OAK LAWN, IL – State Rep. Kelly Burke, D-Evergreen Park, issued the following response to Gov. Pritzker’s budget address on Wednesday:

“In coming months, I will work with my colleagues to craft a responsible budget that continues the rapid progress we have made getting Illinois’ fiscal house in order by promoting assistance to working families, funding small business programs and paying down pension debt. Good budgeting will build a stronger Illinois for working families, and I am committed to continuing that strategy.”

OAK LAWN, IL – State Rep. Kelly Burke, D-Evergreen Park, is encouraging the local community to show appreciation for gifted educators by nominating teachers and other school personnel for the Illinois State Board of Education’s 2024 ‘Those who Excel and Teacher of the Year’ awards.

“I’m sure I’m not the only person who can think back to my school days and remember instances in which teachers made a powerful impact fostering my curiosity about the world. The Illinois State Board of Education is currently open to submissions for their 2023 ‘Those Who Excel and Teacher of the Year’ awards to show appreciation for contributions like that,” Burke said. “I encourage everyone in my community who has benefited from the work and compassion of a gifted educator to nominate someone.”

ISBE opens applications for the ‘Those Who Excel and Teacher of the Year’ awards every year to distinguish the incredible work of educators and support staff. Nominees are eligible if they fall under one of the following categories:

• Teachers
• Early career educators
• Administrators
• Student support personnel
• Educational service personnel
• Community volunteers and teams.

Anyone can nominate an outstanding educator for these awards, but those nominated must complete an application for consideration. Applications for these awards are due Oct. 15.  More information on the application process is available here.

“While my work supporting schools as a lawmaker is far from over, in my roles as a parent and active member of our community, I am also interested in ensuring that these people get the recognition they deserve,” Burke said. “For decades, Illinois’ great schools, staffed by committed educators, have helped foster learning in generations of kids, and they deserve this.”

OAK LAWN, IL – A measure to give local governments the freedom to borrow from the Illinois Finance Authority (IFA), authored by state Rep. Kelly Burke, D-Evergreen Park, was recently signed into law by Gov. Pritzker.

“By allowing local governments to borrow from the Illinois Finance Authority, a leading low-cost capital lender, we are giving them the freedom to pursue a greater range financing options that best fit their needs,” Burke said. “During difficult economic times, restrictive regulations on how a municipality can do business benefits no one. I am confident that the IFA will be a valuable partner to Illinois municipalities.”

Burke’s House Bill 3340 allows municipalities to borrow money from the IFA in order to facilitate economic growth in their business communities. The Illinois Finance Authority has fostered economic development and created jobs by providing access to low-cost capital to public and private institutions since 2004. This measure received near unanimous support in the House and Senate.

“Clearing the way to financial freedom by eliminating needless regulations is the surest way to build a stronger economy in Illinois,” Burke said. “In coming months, I plan to continue to pursue legislation that gives local governments the tools they need to flourish.”

OAK LAWN, IL – New legislation spearheaded by state Rep. Kelly Burke, D-Evergreen Park, will streamline and simplify Illinois’ system for citizens to recover unclaimed property and funds from local and state government entities.

“Good government doesn’t stand in the way of people getting their property, and that’s what this measure is all about,” Burke said. “Many Illinoisans have funds and property being held by the comptroller’s office and other state agencies that are waiting to be claimed. By streamlining and standardizing these processes, this measure will make it easier for the people of our state to get what’s theirs.”

Burke’s legislation, House Bill 2224, harmonizes and modernizes various laws, statutes and regulations that govern Illinois’ unclaimed property laws, including the Revised Uniform Unclaimed Property Act, the Property Tax Code, the State Comptroller Act, the Government Account Audit Act and the Probate Code. House Bill 2224’s changes ensure that various unclaimed property polices are not contradictory and are compatible with updates to federal law.

This measure received near unanimous bipartisan support in the House and Senate and was recently signed by Gov. Pritzker. The Illinois Treasurer’s office maintains a portal to access the ICash program, which allows Illinoisans to check to see some unclaimed property they may be owed. People can check at https://icash.illinoistreasurer.gov/

“My commitment to slashing government red tape and ensuring Illinoisans get what’s owed to them remains consistent,” Burke said. “I am confident that these reforms will help ensure unclaimed assets get to where they should go.”

