McHenry Times

State Representative Joe Sosnowski recently celebrated the passage of a bill he championed to help the City of Marengo. "This allows the City of Marengo to acquire the land needed to extend water and sanitary sewer services for the Interstate 90-Illinois Route 23 Corridor in conjunction with a grant award from the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity in the amount of $26,900,000," he stated in an Aug. 13 Facebook post.

"Two local pieces of legislation initiated by Senator Dave Syverson that I helped pass in the House were signed into law yesterday," said Sosnowski, according to Facebook. "This allows the City of Marengo to acquire the land needed to extend water and sanitary sewer services for the Interstate 90-Illinois Route 23 Corridor in conjunction with a grant award from the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity in the amount of $26,900,000. The new law takes effect immediately."

According to the Legislative General Assembly website, Senate Bill 951 went into effect immediately upon passage. It was initially filed by Senator John F. Curran in the Senate chamber on Feb. 2, 2023. Senator Dave Syverson became chief sponsor of the bill on April 11, and it moved to the House on April 18, 2024, the same day it passed the Senate. Representative Sosnowski was the chief sponsor of the bill in the House of Representatives. It passed the House on May 23 and was sent to Governor J.B. Pritzker for signing on June 21; he signed it on Aug. 9, and it went into effect immediately.

Screenshot of Rep. Joe Sosnowski's Aug. 13 Facebook post | State Representative Joe Sosnowski Facebook page

Sosnowski’s Facebook post shares more about how this bill will benefit Marengo: "The City of Marengo has worked hard over a number of years to plan for taking the necessary steps to provide water and sewer service to new residents from I-90 north along Illinois Route 23. Our bill makes the necessary change in state law allowing the City to acquire the final parcels of land they need to meet the needs of their growing and vibrant community," wrote Sosnowski in a graphic accompanying his post.

The bill allows Marengo to use quick-take powers for no more than two years after its effective date to obtain specific property needed for extending water and sanitary sewer services for the I-90 Route 23 corridor. The bill will be repealed three years after its effective date, which was Aug. 9, 2023.

Sosnowski has represented Illinois since being elected to the Illinois General Assembly in 2010. He now represents the 69th District. His political career began with a stint on DeKalb City Council before moving to Rockford where he served as First Ward Alderman from 2005-2010. He is a graduate of Northern Illinois University, according to his official biography.