Greetings —
I hope you are well!
May 9 was the deadline for House members to advance bills that have already passed the Senate through their respective committees in the House, of which, I have two that have advanced to the House Floor for debate that I will discuss below. Any Senate bills not advanced out of House committees before May 9 are likely dead for the remainder of the spring session. I say they are likely dead because the majority party often extends deadlines for Democratic bills, but only in extremely rare cases are Republican-sponsored bills given the same opportunity after a deadline.
Much of last week was spent in appropriations committee hearings as the May 31 spring session deadline is fast approaching, but even more time has been spent behind closed doors by Democratic leaders as they are once again blocking Republicans out of the process of actually drafting the state’s annual budget. As you will read further below, the state is facing a dire fiscal situation after years of overspending and ZERO willingness to rein it in. As I’ve said many times before, the state budget has ballooned from just over $39 billion in 2019 (the same year Gov. Pritzker and I entered office) to more than $54 billion under Gov. Pritzker’s stewardship. Well, the unsustainability of this massive growth in state spending is finally coming home to roost. A further barometer of what is to come was shown in the unexpected removal of Rep. Fred Crespo as Chairman of the Appropriations – General Services Committee by Speaker Welch. Rep. Crespo is a widely respected fiscally conservative/moderate Democrat when it comes to spending. He routinely holds his Democratic members accountable for the spending measures they introduce.
This week, the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget (GOMB) predicted revenues dropping by more than $500 million. The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (CGFA) already predicted early this year that revenues would be even lower, half a billion less than the prediction this week from GOMB. In addition, GOMB also reported that state spending for this fiscal year is now $1.6 billion above what had originally been budgeted for the year. Plain and simple, it’s time for Illinois to finally tighten its belt and stop funding on all these progressive pet projects that taxpayers simply cannot afford.
Below are additional updates from the past couple of weeks and some other major news. As always, thank you for reading!
State Budget, Fighting New Taxes, Legislation Updates & More
Guard your wallet! Tax hikes proposed.
A series of major tax hike proposals are being pushed by multiple groups as solutions to Illinois’ growing fiscal problems brought on by years of overspending by Illinois Democrats.
A “tax-and-spend” wish list totaling over $6 billion in new revenue was presented recently by the Illinois Revenue Alliance, a consortium that includes the Chicago Teachers Union, healthcare unions, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and other left-leaning special interests. These proposed tax hikes target small businesses, investments, digital content, and more. For more on this wish list of tax hikes – Click Here.
In addition, a proposal started floating around Springfield this week to institute a new statewide 6.25% sales tax on services to pay for a bailout of Chicago’s mismanaged mass transit system. This new service tax would cover more than 80 services we all rely on, ranging from streaming services to dry cleaning, haircuts to vehicle repairs, and everything in between. I’ve heard from many of you that the expansion of the sales tax to services may make sense in the larger context of a service-oriented economy, but there’s little trust in Democrats increasing taxes on anything, and certainly not unless there is a significant decrease in the total rate, not status quo. For more on this service tax proposal – Click Here.
While neither of these proposals has been drafted into legislation yet; rest assured that I will OPPOSE these tax hikes if legislation should come before the House for a vote. Illinois needs to start budgeting responsibly. Illinoisans are already taxed to the max and more taxes will only force more families and small businesses to leave our state.
Visiting the TD Ryan Unleashed Podcast.
I recently joined DeKalb’s own TD Ryan “the Voice of DeKalb County” on his new podcast, TD Ryan Unleashed, to discuss legislation working its way through the General Assembly, the state budget and a whole lot more. Thank you to TD for having me on the Show!
Click here to listen to our conversation.
Cherry Blossoms and Illinois.
As part of my duties on the House International Relations, Tourism, and Trade Committee, my wife and I were recently invited by the Japanese Consulate to attend a Hanami at Jackson Park in Chicago to celebrate the beauty of the blooming cherry blossoms.
I’ve learned that in Japanese culture, the cherry blossom and the celebration of its brief blooming in spring embody the importance of appreciating the present and the value of friends coming together to enjoy this beautiful occasion. Having experienced it myself, I highly recommend it. Read More Here.
Also, if you feel there are parts of Illinois that should be highlighted as prominent from a tourism or trade perspective, please send me an email so I can share it with my peers on the committee. Our goal is to showcase Illinois for both a local and a worldwide audience and seek to improve the vitality of the state we call home.
We need TIF Reform.
I’ve been vocal about TIF abuse long before the recent local TIF action that mischaracterized vibrant farmland as “blighted” to proceed with a TIF action. The heart of my objections has always been about the abuse of the property tax system that is saddling taxpayers with burdens, while cities often enjoy a slush fund at the expense of underfunding our schools.
With that said, I wholeheartedly support development, growth, and investment in Illinois. I also support TIF districts that are TRUE to the intent of TIF financial support – downtown St. Charles is a perfect example of why TIF concepts are available. I’d also suggest that an abatement approach is often a better avenue that doesn’t reward developers at the cost of the taxpayers but will create a collaborative path forward.
However, as with most things, Chicago is the poster child for waste, abuse, and neglect. A recent Tribune article on the CPS funding proposal from the outgoing superintendent centers, in part, on how Chicago TIF slush funds deny schools funding they are entitled to receive. So, Aldermen in Chicago can fund pet projects with little oversight. We need TIF reform! Read More in the Chicago Tribune Here. I will continue to oppose TIF extension bills, seek to end abuse, and reinforce the original intent of TIF programs in Illinois.