OAK LAWN, IL – State Rep. Kelly Burke, D-Evergreen Park, was recently named chair of the House Revenue Committee. Under her direction, the committee will maintain its focus on fiscal responsibility and smart budgeting that has served Illinois well in recent years.

“I am grateful to Speaker Welch for the opportunity to take a leadership role in this key area,” Burke said. “In recent years, previous chairs of this committee have led Illinois to a much stronger fiscal position. Paying back bills early saves taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in interest charges while improving our long-term credit standing. My goal is to keep up that trend going strong so that we can afford to steadily lessen the property tax burden on Illinois working families.”

Burke was appointed as chair of the House Revenue Committee by Speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch. The Revenue Committee plays a key role in passing legislation that covers tax rebates, bill payments and funding of some state agencies. Revenue is also responsible for passing a budget every year.

“Illinoisans deserve representatives who are careful with their tax dollars. As chair of the Revenue committee, I take that responsibility with the seriousness it deserves,” Burke said. “I look forward to this new challenge as the 103rd General Assembly begins.”

SPRINGFIELD, IL – State Rep. Kelly Burke, D-Evergreen Park., issued this statement following her inauguration to a seventh term as state Representative.

“Serving my community as their voice in Springfield again is an honor. My goal is always to stand for the priorities of my neighbors in the 36th House District and bring about the changes they want.

“In recent years, we have crafted fiscally-responsible budgets that fund public safety, make vital prescriptions more affordable and pay back old bills to save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in interest. As a result of our smart budgeting approach, major financial institutions have raised our state’s credit rating six times in the past two years.

“Previous budgets have also prioritized small business assistance and job growth. Bridge loans, tax credits, property tax rebates and other steps helped guide countless Illinoisans through challenging economic times. With current inflation levels imposing punishing financial penalties, our coming budgets must continue this aid.

“I, like many of my neighbors, value safe streets very highly. We must continue to crack down on illegal guns, and support our police officers. At the same time, the importance of ensuring they have the tools they need to do their jobs cannot be overstated.

“Recently, we passed the Paid Leave for All Workers Act, which requires employers to provide their employees with a minimum of 40 hours of paid leave per year for any reason. This is a vital step towards ensuring workers get the rights they deserve. It’s impossible to fully prepare for the trials that life brings, such as sudden family illness, and workers shouldn’t be forced to try. I hope to continue similar pro-worker legislation in coming months.

“Finally, I am committed to rebuilding Illinois infrastructure. Our roads, bridges, broadband access and other vital services are lacking in underserved areas across the state. While we have made progress in this area, we haven’t gone nearly far enough. I will fight to continue to fund these projects to bolster our state’s foundation and create good-paying jobs.

“I am looking forward to a productive year continuing to make strides for our community. New policy solutions to the challenges facing our community will ensure a better future.”

OAK LAWN, IL – State Rep. Kelly Burke, D-Evergreen Park, is announcing that the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) will be constructing more than $20 million in improvements to her community’s highway infrastructure.

“The good-paying jobs and safer, smoother transportation these highway projects bring will be transformative for many people and small businesses in our community,” Burke said. “We depend on modern, stable infrastructure, especially highways, as the foundation that our economy works on. I’m confident that projects such as these will help overcome the impacts that high inflation has had on many of our working families.”

Burke’s Rebuild Illinois Capital Plan funds a six-year $24.6 billion investment plan for construction and repair of roads and bridges across Illinois. Roughly $20 million will go to projects on state and local highways in Burke’s district, such as improving road lighting, fixing cracked joints and supports, building new bridges and other developments.

Burke voted in favor of the original capital bill in 2019, as well as budgets funding this plan every year she has been in office.

“While this work is a major economic victory, it also is a great step forward for public safety,” Burke said. “New, safe roads and bridges, adequate lighting for night driving, new pedestrian routes; all of these measures cut down on traffic accidents. Fewer accidents on our roads means fewer trips to the hospital for unlucky drivers, and that’s something I will always support.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Following the Democrat’s commitment to ensure ethical oversight over the General Assembly, the Illinois House of Representatives took decisive action to appoint Michael McCuskey, a veteran judge of both federal district court and state circuit court, as the next Legislative Inspector General. After decades of service that routinely earned bipartisan support, Justice McCuskey expressed interest in continuing his public service to help restore confidence in state government. 

