BUDGET/TAXES
Watch Your Wallet as End of Spring Session Nears. This week I joined my colleagues, Deputy Leader Norine Hammond and Deputy Leader Ryan Spain, to hold a press conference to call for structural reform and preview the end of the spring legislative session, as the FY26 Budget deadline looms near. With several new tax proposals introduced in the last week, we raised the alarm for Illinoisans.
Representative Spain warned Illinoisans to watch their wallets and declared House Republicans would stand as a blockade to fight Democrat tax increases.
With 7 days left in the spring legislative session, there are many important issues to address.
Here’s what Illinoisans are facing:
🚩 No relief for Illinoisans who are being crushed by our state’s burdensome tax rates
🚩 Spending taxpayer dollars on health benefits for illegal immigrants while our most vulnerable citizens struggle
🚩 “Green” energy policies costing residents in rate hikes, causing job losses, and shorting energy generation capacity in Illinois
🚩 Public safety failures due to the broken SAFE-T Act putting Illinois communities at risk
🚩 A lack of ethics reforms that are desperately needed to end public corruption in Illinois
The majority party believes more revenue is the answer to all our problems. The truth is, without structural reforms, that revenue will be wasted and our residents will continue to struggle.
House Republicans will serve as a shield for taxpayers and a source of truth for the people of Illinois throughout this budget season and beyond, will not support a budget with ANY tax hikes and will continue to expose bad policy put forth by the majority party.
Rather than cut spending, Democrats push billions in tax hikes to fill budget hole.
With one week to go before the May 31st deadline, Governor JB Pritzker and the Democratic majority are preparing to pass the largest budget in state history.
$55.2 billion, nearly $2 billion more than last year and another record-breaking spending level.
Since Gov. Pritzker took office in 2019, state spending has increased by more than $15 billion ($40 billion to $55.2 billion), a 38% increase in spending.
Illinois is facing a billion-dollar budget deficit for FY 26. Rather than cut wasteful spending, the Democrats’ solution is more taxes!
From resurrecting their failed progressive income tax hike, to the highest service tax in the country, Democrats want to take more money from your pocket to pay for their out-of-control spending.
The Illinois Revenue Alliance aka the “Tax-and-Spend Alliance” recently presented a list of tax hikes that would raise taxes by $6 billion.
$6 billion in new taxes! All to pay for taxpayer-funded healthcare benefits for illegal immigrants, more pork projects for Democrats, and more wasteful spending. These tax hikes would further damage our economy and drive up the tax burden and cost of living for Illinois families.
On Pritzker’s watch, over $3 billion has been spent on services for migrants and illegal immigrants, while services for our most vulnerable citizens remain chronically underfunded and underserved.
The truth is… the Democrats’ sanctuary state policy has cost Illinois taxpayers billions and made our communities less safe.
With over half-a-million illegal immigrants in Illinois, we should be working with the Trump Administration to deport dangerous criminal aliens. It’s time to end Illinois’ sanctuary state policy!
The State of Illinois should stop providing taxpayer-funded healthcare benefits to illegal immigrants. With a billion-dollar budget deficit, we simply cannot afford this budget buster.
As we approach the end of session, House Republicans are focused on passing a balanced budget that prioritizes the needs of Illinois families over illegal immigrants. And we will continue to stand with hardworking families against any attempt to increase their taxes.
Check out my remarks from our recent press conference here.
ENERGY
Illinois on Brink of Energy Cost Crisis – Say NO to Pritzker Power Plan 2.0. Illinois is on the brink of a summer energy cost crisis as prices and demand spike. The state is facing a significant decrease in electricity generation at the same time demand is increasing.
Due to misguided public policy, as well as economic market factors, Illinois’ power generation capacity has taken a significant hit.
Illinois’ current energy policy and infrastructure are failing to meet the huge demand for reliable power at a reasonable price. As a result, Illinois families are getting slammed with high power bills and reduced reliability.
