ROCK ISLAND – State Senator Mike Halpin is sponsoring legislation that would expand the cover crops discount program to cover up to 500,000 acres of farmland.

“The cover crops program is extremely popular and good for the environment,” said Halpin (D-Rock Island). “It makes sense to expand a program that will keep our soil healthy for generations to come.”

This Illinois Department of Agriculture’s Crop Insurance Rebate Initiative is offered to landowners with additional acres of cover crops that are not covered by other state and federal program incentives. Eligible applicants receive a premium discount up to a $5 per acre on the following year's crop insurance, depending on their crop insurance policy, for every cover crop acre enrolled and verified in the program.

Dear friend,

Session is ramping up in Springfield as budget negotiations begin and legislation moves through the Senate. I’m leading a number of measures, including one brought to me by a Rock Island probation officer. When it comes to voting on important legislation and negotiating the state budget, I will always put the residents of Western Illinois first.

Read on for legislative and district updates, as well as resources available for you and the community.

If you need assistance with state services or have questions or thoughts about legislation, please reach out to my Rock Island office at (309) 558-3612, Galesburg office at (309) 297-4483 or visit my website.

Sincerely,

Mike Halpin
State Senator | 36th District

ROCK ISLAND – State Senator Mike Halpin helped secure nearly $100,000 in funding heading to Carl Sandburg College to help increase the number of professional nurses in Illinois.

“If we want better health care access, we have to make strategic investments in the health care workforce,” said Halpin (D-Rock Island). “There is a pressing need for professional nurses in hospitals and medical centers across Western Illinois. That’s why it’s so critical we actually try to solve the issue, and not just sit on our hands.”

The Illinois Board of Higher Education awarded a total of $96,401 through a nursing school grant to Carl Sandburg College. The grant was awarded through a competitive application process where institutions submitted enrollment, retention, completion and job placement rates of their students during a multi-year period and how grant funds would be used to enhance their program’s efforts to close equity gaps and improve student success.

ROCK ISLAND – State Senator Mike Halpin advanced a measure to create a Community-Based Corrections Task Force that would research the benefits of specialty courts, like drug court and detention alternatives, and the creation of a community-based correctional facility.

“In Springfield, there are many issues that need expert review and recommendations,” said Halpin (D-Rock Island). “This task force brings on-the-ground expertise as to how folks with mental illness or addiction interact with our criminal justice system so we can achieve better outcomes for these individuals while keeping our communities safe.”

The goal of Halpin’s measure is to discuss the benefits of community-based correctional facilities and specialty courts in Illinois. Community-based correctional centers are alternatives to prison that provide a different way for individuals who are convicted of crimes to be rehabilitated back into society without having to be incarcerated. One alternative to traditional corrections is the use of specialty courts, also known as problem-solving courts. These courts are designed to lead people out of a cycle with the justice system and into treatment programs.