MARYVILLE – State Senator Rachelle Aud Crowe was recently confirmed by the United States Senate to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois. Leading up to her swearing in, she released the following statement after resigning from the Illinois Senate Wednesday:

“Since joining the Senate in 2019, I’ve felt overwhelming support from my family, my colleagues in the General Assembly and the Metro East community—my heart is full of gratitude as I submit my resignation.

“I will cherish the partnerships and friendships that grew in my time in the Illinois Senate as we worked to advocate for change, update laws and improve our great state together. While serving the diverse communities of the 56th District was often challenging, I was overjoyed to see how we are united in our fight to enhance opportunities for families across the state.

MARYVILLE – A new law in Illinois will assist law enforcement with investigating violent roadway crimes by expanding expressway camera technology to Madison and St. Clair counties. The new law passed with advocacy from State Senator Rachelle Crowe.

“To improve public safety in the Metro East, this law gives new tools to law enforcement to investigate reported roadway crimes such as gun violence or carjackings,” said Crowe (D-Glen Carbon). “Illinois is also offering additional protections to motorists with the expressway camera expansion.”

MARYVILLE – State Senator Rachelle Aud Crowe announced the village of Maryville is set to receive more than $820,000 in water infrastructure funding.

“Repairing and upgrading our aging infrastructure is part of our ongoing efforts to protect public health and the environment,” said Crowe (D-Glen Carbon). “These funds will give the village of Maryville an opportunity to improve wastewater treatment in our community.” 

Maryville officials received more than $820,000 to install sewer mains and manholes with plans to abandon an existing pump station. The funding will allow the village to make necessary updates to their collection system in order to continue providing proper wastewater treatment for residents.

The funds come from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s State Revolving Fund Program, which includes the Water Pollution Control Loan Program and the Public Water Supply Loan Program. The programs provide low-interest loans to fund wastewater, stormwater and drinking water projects through Rebuild Illinois.

Find more information about Illinois EPA’s SRF program here. 

MARYVILLE – Working families and teachers will see lower back-to-school shopping costs this fall, thanks to a new law supported by State Senator Rachelle Crowe (D-Glen Carbon).

“As a nod to our working parents, guardians and teachers in Illinois, lowering the tax rate on school supplies removes a burden when preparing for the academic year,” Crowe said. “It is my hope that by instituting a tax holiday, we can help relieve families and educators of some financial costs in order to prepare students for the upcoming school year.”

The law lowers the state tax rate on clothes and school supplies from 6.25% down to 1.25% for 10 days from Aug. 5 to Aug. 14, 2022.

SPRINGFIELD – To offer financial relief to struggling wine makers, the Illinois Senate adopted a measure championed by State Senator Rachelle Aud Crowe (D-Glen Carbon) to lower licensing fees for first-class manufacturers.

“Wineries are unique small businesses providing service to residents and visitors throughout the entire state,” Crowe said. “By re-implementing the previous licensing fees, we can offer financial support to wine operators as they work to recover following pandemic-related burdens.”

In partnership with the Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association, Crowe’s measure lowers the licensing fees for first-class wine manufacturers to $750 if renewed online and $900 for initial or non-online certification. Under a law passed in 2021, the fees were raised to $1,200 if renewed online and $1,500 for initial licenses and non-online.

SPRINGFIELD – To streamline the detection process and determine hereditary risks for breast and ovarian cancers in women, the Illinois Senate approved a plan championed by State Senator Rachelle Crowe (D-Glen Carbon) to require insurance companies to cover the cost of genetic testing kits.

“Early detection through genetic testing is essential for women with a family history of breast or ovarian cancers,” Crowe said. “By offering genetic testing at no cost, Illinois could offer comfort and stability to individuals who are at the most risk.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the genes most commonly affected in hereditary breast and ovarian cancer are the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. About 3% of breast cancers, approximately 7,500 women per year, and 10% of ovarian cancers, an estimated 2,000 women per year, result from inherited mutations.

SPRINGFIELD – With strong leadership from State Senator Rachelle Crowe (D-Glen Carbon), the Illinois Senate Democrats joined police advocates Monday to unveil a legislative package aimed at supporting law enforcement officers and improving the state’s criminal justice system.

“Every minute of every day, police men and women work to protect us. They catch criminals, break down their networks, and ensure justice is served against those who violate law and order in our neighborhoods,” Crowe said. “Our brave members of law enforcement show up for us, and Illinois is continuing to show up for them by creating new grant opportunities, retaining quality officers, offering investigative resources and more.”

MARYVILLE – Small businesses in Jersey, Madison and St. Clair counties were awarded more than $1.2 million in funding from the Back to Business program thanks to advocacy and support from State Senator Rachelle Aud Crowe (D-Glen Carbon).

“We’re starting to see businesses move forward from the COVID-19 pandemic, however, there are still some needing support to fully recover,” Crowe said. “The Back to Business grant program is vital to supporting thousands of small businesses across Illinois.”

The B2B grants are awarded by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity using funds allocated to them by the American Rescue Plan.