CHICAGO — Senator Van Pelt has officially retired as of today, representing a major win for taxpayers in her district who will finally have a state senator that shows up for work. 

Since announcing she would be stepping down shortly after winning reelection, Van Pelt has missed 903 of 904 votes that have taken place since she was sworn in January. In her retirement she cited health issues, but those issues didn’t stop her from traveling to Dubai, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Atlanta this year – a combined mileage that represents 29 round trips from West Loop to Springfield. 

Even though she only voted .001% of the potential votes prior to her retirement (1 out of 904), the taxpayers helped fund that travel since the Senator still collected on her $85,000 salary plus an additional $11,098 as a committee chair, collecting $56,500 for her services this year to date. 

With that, we say bon voyage Senator Van Pelt! Enjoy your many travels and thank you for clearing the path for a Senator who might actually show up to work.

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