State Rep. Patti Bellock, R-Hinsdale, met with members of the 4-H administrative staff this week getting ready for the hundreds of kids in 4-H clubs across the State of Illinois who visited the Capitol the following day. Rep. Bellock enjoyed meeting with the 4-H members and discussing their issues. 4-H is the largest out-of-school youth program in the country. There are 6 million kids across the country in 4-H, including 200,000 youth in Illinois, some from each of Illinois' 102 counties.

The Downers Grove Economic Development Corporation hosted an outstanding luncheon to celebrate the many community successes over the past year. Representative Patti Bellock, R-Hinsdale, was pleased to attend, shown here with EDC President Michael Cassa, Representative David Olsen, R-Downers Grove, EDC Chairman John Luka, and Senator John Curran.

United Way Children’s Home and Aid and other groups visited Rep. Patti Bellock, R-Hinsdale, at her Springfield Office to talk about funding for youth in the 2019 budget. Patti is one of the budgeteers for the State of Illinois in 2019 budget negotiations.

Rep. Patti Bellock

SPRINGFIELD – Deputy Illinois House Minority Leader and State Representative Patti Bellock, R-Hinsdale, has been named a budget negotiator to help craft a bipartisan balanced state budget this spring for Fiscal Year 2019, announced House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs. The General Assembly is required to pass a state budget by May 31 for the new fiscal year that begins on July 1. 

Joining Representative Bellock on this year’s budget negotiating team for the House Republicans is Representative David Harris, R-Arlington Heights. They will work closely in the coming weeks with the House Democrats team led by Representative Greg Harris, D-Chicago, and their counterparts in the State Senate, as well as staff from the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget.

“It is vitally important that Democrats and Republicans work cooperatively in Springfield to pass a full-year balanced state budget this spring,” Rep. Bellock said. “Our priorities must be to preserve the safety net for the state’s most vulnerable children and families, meet the state’s commitment to K-12 education and public safety, and respect taxpayers by passing a budget that does not include any new tax increases. We can and must achieve each of these goals.”

Rep. Patti Bellock, R-Hinsdale, visited with a healthcare worker from Amita healthcare in her district on Illinois Hospital Day at the State Capitol in Springfield.

Dear Friends,

As we approach the celebration of the Easter holiday, I wanted to take this opportunity to update you on important upcoming dates as well as the status of the I-294 tollway expansion through Oak Brook, Hinsdale and Western Springs. 

The Illinois House of Representatives is scheduled to return to Springfield to resume the spring legislative session on Monday, April 9. We will remain in session almost every weekday from that point on through our scheduled adjournment on Thursday, May 31. Over that eight week period, there will be numerous committee hearings, negotiations and floor debates on literally hundreds of bills. As the Minority Spokesperson on both the Human Services Committee and the Human Services Appropriations Committee, I will be heavily involved in many bipartisan negotiations on important legislation. I will keep you updated on what we are working on in the coming weeks through this newsletter.

Here at home, many of you have contacted my office to express your concerns regarding plans for the I-294 tollway expansion. On March 15, Illinois Tollway officials met with neighbors of the Tri-State Tollway at the Union Church of Hinsdale to discuss how the widening of I-294 along the section from about 22nd Street to just south of the Hinsdale Oasis will affect their properties. Senator Chris Nybo and I attended this meeting along with approximately 50 local residents from Hinsdale and Western Springs. In addition to the encroachment on their property along with noise and air pollution, I am aware that residents are also concerned about potential drainage problems from the expansion.