National Guard training to continue in August and September after congressional action | State and regional
[ad_1]
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois National Guard abandoned plans to cancel weekend drills and training drills in August and September, which would have resulted in time off and lost wages for thousands of Guard soldiers and airmen.
The Illinois guard was able to avoid cuts after Congress passed a last-minute fundraising bill on Thursday and President Joe Biden enacted it to reimburse the guard for more than $ 521 million in fees security in Washington, DC, after January 6. riot at the United States Capitol.
“For us, it was just in time,” said Lt. Col. Brad Leighton, spokesman for the Illinois National Guard, on Monday. “We are moving forward with our exercises as planned.”
the The State Journal-Register reported two weeks ago that approximately 13,000 part-time Illinois National Guard soldiers and airmen, and more than 1,000 full-time civilian employees of the Guard, could lose two months’ wages if Congress does not act by August 1. Congress finally took action on July 29.
The Illinois Guard’s share of the National Guard’s total reimbursement was $ 31 million.
People also read …
More than 25,000 Guardsmen from across the country have been dispatched to the United States Capitol; about 800 of them were from Illinois. The National Guard covered the pay of the 25,000 troops and related costs from internal funds, hoping to be reimbursed.
US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is expected to step down in light of the findings of an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment.
Illinois Adjutant General Richard Neely, commander of the Illinois Army and Air National Guard, said in July that the funding situation was “very shattering.”
He said the cancellation of Guard training sessions at more than 50 Illinois armories and Air Guard sites at the 183rd Wing in Springfield, the 182nd Airlift Wing in Peoria and the Scott Air Force Base in August and September would leave Guard troops less prepared for future missions and create financial hardship for part-time soldiers who depend on their wages for household bills.
The unprecedented shortfall amounted to about 15% of the Illinois Guard’s budget for pay and operational support. About 98% of the Guard’s funding comes from the federal government.
“We don’t have a lot of very wealthy people joining the Guard,†Leighton said. “Especially in the lower ranks, these are people who are just starting out in life and in their careers. A lot of them depend on that monthly check for their child care.”
The congressional reimbursement had been delayed by a debate in Washington on how to pay for additional security on the U.S. Capitol in the future after the January 6 riot by supporters of former President Donald Trump, a Republican.
Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat, called on Congress to repay the debt to the Guard.
“Even though the events of January 6 were still unfolding, heroes across the country fearlessly mobilized to defend their country, and every day that our debts to them go unpaid is an insult to their service,†said the governor in a press release. January 20.
Biparty vote on last week’s $ 2.1 billion emergency appropriations bill – for reimbursement for the Guard, Capitol Police, COVID-19 spending on Capitol Hill and for Afghans who assisted US and coalition forces in Afghanistan – was 416-11 in the House and 98-0 in the Senate.
Members of Congress voting in favor included U.S. Representatives Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, and Darin LaHood, R-Peoria.
“This is a great example of what can happen when Republicans and Democrats come together to support our National Guard members and Capitol Police officers,†Davis said.
He said he co-sponsored legislation that would have reimbursed the Guard before compromise legislation was drawn up.
US Senator Dick Durbin, D-Springfield, released a statement after the fundraising bill was passed: “In the complicated political world we live in, Republicans in the Senate have actually debated for weeks on end. ‘The expenses of the Capitol police and the National Guards had to be paid. who protected us on January 6 and after. It’s hard to explain the depths we’ve reached when it comes to common sense and decency. “
Neon signs of the past and present in central Illinois
The Tropics of Lincoln, once a mainstay of Route 66 travelers, attracted travelers with its theme.
FACEBOOK
A reproduction of a neon sign is on display at the Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum, Pontiac.
STEVE SMEDLEY, PANTAGRAPH FILE
A neon sign will be repaired as part of the Princess Theater restoration plans.
STEVE SMEDLEY, PANTAGRAPH FILE
Kaylee Ballinger, 10, left, and Kelsey Schmidt, 12, cycle past the neon sign at the Palms Grill cafe on April 24, 2007, in Atlanta.
CARLOS T. MIRANDA, PANTAGRAPH FILE
An International Harvester neon clock in OEM Tractor Parts, Chenoa.
STEVE SMEDLEY, PANTAGRAPH FILE
Super Sign Service employees Joe Remington, left, and Dale Gray, work to place the neon tubes inside the steel letters BHS, outside the north entrance to Bloomington High School.
STEVE SMEDLEY, PANTAGRAPH FILE
Neon signs for Italian restaurants Mona’s and Capponi’s in Toluca.
STEVE SMEDLEY, PANTAGRAPH FILE
Two custom neon signs adorn the main entrance to Arcadia: America’s Playable Arcade Museum in downtown McLean on December 21, 2012.
STEVE SMEDLEY, PANTAGRAPH FILE
Chad Kletz of Super Sign Service replaces the neon letter L in The Castle Theater sign at 209 E. Washington St., Bloomington, while working with colleague Joe Remington on December 31, 2014. The neon sign had recently burned down and repaired at the company’s Bloomington store.
STEVE SMEDLEY, Pantagraph File
Prairie Signs Incorporated workers use a construction crane to hold a new sign in place at Home Sweet Home Ministries in Bloomington on January 24, 2013. The old neon sign is on a trailer.
STEVE SMEDLEY, PANTAGRAPH FILE
Dad, 527 N. Main St., Bloomington
FILE
Lost and found items lie under the neon lights at the Harvest Moon Drive-In concession stand in Gibson City, June 19, 2008.
B MOSHER, PANTAGRAPH FILE
Gibson City’s Harvest Moon Drive-In owner Mike Harroun holds change and a plastic bag for a customer as a God Bless America neon sign hangs from the small payment station building until drive-in on June 19, 2008.
B MOSHER, PANTAGRAPH FILE
Normal Theater, 209 W. North St., Normal
FACEBOOK
Retro Series clocks with neon lighting sold at Personality, 504 Guido Circle, Bloomington, October 28, 2003.
STEVE SMEDLEY, PANTAGRAPH FILE
Cantina and Cadillac Jack grill; 1507 S. Main St., Bloomington
FACEBOOK
A neon sign invites customers to visit Outpost Books, 618 N. Main St., Bloomington.
STEVE SMEDLEY, PANTAGRAPH FILE
A worker applies a fresh coat of paint to the bright red neon sign that blazes atop the State Farm Insurance building tower on October 10, 2013, in downtown Bloomington.
DAVID PROEBER, PANTAGRAPH FILE
The now closed CVS store, 201 N. Center St., in downtown Bloomington.
PANTAGRAPH FILE
[ad_2]
