Karen Battaglia

I support requiring data centers to cover the infrastructure costs they generate and undergo transparent reviews of their energy use, water demand, environmental effects, and community impact before approval. These facilities support the digital economy, but their expansion must not threaten public health, natural resources, or affordable utilities.

Before a project is approved, developers should disclose projected electricity and water demand, grid and utility upgrades, groundwater effects, noise levels, and impacts on surrounding neighborhoods. Approval conditions should include enforceable conservation, noise-control, monitoring, and public-reporting requirements.

Residential and small-business customers should not subsidize infrastructure built primarily for large commercial users. I support Illinois Commerce Commission oversight and rate structures that assign project-attributable grid and utility costs to developers while protecting existing ratepayers.

Any state or local economic-development incentive should include measurable public benefits, transparent terms, compliance reporting, and provisions to recover benefits when commitments are not met. Local approval processes should also provide residents with timely information and a meaningful opportunity to participate.

These steps balance economic opportunity with long-term public health, environmental, and financial responsibility. They also ensure that decisions with decades-long consequences are based on evidence and that project costs are not shifted to the public.

I support stable federal research funding and targeted state investments that help Illinois institutions compete for federal and private grants. Scientific research improves patient care, public health, technology, workforce development, and economic growth.

At the federal level, I would urge Illinois’ congressional delegation to support stable, sustained funding for the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and other research agencies. Sudden funding cuts can waste previous investments, disrupt long-term studies, and push skilled researchers out of the field.

At the state level, I support competitive grants and carefully designed matching funds that help Illinois universities, research institutions, healthcare systems, and industry partnerships attract outside investment. Programs should use transparent eligibility criteria, independent scientific review, and clearly defined goals.

Because Illinois has competing budget priorities, state investments should be fiscally responsible and evaluated for scientific merit, measurable public benefit, outside funding leveraged, and progress toward stated outcomes.

I would also support stronger coordination among state agencies and research institutions so Illinois can identify funding opportunities, build competitive collaborations, and respond quickly when federal grant opportunities arise.

My nursing career has shown me how research becomes better care and better outcomes. As a legislator, I would apply that experience by protecting sound investments, consulting experts, and demanding transparent results.

I support expanding practical, science-based tools that help Illinois farmers prepare for heavier rainfall, flooding, drought, and extreme temperatures while protecting farm income and the long-term productivity of our land.

Illinois should continue investing in agricultural research through its universities and Extension programs, especially work on soil health, water conservation, crop resilience, drainage, and sustainable production. Research findings should be translated into timely, usable guidance for producers.

I also support voluntary, incentive-based programs that help farmers adopt cover crops, erosion controls, improved drainage management, efficient irrigation, and other locally appropriate practices. State programs should offer technical assistance and prioritize measurable improvements in soil health, water quality, and weather resilience.

The state should also strengthen flood- and drought-preparedness assistance and protect productive farmland from unnecessary development, particularly in growing communities such as those in Lake and McHenry counties.

Policy should be developed with farmers, agricultural organizations, researchers, Illinois Extension, and local conservation districts. Farmers understand their land; government’s role is to make reliable information, technical expertise, and well-designed financial assistance accessible without imposing one-size-fits-all solutions.

This approach respects producers’ experience, uses evidence to target public investment, and focuses on results that keep Illinois farms productive and economically competitive.

Evidence-based decision-making has guided my nursing practice for more than 30 years, and I would apply the same discipline to public policy.

I begin with credible, peer-reviewed research and reliable public data. I examine the strength and limitations of the evidence, compare findings across sources, consult experts with relevant experience, and ask who will be affected by a proposed policy. I also seek differing perspectives and remain willing to revise my position when stronger evidence emerges.

My work on workplace-violence prevention as President of the Illinois Emergency Nurses Association illustrates this process. Rather than relying only on individual accounts, our advocacy has required reviewing incident data, identifying reporting gaps, comparing prevention strategies, and consulting nurses, hospitals, professional organizations, and policymakers about what can be implemented effectively.

That process strengthened my view that recognizing a problem is not enough: policy must pair reliable reporting with practical prevention measures and clear accountability. It also reinforced the need to test whether a proposal produces measurable improvements rather than judging it only by its intent.

As a state senator, I would use this approach across healthcare, education, environmental protection, and economic development: ask precise questions, weigh the quality of the evidence, listen to people with direct expertise, and adjust when new information warrants it.

I support a coordinated state response centered on vaccination access, rapid disease surveillance, clear public communication, and protection for people at greatest risk. As a Doctor of Nursing Practice with more than 30 years in emergency and trauma care, I understand how quickly preventable outbreaks can threaten patients and strain healthcare systems.

Illinois should follow evidence-based immunization recommendations and make vaccination convenient and affordable through healthcare providers, pharmacies, schools where appropriate, and local public-health programs. Public information should be timely, understandable, and transparent about vaccine safety, effectiveness, and disease risks.

The Illinois Department of Public Health should coordinate with local health departments, epidemiologists, physicians, nurses, laboratories, schools, and community organizations. I support adequate capacity for timely reporting, laboratory confirmation, contact tracing, exposure notifications, and rapid deployment of personnel and supplies when outbreaks occur.

Response plans should prioritize infants, immunocompromised people, and others at increased risk of severe complications. The state should also identify and reduce barriers involving cost, transportation, appointment availability, healthcare access, language, and misinformation.

I would evaluate progress using vaccination coverage, reporting timeliness, outbreak size and duration, and access in underserved communities. This combines scientific guidance with operational accountability and helps Illinois prevent outbreaks, respond quickly, and maintain public trust.