and community members the opportunity

to learn about the Congresswoman’s work in Washington and ask questions about issues affecting our area. To learn more about Congresswoman Ramirez or to contact her office, you can visit ramirez.house.gov.

On April 15th, I held my second annual Reading By the River event as part of child abuse awareness month. I was joined by Officer Edwin Alva of the Elgin PD and Elisa Lara of the Gail Borden Library in reading stories to the many families who attended. We appreciated the contributions and support from Mama Lee’s Popcorn and the Elgin Partnership for Early Learning.

We know that navigating Medicaid enrollment can be challenging, especially for those with limited English proficiency. That is why on April 22nd, my office hosted a bi-lingual enrollment event at ECC to help families who are eligible for Medicaid sign-up for health insurance. I am grateful for the support of the community partners who made the event a success.

The Fox River is an important natural resource and a source of drinking water for our community. On May 13th, I partnered with Friends of the Fox River for our annual Fox River Clean-Up Day. We had another great turn-out this year and were happy to have so many families and young people participate. This event is a great way for the community to get involved in maintaining the river.

At the bottom of this newsletter, you can find out more about our upcoming events and activities in the community, including our first Coffee Shop Stop of the Summer. We’d love for you to join us at any or all of these events.

If you ever have any questions, concerns or requests for assistance please do not hesitate to contact my office at staterepmoeller@gmail.com or 847-841-7130. It is an honor to represent you in Springfield and my staff and I look forward to serving you.

Warmest Regards,

Anna

Illinois’ Fiscal Year 24 Budget

Fiscal Responsibility

This budget continues to rebuild Illinois’ financial situation and save for the future. Our prudent management of debt and financial stability has earned Illinois eight credit rating increases in less than two years. This budget saves another $138 million for the future, making our rainy day fund stronger than ever, and we are stabilizing Illinois’ pension systems.

Investing in Safety

We are providing police with more resources to keep our communities safe through community-based violence prevention. This budget allocates over $100 million in training and resources for our first responders, including new funding for in-car cameras, non-lethal weapons, and two new State Police cadet classes.

Investing in Education

This budget invests in education from early childhood to college and vocational training.

We’re expanding access to affordable childcare and strengthening funding for early childhood education through the Smart Start initiative.

Smart Start is a plan to build one of the best early childhood education systems in the nation to ensure all students have a stable foundation of care and education going into school. It will also ease the burden on working parents, who often take substantial financial hits paying for scarce childcare services.

Over the last four years, we’ve committed more than $1.3 billion in new funding to classroom education. This budget continues to ensure every student has access to a world-class education by committing $350 million in new funding for classroom education.

We’re making major investments in college financial aid, including $100 million in new funding for MAP Grants, and expanding the AIM HIGH Scholarship. The recent budget also makes a $22 million investment in the Workforce Equity Initiative to connect people with the training they need to step into good-paying careers, helping to bring back career and technical education to prepare young people for high-wage jobs across Illinois.

Improving Healthcare

We are committed to access to quality, affordable healthcare in our communities. This includes modernizing reimbursement rates for caregivers and ambulance services in small towns to keep providers in these areas, and strengthening our commitment to behavioral and mental health and addiction treatment.

Rep. Moeller’s Legislation

Below is a summary of some of the bills sponsored by Representative Moeller that passed the House and Senate and are on their way to the Governor’s desk. You can view the entire list of bills introduced and sponsored by Rep. Moeller here.

House Bill 2076

We must ensure that vulnerable seniors and those in nursing homes receive the best care possible. This bill requires long-term care facilities with a history of violations or deficiencies to be put on a distressed facility list managed by the Department of Public Health. Once on the list, these facilities must show that they’re making improvements in care or face penalties.

House Bill 3508

Protecting our drinking water from harmful PFAS “forever chemicals” is a top priority. This bill requires the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to develop a plan to ensure the proper destruction of foam containing PFAS for fire departments using firefighting foam containing these chemicals.

Senate Bill 216

Caring for those with Alzheimer’s Disease or dementia has unique challenges. This bill requires Alzheimer’s and dementia training for those who serve as court-appointed guardians and public guardians. Effective January 2024, programs for court-appointed guardians that outline the responsibilities of guardians and rights of persons with disabilities will include content related to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Senate Bill 764

This bill gives patients more transparency and choice in the vision care marketplace. Cost-shifting often contributes to a lack of transparency in vision care. Under this bill, insurance companies are prohibited from changing the terms, fees, or reimbursement rates during the contract term unless they are agreed to by providers and the care organization that issued the plan.

Senate Bill 1882

Thousands of dogs and cats in Illinois are subjected to painful and unnecessary product testing in labs every year. This bill, which is an initiative of the Illinois Humane Society, makes it unlawful to use dogs or cats in toxicological experiments that are not required by federal law. Those in violation of the act can receive penalties for each day the violation continues.