Governor Quinn signs Reitz legislation into law

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Two key pieces of legislation sponsored by state Rep. Dan Reitz (D-Steeleville) that will aid clean coal companies and funeral directors were signed into law by Governor Pat Quinn on Friday, August 20th.

Senate Bill 49, now Public Act 96-1465, will allow the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to issue grants to the Prairie State Generation Company for their work in Washington County. The Prairie State Generation Company is in the process of developing a coal-fired generating plant and coal mine adjacent to the plant. This plant will produce 1600 Megawatts of power when it is fully operational and provide power to over 2.5 million families.

"In the face of economic uncertainty, this legislation will greatly help the Prairie State Generation Company expand their operations, bringing new jobs to our region," Reitz said. "The increased business and new jobs developed from this measure are an important part of moving Illinois towards fiscal stability."

House Bill 6420, now Public Act 96-1463, standardizes rules and regulations for funeral directors and funeral homes across the state. An important part of this legislation is codifying into law requirements that only licensed funeral directors and embalmers have certain responsibilities and can supervise various parts of the funeral process, in addition to requiring displaying their licensing information.

"This legislation will standardize regulations and provide additional safeguards for people in their time of grief," Reitz said. "In addition, this new law will help ensure that the most qualified professionals and best equipment are used for the funeral process."

Both of these new laws are effective immediately. Reitz represents all or parts of St. Clair, Monroe, Randolph and Perry counties. For more information on SB 49 or HB 6420, please contact his constituent service office at (618) 443-5757.