Rock Island Today

Rep. Dan Swanson (R-Alpha) released his Legislative Review Newsletter late last month and said he has kept his promise to reject a legislative pension as well as health care benefits.

During the past legislative session, Swanson said he opposed House Bill 2764, which would require that goods sold at state museums, state parks and other state sites be manufactured only in the United States. He argued that it would negatively impact the Swedish majority community of Bishop Hill in Henry County, which sells goods made in Sweden in state run locations. The bill passed the House but stalled in the Senate.

Swanson said he continued to do his part to save Illinoisans money by voting no in July to a veto override of a state budget bill that included a 32 percent increase in income taxes.

Rep. Dan Swanson (R-Alpha)

“This legislation does not sufficiently address the backlog of unpaid bills, does nothing but worsen out-migration from this state and hurts the low- to middle-income families and job creators in my district,” Swanson said after the veto override vote was successful, according to the newsletter.

Swanson said in the newsletter that he backed legislation to aid the agriculture industry by supporting a bill that allows the governor to increase gross vehicle weight limits by 10 percent (House Bill 2580) during a harvest emergency and a bill to fund agricultural education programs.

During the legislative session, he said he also sponsored several bills in the House to help veterans, something he is committed to do as he is a veteran himself.

Swanson said his newsletter is only available online to save printing and shipping costs which would have been paid by taxpayers. Swanson realizes that not everyone has access to the internet, so the newsletter was printed in a limited quantity and is available through his Woodhull district office by calling 309-334-7474. The online version of the newsletter is available at www.repswanson.com.