(The Center Square) – Fire protection is among the safety measures discussed by lawmakers and state officials in budget talks at the Illinois Capitol.
At a Senate Appropriations Public Safety and Infrastructure Committee hearing Wednesday, State Fire Marshal James Rivera described the funding ask for the marshal’s office in Senate Bill 2583, filed by state Sen. Elgie Sims, D-Chicago.
“This proposed budget request is for $68.6 million to allow the agency to continue providing statutorily-mandated services and programs, which support the Illinois fire service,” Rivera said.
State Sen. Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro, suggested that Rivera could have asked for more money. Bryant said grants are needed for volunteer fire services in smaller communities.
“There’s a real need. I know one little town that’s just south of me. They don’t even have, all of their equipment is expired. I’m talking about the little town of Grand Tower. The next closest town to them is going to be Murphysboro, and that’s nearly 20 minutes, lights and sirens, on country roads to get there,” Bryant said.
State Sen. Seth Lewis, R-Bartlett, said he agreed with Bryant about the importance of funding fire services.
Also at Wednesday’s hearing, Illinois state Sen. Steve McClure, R-Springfield, repeated his call for repairs at Lincoln’s New Salem historic site in Menard County.
McClure urged Capital Development Board members to support his measure, Senate Bill 1861, to carve out New Salem from the budget procurement process when he spoke at a Senate Appropriations Public Safety and Infrastructure Committee hearing Wednesday.
“Look, if we’ve got $6.5 billion and we’ve only got less than a billion dollars spent, if we need to hire more staff, let’s hire some more staff. These projects throughout the state need our assistance. These are important projects. The only state facility, New Salem, the universities, they need this money to get out as soon as possible,” McClure said.
Last week, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources announced $8 million for repairs and support at the site. The funds are an addition to the nearly $3 million in projects that have already been completed or undertaken at the site during Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s tenure in office.
McClure said New Salem, located in Petersburg, Illinois, is where Abraham Lincoln began his career as a public servant. Lincoln’s New Salem attracted more than 374,000 visitors in 2024.
Greg Bishop and Kevin Bessler contributed to this story.
