Julie Berkowicz

Data centers should not create any tax burdens for residents, and they should not be subsidized. Data centers should not depend on public-funded economic incentives such as credits, rate reductions, or abatements. Significant learnings have already occurred regarding environmental impact which should be incorporated into the approval process. Environmental and health impacts of new data centers need to be part of the evaluation process.

The future of federal funding at this time may be uncertain for some aspects of the state economy in health and science. As a state senator, I will continue to work with federal agencies to increase funding and growth in research. We must identify opportunities to reduce the risks of relying on any single source of funding. For example, I would work to develop state-federal relationships with the goal of reducing funding friction. I would look to public-private partnerships that mitigate reliance on government funding. The overall approach would be to strengthen the association to federal funding while simultaneously increasing other funding sources such as state and private funding.

To provide more financial security to the agricultural community, I support more insurance options to address financial hardships that result in a bad growing season or severe weather experience. A bad growing season definitely creates great financial hardship for the agricultural community. Another concern for the environment, and for food and national security, is the loss of farmland consumed from solar, wind, and battery projects. To install the equipment, they strip the topsoil and bury posts deep in the ground. Because the land is stripped, this soil can never be farmed productively again. Illinois energy policies subsidize these energy companies at the taxpayers’ expense. Current State legislation supersedes local government control and allows companies to place these projects on large amounts of agricultural acreage. In addition, these industrial uses do not require any change in zoning. Residents and other businesses do not receive the same benefit and must adhere to a zoning change application process. However, Springfield has stripped away local government authority on the specific uses of wind, battery, and solar. Will County and other counties throughout the state continue to lose precious farmland to these projects and have even been ordered by local judges to approve these projects. My family has farmed since they came to this Country in the 1600’s. Farming is important to me. I am a member of the Illinois, DuPage and Will County Farm Bureaus. Springfield does not hear our voices regarding this issue.

Without a doubt, science impacts public policy in many ways. In an increasingly complex world, science will continue to be important to solving the problems faced in this state. I seek out information from a variety of sources, including research provided by primary sources, reference to expert input, and provided documentation. I read a lot and ask a lot of questions. The challenge is that knowledge is continuously expanding and decisions need to be made at a point in time given the best information available at that moment. One example impacting public health policy is the cost and availability of pharmaceuticals. The drugs that are used to treat tuberculosis are produced in China. Because we cannot purchase these drugs from an American company, this gives the Chinese market an advantage, increasing the financial burden to purchase these lifesaving drugs. I have reached out to the federal administration with the goal of bringing back the production and research of vital pharmaceuticals to the United States.

Additional efforts must be made to educate the population about the risks to their children and encourage them to vaccinate their children. An additional concern for public health is the rise in tuberculosis. I sit on the Illinois Council for Tuberculosis to address the rise of tuberculosis cases in the United States. Many of these cases are in the immigrant population and the populations that travel back and forth to their home countries. But it is also very contagious and spreads throughout the population in our schools and other public places. It is critical to raise awareness, identify the latent population and provide the proper treatments for the tuberculosis patient at an early stage. As with each of these diseases, education and advocacy is important. The medical community needs to be diligent to properly diagnose and identify these cases in their patient base. The Illinois Council conducts a conference every year to provide education and networking opportunities to health care providers and policy makers throughout the State. On a personal note, I have a personal connection to tuberculosis because my grandfather died of tuberculosis in the Philippines. To be able to give back and advocate for the community has been very rewarding to me.