Rep. Suzanne Ness Responds to Budget Address, Prioritizes Affordable Healthcare, Education

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Suzanne Ness, D-Crystal Lake, issued the following response to Gov. Pritzker’s State of the State address and budget proposal:

“Illinois is seeing higher credit ratings and lower debt than it has in years, and this newfound fiscal stability creates opportunities to achieve ambitious new goals, especially in underserved communities and allows us the ability to focus on some of our longer-term challenges as well.

“I was pleased to hear the Governor talk about lowering the costs of prescription drugs. Living with concerns about whether a vital prescription will be affordable is an enormous burden for a person to carry. We can’t tolerate anyone having to deal with outrageous pricing methods by big pharma any longer.

“Illinois kids deserve the best education in the country, and we can give that to them. Starting with preschool through various higher education options, every step of the learning process needs a funding increase to so that our teachers are compensated fairly and our schools have the resources they need. I especially appreciate the emphasis on vocational training, career pathways, and workforce development, as these have been priorities of mine since I was first elected in 2020.

“In the coming weeks and months, I’ll join my colleagues in looking through this proposal line-by-line to ensure it works for our community and for communities across Illinois.”