Important Legislation
Excerpts from the Illinois Agri-Women newsletter, Eleanor Z's legislative report and The President's E-letter
AAW 2009 Position
Statements
Download HERE
January and February 2010 Legislative Report
STATE ISSUES
Public Act 96-0103 – Clarifies the Illinois Finance Authority’s existing bonding authority for renewable energy and clean coal projects. Under this law, the state and IFA will work in partnership to make available up to $3 billion in guaranteed energy project financing for qualified renewable energy and clean coal efforts. In addition, the law also increases the state and IFA’s loan guarantee from $75 million to $225 million for agricultural businesses. Source: LaSalle News-Tribune
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Public Act 96-0117 – Allows victims to make victim impact statements at the initial commitment
hearing where the defendant was found not guilty by reason of insanity for a violent crime. Source LaSalle News-Tribune
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The Illinois State Museum has launched the Audio-Video Barn Web site at http://avbarn.musueum.state.il.us, which features 300 hours o interviews with more than 130 people involved with agriculture in Illinois over the past 129 years. The Web site is the culmination of a two-year Oral History of Illinois Agriculture project led by the Illinois State Museum and Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Source:BureauCounty Republican
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A citizens’ initiative is proposing to amend the Illinois Constitution to allow a change to be made in the method used to draw state legislative districts. Known as the Illinois Fair Map Amendment, the proposal would create a nine-member bipartisan commission to draw legislative district boundaries. Initiative supporters, including the League of Women Voters and the Better Government Association, will attempt to gain 500,000 signatures of Illinois registered voters by May 1. This would allow the proposal to go before voters on the November 2010 ballot. Information about the initiative is available online at {www.ilfairmap.com} Source: FarmWeek
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Construction of a large scale dairy in Jo Daviess County will resume after a circuit court ruled in favor of the new dairy. Judge Kevin Ward denied the plaintiffs’ request for a permanent injunction, ruling in favor of A.J. Bos, and assessing all costs of the case to HOMES (Helping Others Maintain Environmental Standards). IDOA approved the permit for the facility in 2008. They must abide by the rules of the Livestock Management Facilities Act. Tradition Dairy is expected to buy large amounts of local feed, sell manure to area farmers as an alternative to commercial fertilizer, and help retain infrastructure – such as veterinary services – to maintain the
industry. JoDaviess County in 1988 was home to 20,500 dairy cows, but as of last year its herd totaled 7,300. Source: FarmWeek
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Water quality projects will be focus of a new conservation initiative in four Illinois watersheds selected for a USDA Mississippi River Basin program. MRBI projects will help farmers implement conservation and management practices that optimize nutrient use on agricultural land. For information about the MRBI in Illinois and nationwide, go to www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/mrbi/mrbi_watersheds_maps_and_list_page.html or contact the NRCS office in your area.
FEDERAL ISSUES
Uncle Sam will spend $13 million to prevent Asian carp from migrating further toward the Great Lakes, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson announced. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has identified measures to stop Asian carp from moving closer to Lake Michigan. Most of the money will be used to close conduits and shore up low-lying lands between the Chicago Sanitary Ship Canal and adjacent waterways. Source: FarmWeek
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The take home message from the World Food Prize Symposium held in Des Moines was: “We must use agricultural technology to feed humanity, improve the environment and reduce the incidence of disease.” That was the message delivered by Micro-soft founder Bill Gates. In his first major address on agriculture, Gates called on governments, researchers, environmentalists and others to “set aside old visions and join forces” to help millions of farmers. He also announced a $120 million package of agriculture-related grants to nine institutions around the world. “Environmentalists are standing in the way of feeding humanity through their opposition to bio-technology, farm chemicals and nitrogen fertilizer,” Gates said. The Gates Foundation has infused $1.4 billion into agricultural development in Africa and South Asia over the past three years. He argues the “ideological wedge” between groups who disregard environmental concerns and groups who discount productivity gains could thwart major breakthroughs that are within reach. We need both productivity and sustainability– and there is no reason we can’t have both.
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On December 1, the USEPA announced it is postponing a statutorily mandated decision to allow blending up to 15 percent ethanol in our nation’s gasoline supply. Source: Illinois Corn Growers
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A recent “Investor’s Business Daily” article provided very interesting statistics from a survey by the United Nations International Health Organization. Percentage of men and women who survived a cancer five years after diagnosis: U.S. 65%, England 46%, Canada 42%. Percentage of patients diagnosed with diabetes who received treatment within six months: U.S. 93%, England 15%, Canada 43% Percentage of seniors needing hip replacement who received it within six months: U.S. 90%, England 15%, Canada 43%. Percentage referred to a medical specialist who see one within one month: U.S. 77%, England 40%, Canada 43%. Number of MRI scanners (a prime diagnostic tool) per million people: U.S. 71%, England 14%, Canada 18%. Percentage of seniors (65+), with low income, who say they are in “excellent health”: U.S. 12%, England 2%, Canada 6%.
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