IL Freedom Caucus calls on legislative leaders to act on the serious reforms Illinois residents need and expect

From left to right: State Reps. Blaine Wilhour, Dan Caulkins, Jed Davis, Chris Miller, Adam Niemerg, Brad Halbrook. Photo submitted by IL Freedom Caucus.

For Immediate Release – May 2, 2023

Springfield, IL – The IL Freedom Caucus today held a press conference and outlined the significant issues being ignored in the Legislature and called on their colleagues in the House and the Senate to focus on the priorities Illinois residents expect.

“We are ignoring serious reform legislation and prioritizing things like banning cat declawing and taking pronouns out of state statues referencing children,” said State Rep. Chris Miller (R-Oakland). “It really is ridiculous that we can’t take even five minutes to address our virtually insurmountable pension debt and yet state staff and state resources will be used to purge pronouns out of our state statutes pertaining to kids. We have tremendous problems facing our state and instead of dealing with the issues that matter – our leaders are focused on nonsense and symbolic gestures that accomplish nothing.”

According to IRS data, Illinois lost 105,000 families in 2020 and lost nearly $11 billion in taxable income.

“We are losing people at a rapid rate and poor economic policies are to blame,” said State Rep. Brad Halbrook. “Governor Bruce Rauner signed a $38.5 billion budget into law in 2018. According to some estimates, our budget is going to be north of $50 billion and climbing. There simply is no restraint when it comes to State of Illinois spending.”

Prior to the Easter break, the House passed 22 bills subject to appropriation. Only nine bills have a dollar amount attached to them, accounting for just under $400 million in spending.

The other 13 bills will only add to that total. In addition, the FY24 estimate for the state’s health benefits program for illegal immigrants is estimated to cost $990 million, which is a $768 million increase (346%) from FY23.

“Where are we going to get a billion dollars to pay for healthcare costs for illegals?” said State Rep. Jed Davis (R-Newark). “Illinois is being run into the ground. It is time to focus on the issues important to the future of the state and most of all – important to the people we are tasked with representing in the Legislature.”

The majority party is out of step with what Illinoisans want. Fifty-six percent of Illinoisans support amending the Illinois Constitution to reform the state’s public pension systems.

“The majority of Illinois residents support a Constitutional Amendment to reform pensions, but the last serious effort to reform pensions in Illinois was 10 years ago,” said State Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dietrich). “The courts overturned that law. It has been obvious to anyone that the only path to enacting any kind of meaningful pension reform is to change the Constitution and yet the majority party refuses to give voters an opportunity to vote on it. The majority party is pushing policies no one asked for and nobody wants while suppressing ideas and policies that could substantially improve the lives of our citizens.”

The majority party is also ignoring school reform initiatives such as school choice. A recent poll shows 62% of Illinois voters and 70 percent of Illinois parents support school choice.

“School choice has worked everywhere it has been tried,” said State Rep. Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City). “So why can’t we at least have a debate on something our residents overwhelmingly support? The answer is simple. The only thing that matters in Illinois is appeasing political insiders. Our government is failing the people of Illinois. The people of Illinois want leaders who will act on the issues they care about. We should be addressing these issues instead of voting on bills to put feminine hygiene products in boys’ bathrooms. The people of Illinois deserve better.”