May 16, 2023
Hope you all are enjoying this beautiful summer weather!
This is the final week of the Spring Session, and there will be a lot of legislative action. One of the most important senate bills that I have signed onto is Senate Bill 2223. This bill will educate our youth about the dangers of drugs and the costly impact on their lives. If you are wanting to learn more about this bill I have provided a summary below in the Committees and Legislation section. Bills similar to this one are very important to our com
May 1, 2023
Dear Neighbor,
Hope you are enjoying the beautiful spring weather!
We are quickly approaching the end of the spring session. Important deadlines before we adjourn include the budget and the third-and-final reading of Senate bills. Legislation will be moving quickly through both the House and the Senate during this period. We will keep you updated on the most significant bills, and all legislation moving through the assembly can be found on the ILGA website. Live session hearings can be viewed here.
April 17, 2023
Thank you everyone for coming to my community shred day! I wanted to show my appreciation for everyone who came out to community shred day, along with Rep Jay Hoffman for co-hosting such a great event. We had a great turn out for this event and I enjoyed providing this FREE service to all of my constituents.
April 3, 2023
On March 24th, the House of Representatives reached their third reading deadline. I have been working hard the past few months to best represent the district, and I am proud to say I have had over fifty bills I sponsored or co-sponsored that passed through this deadline. The bills focused on a myriad of issues such as women’s issues, higher education, elder abuse, and first responder support. With many bills wrapping up in the House, they will now move to the Senate for reading and vote.
March 20, 2023
We have done a lot of great work this session so far and are quickly approaching the 3rd reading deadline for House Bills. By this Friday, March 24th, all bills must be passed out of the House for consideration in the Senate. For a complete list of my bills that passed out of committee please refer to the legislation section of this newsletter.
March 6, 2023
The deadline to pass House Bills out of Committees is March 10th. This means that if you are interested in offering your opinion on bills you should file a witness slip before this date. Witness slips can only be filed on bills when they are assigned to a committee. You can file a witness slip on behalf of yourself, or an organization you represent, through the ILGA Dashboard. My office has put together a step-by-step guide to help you through the filing process, which can be found here. Filing witness sli
February 14, 2023
Thank you for subscribing to my newsletter! Here are some updates:
Immediately following the Amazon warehouse tragedy in December of 2021, State Representative Jay Hoffman and I introduced legislation to create a Warehouse Safety Standards Task Force. The bill was finally passed at the end of last year and the task force will begin meeting in the coming weeks. I, along with the other task force members, will provide quarterly reports of our findings, discussions, and decisions to the Governor and the Gen
January 30, 2023
I hope everyone’s year has been off to a happy and healthy start! The 103rd General Assembly started early this month and House leadership spent the later part assigning roles and committees to members. I am pleased to announce that I have been named Assistant Floor Whip for the Democratic Caucus and will continue in my role as Chair of the Higher Education Committee.
December 14, 2022
Thank you all for subscribing to the Newsletter! Here are some updates:
My district office will be closed from December 26th through January 2nd for the holidays. If you need to reach my office, please email repkatiestuart@gmail.com. Since we will not be in office until January 3rd, the bimonthly newsletters will resume to a normal schedule by mid-January.
April 18, 2022
I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday weekend! This will be the last newsletter for the next few months. As part of Illinois’ campaign ethics laws, a “blackout” period occurs 60 days before the primary election, and I do not want to violate important ethics provisions. My office will still remain available to answer questions about state or local issues, provide assistance with state agencies and any other state related inquiries. Feel free to use the contact information provided at the bottom of this news
April 4, 2022
Welcome to the month of April. I hope everyone is enjoying the extra light in the evenings! The deadline for Senate Bills to move out of the House was April 1st. Session is scheduled to adjourn on April 8th. I will be providing information on bills that I sponsored and cosponsored during the 2022 Session in this and upcoming newsletters.
March 21, 2022
I hope everyone had a safe and fun St. Patrick’s day! It is still Women’s History Month, which means my menstrual hygiene drive is still collecting donations! I have partnered with I Support the Girls- Edwardsville to collect donations in our area. We are collecting pads, tampons, menstrual cups and other period products.
March 7, 2022
In honor of women’s history month, I am partnering with I Support the Girls-Edwardsville to host a menstrual hygiene drive all month to collect pads, tampons, menstrual cups and other period products. Please follow this link to my website to find the nearest drop-off location. We are asking for all types of pads, tampons, menstrual cups, and are in desperate need of overnight, winged pads. Accepted donations may include opened boxes with sealed items inside.
February 21, 2022
Happy President’s Day! In - person session started last week and the deadline to pass bills out of committee was last Friday, February 18th.
February 7, 2022
I hope everyone is staying warm and safe after last week's winter storm. If you need tips on how to stay safe during storms, or need assistance, please visit the Red Cross Website.
January 24, 2022
I want to thank everyone who donated and the libraries that offered dropoff locations for the Cold Weather Drive and Diaper Drive. We donated over 1,000 diapers to local diaper banks and dozens of bags of cold-weather gear for those in need.
