CHAMPAIGN – State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) is partnering with the Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) and the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce to host a free workshop about the Minimum Wage Tax Credit on Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 2 p.m. at the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce (303 W. Kirby Ave., Champaign).

On Jan. 1, the first phase of minimum wage increases took effect, raising the wage from $8.25 an hour to $9.25 an hour. Under the new law, small businesses are eligible for a tax credit, giving them a maximum credit of 25% of the difference between the new minimum wage and what each employee was paid previously.

“We need to keep small businesses competitive during this transition period,” Bennett said. “This informative workshop will help connect small business owners with updated information on the Minimum Wage Tax Credit to help offset the state’s minimum wage rate and ease their transition.”

Businesses and nonprofits with 50 full-time equivalent employees or less are eligible for the credit and can begin to claim on their quarterly Illinois Withholding Income Tax Returns.

Nick Austin of the IDOR will present at the workshop and provide assistance. Bennett urges small businesses to take advantage of this tax credit and participate in the February workshop.

For more information or to RSVP, please contact Senator Bennett’s office at 217-355-5252 or SenatorBennett.com, or visit IDOR’s website tax.illinois.gov.

CHAMPAIGN – Shocked and angered by a possible sexual assault political cover-up, State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) is asking anyone with information to come forward.

The request comes in response to a WBEZ article regarding a 2012 email to officials within then-Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration that references someone keeping quiet about “the rape in Champaign.”

Senator Bennett issued the following statement regarding this incident:

“This is frightening and disturbing. Sexual assault allegations need to be taken seriously. If anyone has any information about this crime, please get in touch with authorities. This needs to be investigated and prosecuted. The public needs answers, people need to be held accountable and somewhere there’s a victim who deserves justice. The conduct I read in that email is disgusting and will not be tolerated.”

If you have information please contact:
• Champaign County State’s Attorney, 217-384-3733
• Illinois State Police, 217-278-5000
• Illinois Executive Inspector General, 312-814-5600

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is currently accepting applications for the state’s Park and Recreational Facility Construction (PARC) Grant Program through Jan. 21, 2020.

PARC provides financial assistance to eligible local governments for construction and conservation projects in Illinois. Eligible projects include new construction and reconstruction of indoor and outdoor recreation facilities.

Local governments are also encouraged to apply for assistance with land purchases and conservation projects to protect floodplains, wetlands geologic features and wildlife habitat. Projects involving land acquisition for construction of new, or expansion of existing indoor and outdoor recreation facilities, and for open space and conservation purposes, are also eligible.

Project costs may range from $25,000 to $2.5 million. The program reimburses up to 75% of approved project costs, and up to 90% of costs for governments defined as "disadvantaged." The IDNR expects to distribute $25 million in total to grant recipients.

For more information, details on program eligibility, and other program regulations, visit www.dnr.illinois.gov/grants/Pages/PARC-Grant.aspx or contact the IDNR Office of Grant Management and Administration, at 217-782-7481, or by e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The application deadline is Jan. 21, 2020 at 5 p.m.

CHAMPAIGN - A new law on the books will secure protections for the Mahomet Aquifer thanks to State Senator Scott Bennett.

Senator Bennett (D-Champaign) passed Senate Bill 2027, which directs the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) to prioritize landfills overlying the Mahomet Aquifer for inspection.

"Considering the Mahomet Aquifer is the most important water source in east-central Illinois, I have worked frequently with the Mahomet Aquifer Task Force to ensure it is protected," Bennett said. "They are a tremendous group to work with and now we can be assured that 500,000 people know the water coming out of their faucets is clean and safe to drink."

The bill requires the IEPA to use existing information available from the state and federal agencies to identify unknown, unregulated or under-regulated waste disposal sites that sit above the aquifer and may pose a threat to surface water or groundwater resources.

The new law also seeks to establish a pilot program at the Pekin Metro Landfill to identify potential and current threats to the water quality of the Aquifer from the landfill.

The proposed legislation came from the recommendations of the Mahomet Aquifer Protection Task Force, a bipartisan coalition of central Illinois lawmakers from both chambers of the General Assembly, including Representative Carol Ammons (D-Urbana) and Senator Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet). The task force, chaired by Champaign Mayor Deborah Feinen, also includes scientists from the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois, Illinois State Geological Survey, the Illinois Water Survey and the IEPA.

This new law takes effect Jan. 1, 2020.