Huge Turnout for Wilcox IPASS on Demand Event in McHenry
Turnout for my IPASS on Demand event in McHenry last week exceeded all expectations, with more than 300 people stopping by to trade out their plastic IPASS transponder for the new sticker technology. My thanks go out to the talented Tollway staff for their hard work, and also to all of the constituents who came out to the event. Due to the popularity of these events, my staff is currently working with the Tollway to schedule more of them in the 32nd District.
As a reminder, there is no fee for switching over to the sticker technology and IPASS balances will be transferred to new accounts. As additional events are scheduled, they will be promoted in future newsletters and also on my legislative website (senatorwilcox.com/events).
Senator Wilcox Publishes Guest Editorial on Taking Care of Veterans
Thank you to Shaw Media and the Northwest Herald for publishing a guest editorial I wrote on the importance of taking care of our Veterans when they return from active duty. As a veteran myself, veteran suicide numbers are extremely troubling to me. I firmly believe we all must do more to take care of these heroes. The post-traumatic stress and depression veterans experience is often extremely resistant to traditional talk and pharmaceutical therapies, and as legislators we must explore all options to provide veterans with treatments that help them.
Click here to read the guest editorial, which was published on Friday, November 8.
Wilcox Office to Serve as Drop-Off Point for 2024 Toys for Tots Campaign
My Woodstock office is once again serving as a collection site for the annual U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots campaign. New, unwrapped toys and other gifts for children of all ages will be collected this year through Thursday, December 5. Toys will be picked up on Friday, December 6.
Every child, regardless of their family’s financial situation, should have a gift to open over the holidays, and Toys for Tots has provided toys and other gifts to kids since 1947. The annual toy collection campaign is vital to the organization’s mission, and I am pleased to have my office on the historic Woodstock Square serve as a collection point.
Local collection campaigns are held annually in over 800 communities across all 50 states, and either a Marine, a member of a Marine Corps League Detachment, or a member of a local community organization is designated as a coordinator for each community. Once all toys are collected from drop-off locations, coordinators, with the help of local social welfare agencies, church groups, and other community agencies, distribute toys to children who might otherwise have no gift to open during the holidays.
Illinois Report Projects Budget Deficits and Lagging Revenues
A yearly report by the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget (GOMB) projects troubling news for Illinois’ economy – a $3.16 billion state budget deficit for the upcoming Fiscal Year leading some to question if another tax hike could be on the horizon.
State government spending has increased by 32 percent since Governor JB Pritzker took office, which is why Democrat leaders earlier this year forced through a record-breaking $53 billion budget that includes nearly $1 billion in higher taxes. That record-breaking $53 billion budget also provides more than $1 billion in benefits for noncitizens.
Years of such record spending pose a serious risk to Illinois’ fiscal stability and the financial security of its residents. Senate Republicans will continue to support the kind of business and government reformsneeded to boost Illinois’ economy and jobs.
ISAC Offers Help With College and Financial Aid Applications
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) is offering free college application and financial aid application completion workshops statewide.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, the 2025-2026 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will launch in December.
The FAFSA is the key to unlocking federal, state, and some institutional student financial aid to help pay for college, vocational school, or graduate school. The FAFSA is not just an application for student loans, but also for aid that students don’t have to pay back. That includes scholarships as well as federal grants such as the Pell Grant, and state grants like the Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) Grant, which is the state’s largest need-based grant program for low-income college students.
Students should complete the 2025-26 FAFSA as soon as possible when it becomes available in December 2024. For information, click https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa.