Newsroom

MURPHYSBORO, IL – Illinois Senators will return to the State Capitol on Feb. 7 to possibly finalize negotiations on legislation that seeks to end the two-year fiscal  impasse, according to State Sen. Paul Schimpf (R-Waterloo).

Senator Schimpf spent the majority of his time during the legislative break on the road touring the communities of the 58th Senate District. He also used to the time to survey the district’s constituents on their views of the legislative package awaiting debate.

Schimpf and his colleague State Sen. Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg) toured the Choate Mental Health Center in Union County on Jan. 30. The two freshman lawmakers viewed the critical care that is provided to more than 200 residents of the facility. More than 550 people are employed at Choate. The facility to home to numerous community activities that benefit the entirety of Union County.

On Jan. 31, Senator Schimpf toured the Chester Mental Health Center in Chester as the second part of his plan to tour all of the state facilities in his district. Chester’s facility serves as Illinois’ only maximum-security mental hospital, and is home to many of the state’s most dangerous mental health patients. Chester Mental Health Center has nearly 500 employees.

Also this week, Schimpf conducted his first media tour as the 58th District State Senator, with stops in Anna, Red Bud, Percy, Mt. Vernon, DuQuoin, Pinckneyville, Carbondale, and Ava.

Senator Schimpf held a few informal “listening sessions” about the upcoming votes on the Senate’s legislation to stabilize the state budget. Schimpf said he takes the concerns of the area’s constituents to heart, noting many people who spoke to are demanding more budget cuts, before talk of revenue increases.

During each in-district work period, Senator Schimpf uses his time to meet with local leaders and catch up on constituent case work.