We wrapped up the final days of the two-week fall veto session yesterday with very little action from the majority party on the most pressing issues. Nothing was discussed about a looming $3.2 billion budget shortfall for the coming fiscal year, nor was legislation taken up to ensure funding for Home Delivered Meal Programs like Meals on Wheels.
Instead, we will likely return to Springfield in early January for a Lame Duck session just before the new General Assembly is sworn into office, where Democrats are expected to push through a series of yet-to-be-determined legislation to “Trump-proof” Illinois. Whatever legislation emerges will almost certainly contain their own out-of-touch progressive policies using the votes of soon-to-be-retired Democrats whose successors won’t have to face re-election instead of working across the aisle with Republicans to craft pragmatic legislation that benefits all Illinoisans. As always, I remain hopeful that common sense will prevail.
Below you will find several updates on legislative issues, as well as information on upcoming events my office and other organizations in our communities are hosting.
I hope you and your family have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving next week!
State Budget, Legislation Update, Local Events & More
Thank you for participating in one of our events!
One of the best parts of my job as a legislator is hosting constituent services events to help our communities and participating in events in our communities to help others. Thanks to the dedication of my amazing team, we hosted more than 30 events this year, ranging from I-Pass on Demand, Community Shred Trucks, Understanding Property Tax Appeals, to Blood Drives. If you attended any one of these events, Thank you!
Governor’s own budget office predicts $3.2 billion deficit.
The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget (GOMB) this month issued a projection of Illinois’ budget forecast for Fiscal Year 2026. The GOMB forecast, which included an analysis of current State revenue and expenditure trends, took account of the stagnant current revenue trend numbers. In addition, GOMB utilized economic forecast projections generated by economic forecaster S&P Global. These trend lines indicate continued stagnation in State tax revenues moving forward.
Despite this, “locked-in” State spending numbers continue to soar under the majority party in Springfield. The State is already committed, through contracts with organized labor and promises made to key interest groups (such as recipients of vested pension benefits, and school districts), to generating a massive increase in expenditures in FY26. Based on this pattern of stagnant (or worse) revenues and soaring spending, GOMB issued a preliminary projection that the FY26 budget will be $3.2 billion out of balance. Read More Here.
Protecting home delivered meals for seniors.
As local providers face funding delays, my Republican colleagues and I have introduced legislation to protect funding for programs like Meals on Wheels. The bill (HB 5911) will move $25 million from migrant centers to support the Home Delivered Meals Program and ensure our vulnerable seniors can continue to receive this important service.
As we continue to face increasing demands on limited resources as the state has overspent on misplaced priorities, this legislation puts the focus where it should be, on the citizens and legal residents of Illinois. Read More Here.
Standing up to protect girls and women’s sports.
I always endeavor to be a reasonable and pragmatic person and evaluate issues with an open mind. I also firmly believe everyone should be treated with dignity, but doing so does not mean any of us should be forced to acquiesce to radical ideology that reasonable people may find deeply concerning. Anyone who knows me, understands this about me.
However, some people think I am a fearmonger and I make this stuff up when I talk about what Progressives have done to Illinois’s laws and regulations… I don’t. I continue to ask, beg and demand that Illinois stand up to protect our biological girls in sports and locker rooms. As the father a daughter, yes, it’s a personal issue for me. This is why I am sponsoring HB 5830.
Yet, Gov. Pritzker and Democrats continue to double down on their out-of-touch policies and deny biological reality. Here is an excerpt from a recent Fox News article:
“In Illinois, biological males can compete with females under Pritzker’s guidance in school or club sports.
“Additionally, ‘use of restrooms, locker rooms and changing rooms may not be restricted based upon a student’s physical anatomy or chromosomal sex. A student must be permitted to access restrooms or bathrooms, locker rooms and changing rooms that align with their gender-related identity and without having to provide documentation or other proof of gender,’ according to the IDHR.” Read More Here.
Continuing the push to end abuse of TIF districts.
I will continue to demand reform to our broken and corrupted Tax Increment Financing (TIF) system to end the harm it is doing to the taxpayers of Illinois. TIFs lasting 47 years that divert tax dollars from other local governments, like our school districts, and fail to meet their obligations to rebuild blighted areas, many of which were questionably “blighted” in the first place, do nothing except drive up taxes. Watch my full remarks here.