“Our search for the candidate to fill the role of Legislative Inspector General has been lengthy, but in Michael McCuskey, we have found the right person,” said Representative Kelly Burke (D-Evergreen Park), a member of the Legislative Ethics Commission. “His extensive experience as both a lawyer and a judge, as well as his lengthy tenure on the Illinois Supreme Court’s Commission on Professionalism, make McCuskey ideally-suited for such a critical role.”

“I’m happy we have been able to identify such a strong candidate for this position, and I have every confidence that Justice McCuskey will fulfill his responsibilities well,” said Representative Maurice West (D-Rockford), also a member of the Legislative Ethics Commission. “I was happy to see several of my Republican colleagues join us in filling this vitally important role.”

Michael McCuskey started his professional life as a history teacher and baseball coach, but quickly shifted his focus to the law. After getting his law degree from Saint Louis University in 1975, he served as a civil and criminal attorney at Pace, McCuskey and Galley for 13 years, during which he worked part-time as a public defender in Marshall County.

McCuskey began serving as a resident circuit judge in Peoria in 1988, before becoming an appellate court judge in Ottawa from 1990 through 1998. He was appointed to that role by President Clinton, and confirmed by a GOP-controlled Senate. From 1998 through 2014, he was a district court judge for Central Illinois, and a 10th Circuit Court judge starting in 2014 until his retirement in 2020.

“Justice McCuskey is a man who has been praised by Democrats and Republicans for fairness, impartiality and integrity,” said House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch (D-Hillside). “The position of Legislative Inspector General has sat vacant long enough. Today, the Illinois House acted in a bipartisan way and voted in favor of oversight and ethics.”

OAK LAWN, Ill. – State Rep. Kelly Burke, D-Evergreen Park, is highlighting the recent change by the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) in partnership with the Illinois General Assembly to add all the state’s public universities onto the Common App platform.

“With more challenges than ever before, we need to make the college application process as easy as possible for future college students,” said Burke. “This move will now allow first-year students applying for college to use one form to apply to any of our state’s 12 public universities, along with many of the state’s private colleges.”

Future students and their families can find more information and complete an application at the Common App website, www.commonapp.org, which provides resources and answers to frequently asked questions, along with participating schools with the application. The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) and its partners also offer free support for students who need help in completing their college and financial aid applications. Low-income Common App applicants can also apply for a fee waiver.

“The Common App is a great tool to allow students to apply to multiple state universities in Illinois, creating greater opportunities for them, with the simplicity of a single form,” said Burke. “By making the process easier and simpler for students and their families, we can keep more students at institutions of higher education in Illinois, along with bringing in new ones from across the country.”

OAK LAWN, Ill.  – State Rep. Kelly Burke, D-Evergreen Park, is applauding the signing of the Reimagining Electric Vehicles in Illinois Act (REV Act) into state law last week, which will provide a needed boost in the electric vehicle industry by creating new incentives for manufacturers to locate in Illinois. 

“This legislation not only puts Illinois on the path to becoming a leader in the manufacturing and sales of electric vehicles, providing new jobs in an emerging industry, but also helps our state in the goal of moving to a clean energy economy,” said Burke. “This legislation comes at a time when more and more electric vehicles are being created by car manufacturers across the United States and will make Illinois one of the most competitive locations for manufacturers to reside in.”

The REV Act is focused on bringing additional jobs to the state by providing tax credits for companies that manufacture electric vehicles, parts and batteries in Illinois. The REV Act also provides protections for workers, ensuring that they are able to receive the compensation and support they deserve. Burke supported the legislation, which passed both the House and Senate with overwhelming support from both parties and was signed into law by the governor earlier last week.

“Illinois needs more stable, good-paying jobs, and this legislation will help bring new manufacturers and this specialized industry to our state,” said Burke. “Communities across Illinois will benefit from new incentives that will help improve the overall economy while also helping support clean and renewable energy in our state.”