­EDWARDSVILLE – The Subcommittees on Capital for the Senate Transportations and Appropriations II Committees held their second joint hearing in Edwardsville Monday, kicking off a statewide tour to hear from parties throughout the state about capital infrastructure needs.

Local mayors, union officials, university representatives and transportation experts testified before the subcommittees about existing capital and needs that should be addressed in a potential bill to release funding for infrastructure improvements around the state.

“We’re trying to hear from a wide range of interested groups about capital needs they see in our state and I think we learned a lot today about issues that need to be addressed here in the Metro East area,” said State Senator Martin A. Sandoval (D-Chicago), Chair of the Transportation Committee. “Today’s hearing was certainly a good start to this process, but there is a lot more work to do before we’re ready to unveil a comprehensive spending plan to address Illinois’ backlog of infrastructure projects.”

Illinois has not passed a capital bill in a decade. In 2018, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave Illinois a C- grade, saying the state’s transportation infrastructure shows signs of deterioration and faces increasing vulnerability.

The subcommittees will hold at least four more hearings on the following dates:

• Monday, March 18 in Decatur – Decatur Public Library, 130 N. Franklin St., Decatur
• Monday, April 8 in Peoria – Bradley University, Peplow Pavilion inside the Hayden-Clark Alumni Center, 1501 W. Bradley Ave., Peoria
• Tuesday, April 16 in Chicago – Bilandic Building, 160 N. LaSalle St., Chicago
• Monday, April 22 in Elgin – Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove Ave., Elgin

“Millions of Illinoisans rely on our public infrastructure system on a daily basis,” Sandoval said. “It’s long past time we make improvements to ensure it remains safe and efficient for the people of Illinois.”

­SPRINGFIELD – Local mayors, county officials, education leaders and residents will have a chance to weigh in on a statewide construction plan during a series of public hearings this spring.

The dates and locations of the hearings are as follows:

• Thursday, Feb. 21 in Springfield
• Monday, March 4 in Edwardsville
• Monday, March 18 in Decatur
• Monday, April 8 in Peoria
• Monday, April 22 in Elgin
• Tuesday, April 16 in Chicago

More information about times and exact locations will be available at a later date.

The hearings will be jointly hosted by members of the transportation and budget committees of the Illinois Senate.

Lawmakers will consider existing construction plans and accept recommendations for local projects as they determine the best path forward to improve roads, highways, bridges, sewer systems and more throughout the state.

“A comprehensive plan to fix our dilapidated transportation system in Illinois is long overdue,” said State Senator Martin Sandoval (D-Chicago), chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee. “I look forward to working with all interested groups to develop the best possible solution to enhance our state’s infrastructure.”

Illinois has not passed a capital bill in a decade. In 2018, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave Illinois a C- grade, saying the state’s transportation infrastructure shows signs of deterioration and faces increasing vulnerability.

“I think we can all agree that when it comes to roads and bridges, there isn’t a county in Illinois that doesn’t need some kind of critical investment,” said State Senator Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill), chairman of the Senate Appropriations II committee, which helps determine spending priorities for the state.

“We want to lay a groundwork for what we believe can be a comprehensive statewide construction program that lawmakers can vote on later in the spring legislative session.”

­SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Martin A. Sandoval (D-Chicago) released the following statement Wednesday in response to Gov. JB Pritzker’s budget address:

“It was refreshing to hear from a governor who is taking a more balanced approach to creating a state budget without any gimmicks. It is time to make this state function again and provide the people of Illinois with the services they need.

“Illinois students must be a top consideration in any funding plan for the state. I applaud the Governor’s plans to enhance our investments in education. The extra $375 million in funding to K-12 school districts and the extra $50 million dedicated to MAP grants shows that Gov. Pritzker has made our students a priority. The governor’s proposed spending of a $100 million on early childhood education is another great benefit to working families.

“I agree with Gov. Pritzker that now is the time to get our finances straight. We need to reprioritize Illinois’ expenses and ensure that our state has fiscal security. Once we return financial stability to this state, we can find new revenue sources that will allow us to introduce bold new policies to move Illinois forward.

“This proposal marks a good start as we consider a plan to fund our government over the next year. I look forward to working with Gov. Pritzker and my fellow legislators to craft a budget that works for the people of Illinois and marginalized communities on the Southwest Side of Chicago that have been forgotten for way too long.”

­SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Martin A. Sandoval (D-Chicago) is cosponsoring legislation to declare April 2, 2019 as Pay Equity Day in Illinois to raise awareness about pay inequity for women.

American women have long faced discrimination in the workplace, particularly in terms of compensation. Nationally, women continue to earn no more than 80 cents on the dollar compared to men. In Illinois, women currently earn only 78 cents on the dollar compared to men.

“It is absurd that women in this country still earning less than men on average for performing the same jobs,” Sandoval said. “We need to work harder to ensure that every person is fairly compensated for their contributions in the workplace regardless of gender.”

Equal Pay Day was first created by the National Committee on pay Equity in 1996 to draw attention to the gap between men’s and women’s wages.

The day is observed in April to symbolize how far into the year a woman must work, on average, to earn as much as a man earned the previous year. Equal Pay Day always falls on a Tuesday to represent the day of the week on which women’s wages catch up to men’s wages from the previous week.