Mismanagement by the majority party.
There are few better examples of how poorly the majority party in Illinois has managed public funds than the looming $730 million fiscal cliff facing Chicago’s three mass transit agencies. Instead of properly using COVID relief funds for one-time expenditures to get through the pandemic, they continued to spend beyond their means even knowing those funds would not be available in the future.
As too often happens, the three agencies view themselves like little fiefdoms and have rejected reform and merger proposals to help reduce costs and keep the agencies solvent. Instead, they want the General Assembly to pony up $1.5 billion of your tax dollars without any reform.
A new report on the Chicago Transit Authority’s budget condition, one of the three agencies, concludes that overspending, not underfunding, is to blame for their fiscal problems. Obviously, throwing more money at the problem is not the answer (it never is!), the agencies need reform. Read More Here.
Meeting our energy needs and economic opportunity.
- Meeting our energy needs: As energy demand continues to rise in our state, we face a looming problem brought on by the overly optimistic timeline pushed by progressives and the Governor to close fossil fuel-based power plants and continue to limit the use of nuclear power. Under current law, fossil fuel plants must close by 2045 and face increasing restrictions beginning in 2030. The problem is that green energy technology is still far from meeting our needs on that timeline, which will force the state to buy energy from other states (yes, coal and gas energy) instead of simply keeping our power plants operating longer at lower costs and while still providing jobs to Illinoisans. A new set of proposals from some of my colleagues would extend the deadlines for Illinois plants to continue operating to prevent massive cost increases to consumers and the potential for rolling black outs. Read More Here.
- Data Centers: Tied into the issue of meeting our future energy needs is something linked to the future of our state’s economic success. As most of you know, I am an ardent supporter of data center development in Illinois. These data centers are providing jobs and opportunities and positioning our state to be a future tech leader. Likewise, the success of these centers will help drive tax revenues in communities to offset the burden on families. However, data centers require massive amounts of power, and we need to ensure it will be available for these ventures to succeed. Read More Here.
- Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program: Tied into the success of all of this is a program I work with directly through a body I serve on in the General Assembly. Development requires skilled workers in construction and building trades. The Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program established a network of community-based, nonprofit organizations throughout Illinois to provide services free of charge to recruit, pre-screen and provide pre-apprenticeship skills training. To learn more about this program – Click Here.
Join us for a Mobile DMV in Huntley Jan. 7.
To kick off the New Year, our office is partnering with Sen. Dave Syverson’s office to host our next Mobile DMV with the Illinois Secretary of State’s office in Huntley on January 7.
Services available include:
- REAL ID
- Renewal/Correction of Driver’s License
- New/Renewal/Correction of State ID
- Vehicle Sticker Sales (License Plate)
- Organ/Tissue Donor Registration
Advance registration is required for this event to ensure all who attend can be serviced by the Mobile DMV team in a timely manner. Click here for full details and registration.
Upcoming local events.
- St. John Lutheran Church Thanksgiving dinner: The Free Thanksgiving dinner will take place for community members on Thanksgiving Day from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Read More Here.
- Sycamore CUSD 427 Heroes on the Hardwood: Members of the Sycamore Fire and Police Departments will be facing off against Sycamore CUSD 427 staff on Thursday, December 19, in the Sycamore High School Main Gym for an exhibition basketball game to raise donations for the Spartan Food Pantry. Read More Here.
- Kane County Cougars Breakfast with Santa & Ozzie: Join the Cougars on Saturday, December 7, 2024, 9 a.m. to Noon for a breakfast buffet, hot chocolate bar, holiday crafts, and a visit and photo with Santa and Ozzie. Read More Here.
- CASA DeKalb County 10th Annual Whiskey, Wine & Cheese: Support the work of court appointed special advocates who advocate for children who have experienced abuse or neglect in DeKalb County. The event will be held on December 6, 2024. Read More Here.
I hope you’ve found this update helpful. I’m honored to serve you as your State Representative. As always, please feel welcome to call or e-mail me with any questions, concerns, or feedback on these or any other issues.