In the News
Child Tax Credit could benefit many local families
After struggling through a global pandemic that left many wondering how to put food on the table and take care of basic household needs all while trying to manage their children learning remotely from home, some relief is in sight for local families who need help.As early as July 15, an important tax credit could kick in benefiting many including new mothers. The new Child Tax Credit will provide $3,600 per year, $300 per month per child for parents making $75,000 or less."We are in favor of … Continue Reading
June 23, 2021
Rep. Sean Casten: Everything you should know about the expanded Child Tax Credit
U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL 6) joins Anna to talk about how his district was impacted by the severe storms, the relief effort going on in the district and everything we need to know about the Child Tax Credit payments, which will be sent out starting in July. You can find more information about the Child Tax Credit … Continue Reading
June 21, 2021
Eligible parents: Child tax credit money coming your way on July 15; monthly payments till end of year
WASHINGTON — Starting July 15 and for the rest of the year, millions of Americans with at least one kid under the age of 17 — from election denying, conspiracy minded Trumpists to, well, everyone else who is eligible — will get a minimum monthly payment of $250 from the federal government.The money is an advance on the child care tax credit, temporarily increased in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to help families battered by the COVID-19 economic meltdown.Gene Sperling, the White House … Continue Reading
June 08, 2021
Sens. Murray, Schatz introduce Climate Change Financial Risk Act
Legislation recently introduced in Congress would direct the Federal Reserve to conduct stress tests on large financial institutions to measure their resilience to climate-related financial risks.The Climate Change Financial Risk Act of 2021 - introduced by U.S. Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) along with Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) — would require the Fed to establish an advisory group of climate scientists and climate economists to help develop climate change scenarios for the … Continue Reading
April 22, 2021
Democrats tested over boosting transmission, not pipelines, as bill directs FERC to improve regional planning
Dive Brief: Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., plan to reintroduce a bill Tuesday that would direct the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to tackle interregional transmission planning. The bill, which Heinrich previously introduced in 2019, would give FERC six months to improve interregional transmission planning to expand and expedite projects. FERC Chair Richard Glick has indicated interest in pursuing transmission reform, and last week the commission … Continue Reading
April 19, 2021
Federal infrastructure plan prompts local excitement
McHenry County, like the rest of the country, could see crucial investment in infrastructure if lawmakers in Washington, D.C., pass the American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan, presented by President Joe Biden.It's been years since the last federal infrastructure bill passed.The March announcement of this potential development has been received locally with a bit of excitement.Darick Franzen, vice president of business development in North America for the construction manufacturing … Continue Reading
April 19, 2021
What would the $2 trillion infrastructure plan do for the suburbs?
On the heels of the $1.9 trillion American Recovery Act, President Joe Biden is pitching a second mammoth piece of legislation that aims to fix roads, bridges, public transit, water systems and the electric grid, while also delivering universal, high-speed internet, all at a cost of about $2 trillion.Securing votes will be a heavy political lift for the White House, but if the American Jobs Plan passes in Congress, what will it mean for Illinois?"There is a keen recognition, No. 1, that U.S. … Continue Reading
April 19, 2021
From atomic bomb to solar power, Downers Grove scientist always innovates
Dieter Gruen escaped Nazi Germany, worked on the Manhattan Project during World War II, helped design nuclear submarines, earned patents throughout a celebrated and innovative career at Argonne Laboratory, and is still working on a more efficient form of solar energy at age 98. That's why U.S. Rep. Sean Casten is nominating his fellow Downers Grove resident for the Presidential Medal of Freedom. "Dr. Gruen is a renowned scientist and fierce advocate for climate action whose contributions over … Continue Reading
April 08, 2021
Down to the wire: Biden’s green goals face a power grid reckoning
President Joe Biden's dream of a climate-friendly electric grid hangs on a slender wire: his administration's ability to speed the construction of thousands of miles of power lines. But he'll have to contend with a major obstacle: Americans who hate seeing these kinds of projects anywhere near their backyards. Power companies' efforts to build long-range transmission lines have failed repeatedly in recent decades, mired in legal and political fights from Maine to Arkansas, because of … Continue Reading
March 03, 2021