January 12, 2022
Happy New Year everyone! I hope that everyone had a wonderful New Year and was able to celebrate with friends and family safely. The past few weeks have seen a rise in COVID-19 cases with the Omicron variant and the seasonal flu seems to be increasing at the same time. If you or a loved one is showing symptoms of either virus, please get tested and visit your local doctor or urgent care center to get help with symptoms.
December 20, 2021
I wish everyone a Happy Holiday and a great New Year! Please stay safe and enjoy time with family and friends. If you or your family are in need of community assistance following last week’s tornado disaster, please email Toni Geisen. If you would like to assist a family in need of holiday gifts, please email Michelle Fedorcheak.
December 6, 2021
I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving holiday with great food and laughter! I would like to highlight the Festival of Trees being held by the City of Collinsville on December 8th. I am donating an Illinois themed tree for the fundraiser. My tree, along with all the others, will be auctioned off to the highest bidder and the money will be donated to the local organization, Kahok Strong, which assists local families who are suffering from a tragedy or are in need. I am looking forward to seeing all the b
November 22, 2021
Happy National Veterans and Military Family Month! This month celebrates the hard work and sacrifice that veterans and their families have made to keep our country safe. To make sure that Veterans and their families know all the benefits they can receive, I will be holding a Veteran’s Benefits Fair on November 29th at the American Legion in Collinsville from 9 am to noon. This event is open to all, and I hope veterans and their families can take advantage of all the resources conveniently brought to one pla
November 9, 2021
Happy Fall! I want to thank For the Love of Community 618 and everyone who donated to and helped pack gratitude bags for the school support personnel including classroom aids, social workers, bus drivers, and others this weekend. We were able to make over 250 bags! It is very important to show appreciation for their hard work keeping our children safe.
October 25, 2021
I hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween. Remember to check the trick or treating hours for your area, be safe, and have fun!
October 10, 2021
Thank you to everyone who donated to the Diaper Drive! We donated over 1,000 diapers to the Madison County Diaper Bank and the Metro East Diaper Bank, which will help families in need in Madison and St. Clair Counties.
September 27, 2021
Thank you to everyone who came out to make the Shred Day a success! I’m glad everyone was able to safely dispose of sensitive material. If you were unable to attend this weekend, I will hold another Shred Day in the spring.
September 13, 2021
I hope everyone is settling into the new school year! I was back in Springfield on September 9th for a special session. During this session, we passed the Climate and Consumer First Act, landmark legislation that addresses climate change, and more on the bill can be found in the legislation section.
August 30, 2021
I hope students’ and parents’ return to school has been enjoyable. I am thrilled that we have been able to resume in-person instruction, and I’m happy with the effort to do so safely. There is still time for more school supply donations today and tomorrow for our Back-to-School Drive.
August 16, 2021
I hope everyone is enjoying some family time as the new school year begins! I wish everyone a safe and happy return to an in-person school year. The back-to-school drive is still happening and donations will benefit families and students within our community.
August 2, 2021
Grab your backpacks, back-to-school season is here! These past two years have been riddled with change and uncertainty. Fortunately, students will be able to begin to return to a normal school year. We are hosting a back-to-school drive throughout August. Please consider donating to benefit families and their students within our community.
July 19, 2021
I hope you are enjoying life returning to normal and are able to attend most events once again. It is nice and I am hopeful that the current trends will continue so that we can watch the pandemic continue to recede.
July 5, 2021
Happy belated Fourth of July! I hope you were able to spend time this weekend with your family and loved ones. My family and I enjoyed celebrating together. I hope everyone is staying safe in the summer heat.
June 21, 2021
Happy belated Father’s Day! I hope you were all able to spend time this weekend with the father and father figures in your life. My family and I enjoyed celebrating together. I just wanted to take this moment to thank all the fathers and father figures for all that they do.
June 7, 2021
We did it, happy end of session! The Spring session ended in May, and the legislature is scheduled to meet again in the fall for Veto Session. I will continue to give updates throughout the summer as bills are signed into law by the governor. I will also continue updates on Covid-19, community feedback, and upcoming events that our office is holding. To stay up to date on the latest news you can check my website.
May 24, 2021
I am excited to announce that I was recently appointed as a Commissioner to the Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC). The MHEC works to increase high-quality educational opportunities in our region and make sure college is attainable for all students. This directly aligns with the work I have been doing in the General Assembly to achieve fair funding for Illinois universities, affordability for students, and necessary support to help guarantee their success in higher education.
May 10, 2021
Happy belated Mother’s Day! I hope your weekend was filled with celebration and appreciation of the moms and motherly figures within your lives! My family and I enjoyed spending time together this weekend to celebrate Mother’s Day as well. Thank you to all the moms and motherly figures within our community; we appreciate all that you do!
April 26, 2021
Guess who’s back! Early in the pandemic, for those who were able, working remotely was essential to ensure that we all remained safe and healthy. Fortunately, due to advancements on and vast distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine, many of us have been able to return to work. I am excited to announce that we are back in Session! This means that legislators will be back in their offices at the Capital and attending Session in-person.
