I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! Wishing everyone a safe and happy New Year!
Statement on the Commutation of Rita Crundwell
In the largest one-day pardon in American history, President Joe Biden commuted and pardoned more than 1,500 convicted criminals. One of the individuals on that list was the infamous felon and former Comptroller of Dixon, Rita Crundwell.
To say I am outraged by this commutation is an understatement, as Ms. Crundwell stole more than 50 million dollars from the good taxpaying citizens of the city of Dixon, violated the public’s trust, and used the stolen money to live a lavish lifestyle. After pardoning his own convicted felon son for crimes dating back more than ten years, President Biden doubled down on the corruption of his Presidency and lifted Crundwell’s house arrest.
The people of Dixon were victimized by this woman, and she still owes money that she stole. This is an unacceptable commutation. This commutation comes just a short time after Crundwell was released from prison early without any notice being given to the city of Dixon of her release. This is a double slap in the face.
At this time, I am unsure that Rita Crundwell is still required to pay back the money she still owes the citizens of Dixon, and that is also unacceptable. The people of my district and the citizens of Illinois deserve answers.
Lame Duck
The Illinois General Assembly will be back in session starting on January 4th for a Lame Duck Session. Lame Duck refers to a session that occurs between the election and the inauguration of a new General Assembly.
Unfortunately, Illinois Democrats have a bad habit of misusing a Lame Duck session to shove through some of the worst public policies our state has ever seen, such as the SAFE-T Act during Lame Duck in 2021 and the unconstitutional gun ban passed during Lame Duck in 2023.
Legislators who were not re-elected in November, and will not be returning for the next General Assembly, will be able to vote on new laws without accountability from the voters. It’s another disappointing example of the unethical practices Illinois Democrats have engaged in for decades.
While we don’t know exactly what will happen during Lame Duck, I promise to keep you informed via my website, Facebook, and next e-newsletter about what occurs in Springfield next week.
Community Outreach
My staff attended a ribbon cutting at the Rochelle BookHub. This store specializes in used and new fiction. Congratulations to this local bookstore on your continued growth!
Congratulations to the new Selmi’s Formal Wear in Sterling on your grand opening! This new store is filling a large gap due to a lack of formalwear stores in our region of Illinois. Looking forward to watching as this business grows!
State Senator Sue Rezin and I toured the James Hardie facility in Peru. They employ over 400 Illinoisans to produce high-quality building materials. Thank you to James Hardie for welcoming us for this informative tour!
State Senator Andrew Chesney and I had the honor of giving a legislative update at the Illinois Soybean Growers 2024 Farm Business Summit. We spoke about important updates and potential future actions that will impact our farmers and business owners. Thank you for having us!
Congratulations to Primo’s Bar and Grill in Sterling on joining our community and the Sauk Valley Area Chamber of Commerce! We are all so excited to welcome a new locally owned restaurant to our community!
Community Calendar
During my time touring the 74th District, I’ve heard from many constituents and organizations who want to support our local communities but don’t know where to start. To meet this need, I am proud to introduce my new ‘Community Calendar’ on my official state website! Here, residents can view upcoming community events in one streamlined location.
To view the calendar, click here!
If you are interested in submitting a community event, please click here for instructions.
Please note that as state ethics laws apply to this site, event restrictions apply. For-profit, political, or personal events will not be posted. Final decisions on which events are allowed are made at the discretion of the Office of Rep. Fritts.
Keep Up to Date
Click here to visit my website. There you can contact my office, see what legislation I am working on, and more.
Click here to “like” me on Facebook for more frequent updates.
I will continue to update you via this e-newsletter to keep you up to date on my efforts to pass bills in Springfield and serve you in the district.
Talk to you soon,
State Representative Bradley J. Fritts
District 74