Lawmakers plan further probe of trading models in GameStop saga
Robinhood CEO made ‘startling' disclosures at first hearing Lawmakers are vowing to keep pressure on Robinhood Markets Inc. after what they say are unsatisfactory answers from the online investment app's CEO, Vlad Tenev, during a hearing last month examining the GameStop Corp. trading volatility. Members of the House Financial Services Committee told CQ Roll Call they're examining whether the online broker's business model is compatible with its obligation to protect investors. The panel … Continue Reading
February 22, 2021
Robinhood announces expanded customer phone support in wake of CBS News investigation into the death of Alex Kearns
Robinhood, the investing platform at the center of last month's stock market frenzy, announced Monday that it had added a live customer phone line and other customer support features. The news came just weeks after a CBS News investigation detailed customer service practices that left users to navigate high-risk trades by themselves. In one case, a family says ineffective customer support may have even contributed to the death of their son.Alex Kearns died last year at age 20, mistakenly … Continue Reading
February 22, 2021
Rep. Sean Casten on latest updates regarding the next round of stimulus checks
February 18, 2021
A congressman asked Robinhood's CEO to listen to the 12-second message that ends with a hang-up when users call the support line
During the hearing conducted by the House Financial Services Committee on the GameStop frenzy, Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) called Robinhood's helpline and played the company's 12-second message that ends in a hang-up to give viewers a sense of the support Robinhood users receive from the company.The hearing largely focused on Robinhood's role in the GameStop stock rally. The platform operates as a site that seeks to make the stock market more accessible, through offering trading options without a … Continue Reading
January 23, 2021
Suburban members of Congress talk priorities as Democratic Senate gives them sway
As Sen. Dick Durbin readies for a historic role as chairman of the powerful Judiciary Committee, members of Congress from the suburbs are dusting off bills on climate change and cheaper prescription drugs with the White House and Senate changing from Republican to Democratic hands.It's a rare sweet spot for any political party. Democratic President Joe Biden's inauguration Wednesday comes with his party controlling the House and becoming the majority in the Senate, but the trifecta could end … Continue Reading
January 06, 2021
Illinois Congress Members Share Their Experiences from the Capitol
For members of Illinois' congressional delegation, Wednesday was an unprecedented — and for some, scary — experience.U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley spoke to WTTW News from a vacant committee room, where he was holed up, waiting to return to what he described as "whatever level of normalcy" can still exist.He described the scene in the House chambers."We hear noises, shouting, and they start bolting the doors of all the entrances to the House floor and then they tell us that the barricade has been … Continue Reading
January 03, 2021
117th United States Congress
The 117th United States Congress, consisting of members from the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, commences in Washington, D.C. on January 3rd … Continue Reading
November 30, 2020
Taking Charge: Rep. Sean Casten on being the energy 'nerd' in Congress and prioritizing science over politics
Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., accidentally found fame one Thursday afternoon in an obscure world he didn't know existed: "Energy Twitter." "A lot of my colleagues have achieved social media fame for things other than … tweet threads on the nature of hydrogen," he said in an interview with Utility Dive. "OK, so I need to do a brief rant on something hugely important that almost no one cares about. Humor me," the August Twitter thread began. 584 retweets and around 1,500 likes later, the … Continue Reading
September 11, 2020
Purple Heart award replaced for Algonquin World War II veteran, 95
ALGONQUIN, Ill. (WLS) -- The son of a World War II veteran considers it a race against time. Jeff Savidge has been searching for his dad's missing military medals after they mysteriously disappeared. "It could have been stolen. It could have been lost. I have no idea," said Jeff Savidge. Robert Savidge, 95, now lives in a senior living community in Algonquin. He uses a wheelchair these days, and time has taken a toll on his body. But World War II really started it when Savidge was just … Continue Reading
September 11, 2020
U.S. Rep. Casten Visits Westmont Fire Dept. During Annual Training
U.S. Representative Sean Casten recently contacted the Westmont Fire Department to congratulate them on receiving a $181,818.00 federal grant. When Casten learned that the grant would be used to purchase new Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) equipment and that the Westmont Fire Department would be using this gear for their annual drills, he was invited to come and tour the facility as well as take part in the drills."I feel it's important to directly connect with the constituents and … Continue Reading
July 21, 2020