Galesburg Reporter

Illinois state Rep. Dan Swanson (R-Woodhull) recently released his 2019 Legislation Newsletter, calling attention to the fact that he opposed the state’s new gas tax but backed bills honoring veterans and addressing the state’s substitute teacher shortage.

“I oppose these vehicle registration fee increases and a more than doubling of the gas tax aimed at already overburdened taxpayers,” Swanson said in the newsletter, which was posted to his website. “These tax increases disproportionately affect seniors on fixed incomes and those of us in rural areas who have to travel longer distances for work and medical appointments.”

The Cold War License Bill backed by Swanson is dedicated to creating license plates honoring veterans of the Cold War.

“Many of our Cold War veterans do not receive the recognition they deserve despite their service to the United States during a critical time in our history,” Swanson said. “Now we can honor their service and say thank you with this proper recognition of their work in serving our Nation.”

An armed forces veteran, Swanson also hosted several veterans and seniors resources fairs over the summer designed to connect veterans with state and local resources across the region.

Finally, Swanson sponsored House Bill 2982, which seeks to streamline background checks for substitute teachers in hopes of alleviating a shortage throughout the system.

“After hearing from school districts throughout West Central Illinois, I worked with local superintendents to craft legislation to streamline background checks of substitute teachers in an effort to address this crisis,” Swanson said in the newsletter. “By allowing better sharing of this data between regional offices, we can make this process easier to get qualified substitute teachers into classrooms in which they are most needed.”