SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) joined fellow lawmakers to pass a measure that would prevent the loss of hundreds of good-paying jobs across the state, including dozens in the Rockford area

The legislation would reinstate a sales tax exemption for aircraft maintenance materials. Most other states offer this exemption, so Illinois needs it to remain competitive. Illinois neighbors Wisconsin, Missouri and Indiana all offer similar exemptions, as do major competitors like California and New York.

“Companies like Emery Air provide good-paying jobs in the Rockford area,” Stadelman said. “We need to keep Illinois open for business and support these aviation jobs.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) voted on legislation today that would make daylight saving time the year-round standard.

The measure would eliminate the statewide practice of moving clocks forward in the spring and backward in the fall.

“Changing your clocks twice year is at best a hassle for most Illinoisans,” Stadelman said. “There are also many benefits that come with making this simple change to the way we keep our time in this state.”

Research has shown that switching to standard time in the fall is linked with a spike in diagnoses of depression as well as a mild spike in heart attacks.

“I have no doubt that in the past standard time served a purpose, but it’s simply no longer necessary for the world we live in today,” Stadelman said. “I hope federal lawmakers will come to a similar conclusion and do their part to remove this arbitrary system that burdens everyday people.”

SPRINGFIELD - Amid life-threatening increases in the cost of prescription insulin, Steve Stadelman, a State Senator and father to a diabetic son, voted with fellow lawmakers today to cap insulin copayments. The legislation will cap patients’ out-of-pocket costs for prescription insulin at $100 for a 30-day supply.

“I have seen the struggle that diabetics face every day,” said Stadelman, a Rockford democrat. “Diabetes is a lifelong affliction for those who have it. It shouldn’t also be the cause of financial stress for their families.”

There are currently over 30 million Americans who have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. An individual with Type 1 diabetes, a lifelong condition that often begins at birth, will spend an average of $5,705 per year on insulin alone.

CHICAGO – Amid life-threatening increases in the cost of prescription insulin, Steve Stadelman, a state Senator and father to a diabetic son, joined other lawmakers at a press conference this morning to urge the passage of a measure that would cap the medicine’s cost at $100 per 30-day supply.

“My teenage son is diabetic, and as a parent, I have seen the struggle that diabetics face every day,” said Stadelman (D-Rockford). “Diabetes is a lifelong affliction for those who have it. It should not also be the cause of financial stress for their families.”

There are currently over 30 million Americans who have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. An individual with Type 1 diabetes, a lifelong condition that often manifests at birth, will spend on average $5,705 per year on insulin alone.