Hold on to your wallets! As budget discussions heat up in Springfield, progressive Democrats have ramped up their campaign for a graduated income tax hike, despite Illinois voters soundly rejecting a constitutional amendment for a progressive income tax in 2020. And the Illinois Revenue Alliance presented a list of tax hikes that would raise taxes by $6 billion.
These tax hikes would further damage our economy and drive up the cost of living for Illinois families.
Rep. Norine Hammond, who serves as the Chief Budgeteer for the House Republican Caucus, called out what she considers to be the most egregious tax hike proposal: raising the Estate Tax by cutting the exemption in half (from $4 million to $2 million).
“Our family farmers are struggling enough already,” Rep. Hammond said. “They shouldn’t have to sell the family farm just to pay this unfair tax. We should be encouraging and supporting our family farmers, not taxing them to death.”
I couldn’t agree more, and I look forward to working with Leader Hammond and our budget team to fight these disastrous tax hikes.
Meanwhile… Four Illinois Cities Rank Among Those with the Highest Property Taxes in the Country
A new study reported by Crain’s reveals four out of the top five urban areas with the highest property tax are in Illinois.
The report comes after a property information service, Attom, analyzed the property tax rates for 217 different urban areas.
New Committee Assignment: Labor and Commerce
This week I was offered and accepted a coveted new committee assignment on the House Labor and Commerce Committee.
The Labor and Commerce Committee focuses on issues concerning job and workforce development, labor guidelines, occupational licenses, and domestic and international commerce.
My participation on this committee is first and foremost about improving our jobs climate so we can provide better opportunities for future generations in our communities. Illinois has the location, the resources, and the workforce to be the number one destination for business start-ups and companies looking to expand or relocate. I’m pleased that our district will have a seat at the table as legislation is considered to help make that happen.
Another State Government Scandal
The self-described “face of Illinois tourism” was financially benefitting from efforts to market the state, according to findings from Illinois’ executive inspector general.
Daniel Thomas made frequent appearances in the media promoting Illinois through his work as deputy director of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, but the inspector general found he was still profiting from his former company that was hired to help with the marketing effort.
“Mr. Thomas received over $136,000 in payments from TimeZoneOne after he began working at DCEO,” the inspector general determined.
At one point, Thomas was vigorously negotiating his own payment from his former firm, TimeZoneOne, while overseeing the company’s contracts with the state,” the inspector general concluded. […]
You can read more about this scandal from WGN Investigates. This is yet another unfortunate example of why we need, and why our caucus continually fights for, stronger ethics laws.
Recognizing Local “Women to Watch”
Thank you Nicole Meyer and Angie Lunsford for participating in our fourth annual House Republican Women to Watch Conference in Springfield last week! The event drew women leaders from across the state to recognize and celebrate their efforts to make a difference in communities throughout Illinois. Nicole and Angie represented our district well.
House Republican Leader Tony McCombie plans to invite all event nominees to a special event this summer to further recognize their accomplishments. We will continue to make Women to Watch an annual event, building on the success of the first such event hosted in 2019.
Honoring Fallen Heroes
It was our sad duty yesterday to add new names to the fallen law enforcement officers’ memorial at the Capitol. The annual event honoring their sacrifice was held indoors this year due to rain. We can’t begin to thank these heroes and their families enough for their service to our communities. They will remain in our thoughts and our prayers.
Thanks for visiting!
Thank you to the amazing members of our Youth Advisory Council for joining us at the Capitol. We love hearing your ideas and perspectives on what’s happening in the General Assembly!