When: Saturday, August 7, 2010, 9 am to noon

Where: MCC Conference Center (entrance located in Building B)

Details: The Water Forum is an opportunity for McHenry County residents, businesses and elected officials to learn about their sole source of drinking water - groundwater - and how to protect it. The Forum will highlight local businesses whose practices and products work to protect and conserve our finite water supply. All are invited to learn how to cut costs and protect our water suppply.

For additional information, contact Barbara Wheeler - email ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ), phone (815-245-4556).

On March 10, Sen. Althoff welcomed Crystal Lake's Christopher
Vito to Springfield as her Page for the Day.

SPRINGFIELD, IL – The budget proposed today by Gov. Pat Quinn will only serve to compound the fiscal crisis facing the State of Illinois, according to State Sen. Pamela Althoff (R-McHenry).

Under the Governor’s proposal, Illinois would spend nearly $5 billion more than it takes in during the upcoming Fiscal Year 2011, and borrow an additional $9 billion.

“This could very well be the worst budget ever presented to the General Assembly,” Althoff said. “It’s disappointing the Governor didn’t even make an effort to balance the budget, or provide a way of repaying the borrowing. If this budget passes, it will not only drive us deeper in to debt, it will likely lead to a double downgrade of our state credit ratings, taking us from the second-lowest in the nation to the level of California, which is now the worst.”

Althoff said the Governor would be better served to start with a budget that incorporates the litany of spending reforms and cost-savings that have been presented to the Governor, including Medicaid managed care reform and pension reforms – measures that could save the state billions of dollars annually.

 “Hopefully in the coming weeks, we can have a serious dialogue with the Governor as to how to chart a responsible fiscal path for our state,” Althoff said. “We need him to step up to the plate and provide the necessary leadership to truly balance the budget. These are tough times that call for tough decisions.”

While Illinois’ ongoing fiscal crisis dominates most headlines, the General Assembly is also tackling a wide range of issues this year, from crime and public health to environmental safety.

Several bills sponsored by Senator Althoff that address these challenges are moving ahead through the legislative process. The safety of the public’s water supply is the focus of another bill sponsored by the Senator – Senate Bill 3070. Under the measure, if carcinogenic compounds are detected in the water of a community water system, the operators of the system must submit a plan of action to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

The Senator sponsored the legislation in the wake of a water contamination issue in Crestwood Village, in which investigators allege city officials knowingly used a contaminated well for public water consumption, instead of cleaning up the contamination or building new wells.

Another measure moving forward is Senate Bill 3273, which seeks to enhance education regarding the healthcare needs of premature infants, and to reduce infant deaths associated with prematurity. The bill would require the Department of Public Health to publish information on its Web site about the unique health issues affecting premature infants, proper care and preventative measures to protect premature infants from infections and disease and community resources available to impacted parents.

Senate Bill 2824, approved last week by the Criminal Law Committee, prohibits sex offenders from being in a public park or loitering within 500 feet of one. The penalty for the first offense is up to 364 days in jail and a $2,500 fine, while repeat offenses are subject to one to three years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000.