Adam Niemerg, Republican State Rep in Illinois House District 102, was in Danville Friday (Jan 27th). With the latest alignment of house districts, Niemerg is now a neighboring legislator to many in our listening area; but his district does include part of Southern Vermilion County; and communities such as Homer, Ogden, and St. Joseph. Like many in the GOP, Niemerg is fighting the battle against the governor’s signed gun ban; with the hope for more temporary restraining orders.
AUDIO: We have federal lawsuits that have been filed, as well as state lawsuits that have been filed. I’m a part of the case that was heard in White County just this past Wednesday. We’re waiting to see if the judge will grant a TRO (temporary restraining order) in that case as well.
Then, there’s the Safe-T Act, with the new provision that would have taken effect New Year’s Day ending cash bail in Illinois. The State Supreme Court issued a stay on that until they are able to rule on the case, with the State Attorney General’s Office filing an appeal to that stay. Niemerg says the simple fact is some do not understand the problem of just letting habitual career criminals stay free as they await trial.
AUDIO: And I think folks are starting to kind of see from their local sheriffs, their local counties, their police chiefs; in what this actually means about putting hardened criminals back on the street. And I think that once we get a Supreme Court ruling, once the no cash bail issue is really examined constitutionally and not politically; I think we’ll end of going in the right direction.
As for farmers in the 102nd District, Niemerg would like to see a new federal farm bill that puts the small family farm first, and brings them back. But on the state level there’s the court battle the Illinois Farm Bureau and numerous farmers are fighting against Invenergy’s proposed Grain Belt Express, which would transport energy above ground, across farmers’ land, through Southern Illinois. Niemerg says this is an eminent domain effort from state legislation that must be stopped.
AUDIO: The Clean Energy Jobs Act, where the (state) legislature actually gave eminent domain authority to a for profit company to put that line from Missouri over to Indiana. It does nothing to benefit the folks, energy wise, here in the state of Illinois. So it takes the private property rights away from many folks.
Niemerg is also outspoken on the federal lawsuit against the State Department of Children and Family Services, which states the agency allegedly left up to 80 kids incarcerated for an average of 40 days longer than they should have been, rather than being placed in proper care in a timely matter.
