“Reimagine Illinois” important to families throughout the state. The Reimagine Illinois platform, introduced by the House Republican Caucus earlier this month, calls for treating recent upheavals in Illinois’ economy and politics as an opportunity for new thinking. Our members’ four goals include:
- Ending the culture of corruption
- Responsible fiscal leadership
- Growing jobs and opportunities for our families
- Ensuring public safety
In the decades that followed, Chicago and Illinois re-emerged as the crossroads of America, with the construction of railroads and then highways, and the early days of aviation. With its status as a world-class city in the center of the North American continent; and with so many of the leaders in the nation’s movement toward equal rights for women based here in Illinois; it was only fitting that in 1925 Chicago would play host to the first Woman’s World Fair.
Every night on the news we see stories of murders, carjackings, shootings and other acts of violence. Law enforcement officers don’t get the support they need from state government, and law-abiding citizens have to navigate endless bureaucracy just to get paperwork approved.
This year’s Census figures look to confirm a troubling trend: more people are leaving our state in search of opportunities elsewhere. Neighboring states and other regions of the country are surging ahead, while we lag behind. Economic development coordinators in every part of the state all have their stories of the big job-creator they hoped to land, only to see them pick a different state with a better jobs climate.
Illinois House Republican Caucus Launches ‘Reimagine Illinois’ Platform. The Illinois House Republican caucus has launched a new comprehensive platform called Reimagine Illinois. The plan outlines House Republicans’ priorities for the 102nd General Assembly and asks Illinoisans to ‘Reimagine’ their State government if certain public policy goals are met.
Each year it seems like Illinois’ fiscal condition gets a little bit worse. Credit ratings fall, pension debts rise, debt gets piled upon more debt in an endless cycle. Legislators wink and nod at that line in the state Constitution which says “appropriations for a fiscal year shall not exceed funds estimated by the General Assembly to be available during that year.”
Every single day Illinoisans pay the price for corruption in state government. We pay that price through inefficiencies in government agencies, through contracts awarded due to clout rather than competence, through wasteful spending tied to politically-connected lobbyists, and so much more.
Corruption drives up property taxes and income taxes. It drives down funds available for important priorities like education, veterans and senior services. It also drives down citizens’ confidence in their state government, and job creators’ willingness to invest in our state.
- How would we end the culture of corruption?
- What would we do to lower taxes and balance the budget?
- How can we create more job and opportunities for our families?
- What should be our strategy to keep our communities safe and reduce crime?
State revenue watchdogs present report on past twelve months, estimates on future Illinois economic picture. The estimates were presented to the House Revenue Committee on Thursday, March 11. The Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR), which directly collects State general-funds revenue, shares its numbers with the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget (GOMB), the administrative budget-monitoring office, and the Commission Government Forecasting and Accountability (CGFA), which performs a parallel task for the Illinois General Assembly. Their concurrent monitoring maximizes the ability of the State to forecast future revenue trends. CGFA and GOMB’s revenue estimates for FY22 were close by economic forecasting standards, with a difference of $185 million (less than 1% of total State revenues) between the two numbers.
Illinoisans could proudly point out that our state was ahead of the times. The Land of Lincoln was the first state to ratify the amendment after its passage by Congress in June 1919. Before that, Illinois had enfranchised women in school elections in 1891 and in the remainder of local elections in 1913. But the fight had actually begun decades earlier, with one of its starting points coming at a suffrage convention held in Chicago a half century before the 19th Amendment was ratified.
House Republicans Stand with Illinois Families, Oppose Democrats’ Second Tax Hike Attempt.
Last year, Illinois House Democrats supported a fantasy budget that relied upon the passage of the graduated income tax amendment and a “fingers crossed” hope for a federal bailout. Instead of living within our means, Democrats attempted to trick voters into raising taxes, and were sorely rejected by Illinoisans across the state.
In the weeks following his election four months earlier, seven southern states led by South Carolina, had voted to secede from the Union and had formed themselves into the Confederate States of America. Border states including nearby Virginia and Maryland, as well as Lincoln’s birth state of Kentucky, were still hanging in the balance. The dark clouds of civil war loomed over the nation’s capital as Lincoln stepped forward to take the oath of office and become the 16th (and some feared the last) President of the United States.
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