If Illinois was “average.”
Since before I was elected, I’ve been talking about how Illinois’ excessive tax burden and overregulation have driven people and businesses out of our state, contributing to higher unemployment and lost wages. Over the past several months, I’ve been working with the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (CGFA) to show how our population, job opportunities/wages and tax base would have grown if Illinois were just average compared to our neighbors.
(Reminder: Illinois’ unemployment rate has consistently been higher than the national average for years. April 2025 – U.S. 4.2%, IL 4.8%.)
Here is my latest “average” update from CGFA:
How large would Illinois’ economy be if it had grown at the same pace as the U.S. since 2000?
To address your additional request related to economic growth, the Commission compared current dollar estimates for gross domestic product (GDP) for both the U.S. and Illinois. In 2000, the U.S. economy had a current dollar GDP of $10.2 trillion, while Illinois’ economy totaled approximately $486 billion. In 2024, the U.S. GDP was estimated at $29.2 trillion, which equaled a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.5%. Illinois, on the other hand, grew at a slower CAGR of 3.6% to just over $1.1 trillion in 2024. Applying the U.S.’s 4.5% growth rate to Illinois’ 2000 economic base of $486 billion would grow Illinois’ economy to just under $1.4 trillion in 2024. This would be approximately $261 billion, or almost 23% larger than Illinois’ current economy.
Provide a table with the differences in population, employment, and GDP if Illinois had grown at the same rate as the U.S. since 2000.
The data is clear: our state is missing out on $261 billion in economic activity and nearly a million more residents… because we are not average.
If the state is serious about digging out of our financial hole, ending the out-migration, and simply being “AVERAGE” – then tax relief and creating opportunities for economic growth are by far the most effective things we can do to achieve these goals.
Additional legislation updates:
Below are some more updates on several pieces of legislation that I am proud to be sponsoring, and where they currently stand in the legislative process.
K-12 Schools:
- Senate Bill 71: An incident involving a hazardous material spill revealed a gap in how our schools handle their emergency and disaster plans. Through this legislation, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security will develop guidance for our schools to be properly prepared in the event of a hazardous waste spill or explosion that happens near a school. This arose from a chemical spill near a school in Ohio, where the school administration was left wondering what the right approach was when there was a significant toxic spill. They didn’t know: “Do we let students go home”, “Do we keep them inside”, “Do we shut off the HVAC”, or “Do we crank up the HVAC”. The bill simply asks for schools to consider nearby exposures as they consider emergency or disaster planning. This bill has passed the Senate and is awaiting a vote on the House floor.
- House Bill 2521: This bill improves protections for our student-athletes by requiring all sports officials for school athletics to pass a fingerprint-based background check, as well as a check against the state’s sex offender registry and violence against youth database. It also requires these checks to be run every five years on officials to ensure that our students remain safe from potential predators. A recent Auditor General report showed that several officials at sporting events would have been prohibited had a fingerprint background check been run. The bill previously passed the House and is awaiting approval of an amendment in the Senate. It will then need to return to the House for a final vote. I thank my peer Rep. Joyce Mason for handing this important piece of legislation off to me last month.
- Senate Bill 191: This bill establishes a process to start equipping our school buses with seat belts. There have been various reasons why this has not happened in the past, but it’s an obvious safety concern for our children. It has language that is “as replaced” so there is no need to retrofit what is existing. This has been an issue for me as a member of the insurance industry and as someone who saw the tragedy of the Fox River Grove Metra train school bus collision in 1992. The bill has already passed the Senate and is awaiting a vote by the full House.
- Senate Bill 407: Absenteeism in our schools was a problem before covid, but the pandemic has exacerbated this problem, and we’re still not back to pre-pandemic levels. In discussions with teachers and administrators, this has grown to be a significant issue, especially in our underperforming schools. This legislation creates a task force to study the root causes, analyze the problem and offer solutions.
- Senate Bill 1605: Vocational education opportunities have helped many students find an education and career path that suits them better than the traditional classroom. Through this legislation, we are adding agricultural programs (“Ag”) to satisfy the vocational education requirements and open more opportunities for students. The bill has already passed the Senate and is awaiting a floor vote in the House.
Other Topics:
- House Resolution 304: I’m honored to be the lead sponsor of this resolution that declares May 2025 as ALS Awareness Month in the State of Illinois in support of those living with this relentless disease and calls for continued research and support in the fight against it.
- House Bill 2990: Right now, the city of Chicago is using an end-around to avoid paying videogaming taxes to the state, like every other municipality in the state has to do. This bipartisan bill closes that loophole, so Chicago has to follow the same rules as everybody else.
- House Bill 1226: This is the senior driving bill to remove the onerous age requirement of annual testing regardless of your driving record. As I’ve already reported, the bill unanimously passed the House last month. It unanimously passed Senate committee earlier this month and now awaits a final vote on the Senate floor before heading to the Governor’s desk for a signature into law.
- House Bill 2774: Rather than relying primarily on a hodgepodge of referral services, as we do now, this legislation directs the Department of Human Services to establish a single, easy-to-use statewide Domestic Violence Hotline system to provide vital assistance to anyone facing domestic violence. The bill is awaiting a final vote in the Senate, having already received unanimous support in the House.
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. Over the summer, we will have a robust schedule of events and activities to share. Continue to follow this newsletter to be the first to know about those.
It has been a busy spring, and we are in the Capitol more weekdays this year than in the past. If you happen to find yourself traveling through Springfield, please let us know, and we will see if we can set aside some time to visit face to face.