Illinois State Representative, 76th District:
Murri Briel is running to represent the 76th Illinois House of Representatives District which includes Ottawa, LaSalle, Peru, DeKalb, and many other towns. She has been endorsed by Sierra Club and participated in an interview with members of the Heart of Illinois Group and the North West River Valleys Group Sierra Club, which covers the northern part of her district. Her environmental awareness, strong capabilities and her willingness to work for solutions to concerns, impressed our groups. She can ‘hit the ground running’ in Springfield as she has worked for the current legislator who is not seeking reelection. Her top issues on her campaign website include climate change, where she states: “Climate change is real and resources are finite. Growing up in the Illinois Valley, I have a deep appreciation of the land and what it gives to us, and I understand that it is our responsibility to keep it healthy through proper funding and legislation.” She is a strong supporter of regenerative agriculture and many other issues of importance to Sierra Club and we urge your vote for Murri Briel.
If you are interested in volunteering with the HOI Group to help her campaign, see our calendar of events, which includes going door-to-door in her district and mailing postcards.
Illinois State Representative, 91st District:
The Sierra Club has endorsed incumbent state Representative Sharon Chung for the Illinois House District 91, which includes eastern parts of Heart of Illinois Group Sierra Club and a significant area in the Prairie Group including Bloomington-Normal. Sharon Chung prioritizes listening to her constituents’ concerns. She is just finishing her first term in the House of Representatives and is running for re-election in the 91st district. She has received a 100% rating from the IEC for her voting record on environmental legislation this year and a 95% rating in 2023. This last session she co-sponsored legislation to keep small batteries out of landfills, When asked about her role in passing the battery recycling bill, she stated that she would like to see safe and responsible disposal for other toxic household waste. Of great importance to the HOI Group Area is protection of the Mahomet Aquifer and she acknowledged that the carbon capture and sequestration legislation that was approved does not go far enough to protect this vital resource. She also recognizes the problem regarding nutrient pollution from farm fertilizers and other sources, and emphasizes the need to make any solutions to issue economically feasible for farmers. Sharon Chung has strong support from her colleagues in the State House. She is a single mother and expresses pride in being the first Asian American elected from McClean County.
Illinois State Senator, 46th District:
Sierra Club has endorsed state Senator Dave Koehler for the 46th Illinois Senate District. Sen. Koehler most recently was the lead signatory for a letter to the Illinois Legislature requesting protections for the Mahomet Aquifer be included in state carbon capture and sequestration legislation that was being debated during the spring legislative session this year. He is a very strong supporter for protection of the Mahomet, which is a sole source (no other adequate water supply is available) for one million people across central Illinois. He is the lead sponsor and advocated for SB 1556, the Clean Transportation Standard and was a leader and key for Senate subject matter hearings about the bill. Senator Koehler has a long track record in support for many of Sierra environmental issues. He has been a champion and state leader on clean energy and recently gave comments at the "Watt's Up with Clean Energy" program hosted by HOI group. He has a 100% voting record for the environment in the 2024 Illinois Environmental Council ratings and has consistently been a leader for a variety of environmental and labor issues. He sponsored the first state bill in the nation to establish protections for under-age social media influences, requiring a portion of their earnings be set aside for them, among many other health and justice issues.