Welcome to Illinois State Senator Mike Halpin Legislative Website

Halpin secures funding for Safe Routes to School in Macomb and Bushnell

ROCK ISLAND – State Senator Mike Halpin has secured a total $350,000 for projects in Macomb and Bushnell as a part of the Illinois’ Safe Routes to School Program.

“Safety is a parent’s number one concern when it comes to their children,” said Halpin (D-Rock Island). “We advocated for these investments to make sure students in Western Illinois have a safe way to get to school.”

The $250,000 investment to benefit Bushnell-Prairie City Elementary will bring new construction and replacement of unsafe areas of existing sidewalk and installation of ADA compliant ramps at all necessary intersections. A $100,000 investment in Macomb is being implemented to develop a community travel plan. A community travel plan is a strategic blueprint to map out specific ways to improve pedestrian and bicycle travel to and from school. Several schools in Macomb will be involved in the planning including Macomb SD 185, West Central Illinois Special Education, St. Paul Catholic and Project Insight School

“This funding reinforces not just to the community but also to the students themselves that we are invested in their education and we are taking their safety seriously,” said Halpin (D-Rock Island). “I am proud to see state dollars going towards protecting our children.”

To read more about the $12 million in statewide grants supporting 68 projects across Illinois, click here.

Halpin measure to keep track of Illinois student loan market passes Senate

SPRINGFIELD – In the face of higher student debt for many in Illinois and across the country, State Senator Mike Halpin’s measure to keep track of the private student loan borrowing market has passed the Senate.

“With the Trump administration placing caps on federal lending for student borrowers, we need to keep track of where the Illinois student loan market is at,” said Halpin (D-Rock Island). “Monitoring student loan default rates and loans with cosigners will give us a clearer picture of how students are doing with their debt and what actions Illinois can make to assist them.”

Halpin’s measure would provide that the annual report to the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation should include the total number and dollar amount – instead of the volume – of private education loans made annually by a private educational lender. It should also include the total number and dollar amount of private education loans made annually at institutions of higher education, the total number and dollar amount of private education loans made annually with a cosigner, and the default rate for the private education loans reported by the private educational lender.

According to The Education Initiative, Illinois residents hold $63.4 billion in student loan debt. The average borrower owes $39,042, with over one and a half million people in student loan debt. Over half of these borrowers are under the age of 35.

“Student loan debt places a massive burden on the shoulders of students and their families,” said Halpin. “With the federal government putting more pressure on borrowers, students may have to turn to more private loans in the marketplace. If this happens we have to be knowledgeable of the health of the debt market and if Illinois students are receiving fair loans.”

House Bill 4754 has passed the Senate and heads to the governor’s desk for further consideration.

Halpin secures nearly $400,000 in back wages for workers

SPRINGFIELD – Thanks to a law sponsored by State Senator Mike Halpin, nearly $400,000 in back wages for workers have been secured.

“Skipping out on paying hard working Illinoisans for the wages they earned is completely unacceptable,” said Halpin (D-Rock Island). “I am glad to see this legislation paying back dividends, but we have to remain vigilant and ensure our workers are being compensated in a timely and fair manner.”

The secured back wages are, in part, a result of Senator Halpin’s Senate Bill 1344 passed last year. This law provides that any contractor or subcontractor, who the Department of Labor finds has failed to file the certified payroll for any public works project, is subject to a civil penalty. The fine would be payable to the Department of Labor, of up to $1,000 for a first offense and up to $2,000 for a second or subsequent offense no more than five years after the first offense.

The legislation allows the Illinois Department of Labor to file a verified petition against the contractor or subcontractor to enforce the final administrative decision and to collect any amounts due in the circuit court of any county where an office of IDOL is located.

“If a contractor thinks they can get away with stealing wages in Illinois, they’re wrong,” said Halpin. “Folks are already dealing with an affordability crisis. Working class people should be paid every penny they are owed for their work so they can support their families.”

Halpin remains committed to supporting working laborers and their families in Western Illinois and across the state.

Halpin fights to protect farmers and their land

SPRINGFIELD – With farmers in Illinois facing threats to their land from big carbon pipeline companies, State Senator Mike Halpin’s has introduced a bill to prohibit owners of carbon dioxide sequestration pipelines from exercising eminent domain authority.

“Our farmers already face threats from sky-high fuel and fertilizer costs, we don’t need big pipeline companies coming in and threatening their land too,” said Halpin (D-Rock Island). “These private companies must negotiate fairly with farmers and property owners, not use the government to sidestep folks who have worked their land for generations. Family farmers don’t need more headaches to worry about.”

Senate Bill 2842 would prohibit an owner or operator of a carbon sequestration pipeline from seeking or exercising eminent domain authority. The legislation does not seek to stop carbon sequestration pipelines, but rather would ensure landowners receive fair offers and choice when it comes to the future of their land.

According to the Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines, carbon dioxide pipelines can restrict a farmer’s use of their property, destroy field tiles and damage farmland to the extent that it reduces crop yield. These pipelines present a threat when routed too close to homes, businesses and schools, placing families in danger. A leak or rupture of a CO2 pipeline can release a toxic asphyxiant that can harm—or even kill—people and animals over a mile away.

“This legislation protects landowners from the predatory use of eminent domain to take property to acquire easements for CO2 pipelines," said Steve Hess, a farmer from McDonough County. "I applaud my senator Mike Halpin for championing the protection of private property rights for Illinois citizens against private companies."

Senate Bill 2842 awaits further consideration.