Last Wednesday, the same environmental special interests and progressive leaders responsible for our state’s failing energy policies held a rally for their so-called “Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act” (CRGA). According to these environmentalists, this bill will “accelerate Illinois’ clean energy progress while protecting consumers amidst a rise in energy demand…”
Immediately following the CRGA rally, House Republicans held a Capitol press conference to raise the alarm over Illinois’ growing energy crisis.
Assistant Republican Leader C.D. Davidsmeyer blasted CRGA and the environmental special interests behind it.
“Sorry, but we’re not buying what you’re selling,” Rep. Davidsmeyer said. “These radical environmental policies, taken straight from the Green New Deal playbook, have crippled our power generation capacity, directly leading to the energy cost crisis we are facing today. The proposed CRGA and terrible energy omnibus bill will only make Illinois’ energy crisis worse. It’s time to put the interests of hardworking Illinoisans ahead of these clean energy fantasies.”
State Rep. Travis Weaver said that Illinois is facing an energy crisis driven by bad policies from the Pritzker administration.
“Common sense tells us that our failing energy policies are a direct result of irresponsible planning and have caused our power rates to increase faster than all of our Midwest neighbors,” Rep. Weaver said. “As we enter the last few days of the legislative session, the lack of urgency to address this crisis is unbelievable. Bad policy brought us here, but smart policy can get us out and move us forward.”
Over the weekend, 650 pages of legislative language emerged for a massive energy omnibus bill. Speaking at a press conference at the Capitol, State Representative Ryan Spain called the Pritzker Power Plan 2.0 bad for job creators, families and taxpayers, who are already facing major utility bill increases. He urged legislators to say NO to the Pritzker Power Plan 2.0.
I also released the following statement: “Illinois should be leading the nation in energy production—not stifling it under the false promise of environmental virtue. We need to adopt the mindset that all energy is good energy. That means investing in and expanding our natural resources, not shutting them down. With the right policies, Illinois can be an energy exporter—not a cautionary tale of what happens when ideology trumps reality.”
MEMORIAL DAY
Memorial Day’s roots in Illinois. The family tradition of Memorial Day had its start with the custom of gathering in places of eternal rest to pay tribute to our kinfolk, especially those who have fought in America’s wars. Many flags in Illinois will be lowered to half-staff on Memorial Day to honor their sacrifice.
Memorial Day, with its roots in Illinois’ Civil War effort, has an honored place in Land of Lincoln history. Even before the Civil War was over, Americans were spontaneously gathering in springtime to strew flowers and honor the war dead from the conflict that had been fought in 1861-1865. Then an Illinois man, John A. Logan, stepped in.
After the Civil War, General Logan had been elected to be the head of the Grand Army of the Republic, a band of Union Army veterans, to lead and organize the commemoration of the war effort and the sacrifices made by American veterans. Logan’s goal was to standardize these springtime gatherings, and to create a space for parades and other acts of collective remembrance. Only three years after Lee’s surrender, in early 1868, General Logan issued the GAR General Order No. 11. This document advised Union veterans and their families to center their observances on May 30, 1868, as a day to decorate the graves of their fellow soldiers.
The creation of Illinois’ John A. Logan became a U.S. federal holiday in 1971. After the passage of more than a century, Memorial Day had become a day to honor all American soldiers’ graves, including soldiers who had fought in World War I and World War II. To help Americans carry out these honors, the 1971 law transferred Memorial Day from May 30 to make it the last Monday in May of each year. In 2025, Memorial Day will be observed on Monday, May 26.
UPCOMING EVENTS
I am still welcoming submissions for my Spring Photo Contest! Be sure to submit yours as soon as you can:
With summer almost here, it’s time for my annual Summer Reading Program! Help me spread the word and share with a student you know:
MUSEUM PASS AVAILABLE
Don’t forget that I have a free museum pass available to constituents my district! If you are looking for a fun family activity this summer–be sure to check it out! More details are here: Museum Resource Card Reservations – Tony McCombie.