NORTHLAKE, Ill. – Following Wednesday’s State of the State Address from Governor Bruce Rauner, state Rep. Kathleen Willis, D-Northlake, issued the following statement urging bipartisan negotiation to solve the state budget crisis:

“Since day one, I have been committed to working with Democrats and Republicans alike to bring more money to our local schools, fund critical services, and create jobs in our community. However, since Governor Rauner took office two years ago the backlog of debt has escalated from $4.5 billion to over $10 billion and counting. At the same time, seniors and people with special needs have seen their vital services slashed while thousands of college students are leaving Illinois for out of state universities.

“While Governor Rauner seems optimistic about our potential to come together and pass a budget, he and all members of the General Assembly must acknowledge how much damage has been caused by the inability to compromise. Moving forward, legislators from both sides of the aisle must work to find common ground and pass real reforms that will improve our business climate without hurting hard-working middle-class families.

“I hope to see the governor agree to reopen the discussion and resume the bipartisan budget working groups immediately. Passing a full, balanced budget must be our first priority, followed by enacting reforms that will grow our economy and help middle-class families thrive.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Sam Yingling, D-Grayslake, issued the following statement in response to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s State of the State address on Wednesday:

“My assessment of our state is that many hard-working families are being put at risk by our governor’s showmanship and lack of action, and I will not stand idly by and watch as he attempts to continue holding hostages, helping corporations and letting children, seniors, and the ill suffer.

“My interest in serving as a community voice started with my strong belief that property taxes are too high, and I have continually voted to make cuts. Our governor needs to take action and work in partnership in order to make lower property taxes a reality. I want to make our state more business-friendly by easing regulations and lowering taxes on businesses, because we need more hiring and growth – not more regulations.

“The devastation of the state’s current budget situation is widespread; we have gone 19 months without a real budget, logged $10 billion in unpaid bills, and faced distressing cuts to important programs like mammogram screenings for women, college assistance for middle class families, and Meals on Wheels for seniors. I believe we can make Illinois business-friendly without cutting protections for working families and slashing wages. We need a balanced approach that meets the vital needs of the sickest and youngest among us.

“I am viewing the new year and today’s speech as an opportunity to move forward, and I will work collaboratively with anyone who is ready to address this urgent situation without harming middle-class families.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, offers the following statement regarding a new economic policy agenda to move Illinois forward and on Gov. Bruce Rauner’s State of the State Address:

“As I listen to members of our community, I’m reminded everyday just how much this historic budget impasse has negatively impacted their lives. Day care centers have closed, women haven’t been able to receive cancer screenings, seniors are losing meals and rides to the doctor, and health care services have evaporated, despite my best efforts to secure funding for these vital services. The governor’s refusal to restart legislative working groups that have worked in the past and negotiate in good faith on a budget is astounding. We need to restart these groups to discuss real reforms we can agree on.

“I agree with the governor that reforms are needed to jump start Illinois’ economy, but this can’t be done by cutting wages. Instead, we need to help middle-class families keep more of their hard-earned paycheck. That is why I support raising the minimum wage and increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit.

“To help businesses grow and hire more people, we should cut the corporate income tax to provide relief to all businesses. We need to level the playing field for small and medium-sized businesses by making sure every business, including large corporations, pay some income tax.

“We also need to make sure that people throughout the state have the skills they need to compete for these good-paying jobs and that means investing in education. I support a plan that will institute a surcharge tax on millionaires, which will go towards funding education, without creating additional burdens on working families. We also need to make sure we are investing in colleges and universities across the state. Our public universities should never threaten that they may have to close their doors due to a lack of state funding. I am also committed to fully funding MAP grants, which helps thousands of students attend college.

“My priority is to work with legislators to develop a state budget that protects vital services and the middle class. I share your frustration about the stalemate going on in Springfield, but I refuse to support an agenda that hurts working families. I encourage the governor to come to my district and listen to the concerns of our community to understand that it’s time to move Illinois forward.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Sonya Harper, D-Chicago, issued the following statement on Gov. Rauner’s State of the State Address:

“I was sent to Springfield to fight for the people in my district, not focus on dismantling workers’ rights and their benefits. As a result of inaction on the governor’s part, people throughout the state have been forced to live without a fair and balanced budget. The governor needs to restart bipartisan working groups so we can negotiate in good faith.

“Illinois needs reforms that both protect the wages of the working class while also providing small businesses the opportunity to compete in an economy where large corporations dominate. We should provide tax relief for the middle class through initiatives like increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit and raising the minimum wage to increase take home pay for working families. We can also do more to make Illinois, and Chicago especially, more competitive by leveling the playing field for medium and small sized businesses to grow jobs. We need to eliminate the corporate tax loopholes that big businesses that ship jobs overseas enjoy and reinstate the EDGE tax credit to help new businesses create more jobs.

“Most importantly, we need to invest more in education. For far too long our schools have seen their resources fade and close. A place to start is to enact a millionaire surcharge so we can help our students receive a better education. The revenue from the surcharge would help fund schools to provide students with more opportunities to succeed in the classroom.

“I am hopeful that we can work together to ensure that we pass policies that protect working families from agendas that are designed to only help those at the top. The state cannot afford to be a part of this race to the bottom, but rather should be focusing on improving the economy for everyone.”

Harper represents the 6th District which includes all or portions of Armour Square, Bridgeport, Chicago Lawn, Englewood, Gage Park, Marquette Park, Canaryville, Back of the Yards, New City and West Englewood in the city of Chicago.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – On Wednesday, Governor Bruce Rauner addressed the General Assembly in his annual State of the State address. State Rep. Will Davis, D-Hazel Crest, was present and issued the following statement after the address:

“In the past 19 months, our state has endured many hardships associated with not passing a fully funded budget. Not only has our lack of a budget hurt our families and our underprivileged neighbors, but it has completely devastated all the progress that we made toward paying down our unpaid bills. These bill have increased from a backlog of $4.5 billion to almost $11 billion in debt that is literally growing every day.

“Unfortunately, what we heard here today was a promise from our governor that we will see more of the same from him and his caucus. Sadly, until Rauner is willing to put families first, the most vulnerable people in Illinois will continue to suffer and our backlog will continue to grow to record numbers. Our governor continues to think that starving out people with disabilities, the elderly, and school-aged children will somehow encourage legislators to meet demands that will further boost the profits of his corporate buddies.

“Although there is a clear need to take steps to improve our business climate and create jobs and opportunities in our state, we cannot look at cutting wages and taking protections from middle class workers as the only ways to create a better business climate. We have to move toward policies that lift up the middle class and businesses together by increasing the minimum wage, providing tax credits to businesses that create jobs here in Illinois instead of shipping them overseas or out of state, and investing in the education of children in our state. Funding education is not only an investment into individuals, but it is also an investment into the future of our workforce and business atmosphere.

“We have to work together to come to a solution for our state’s fiscal issues; one side simply won’t be able to do it by itself. We need to come to a bipartisan budgetary compromise that includes reforms that help businesses while not harming the middle class and our most vulnerable community members.”

Davis represents the 30th Legislative District, which contains south suburban communities.  For any questions or concerns about state-related issues, please contact Rep. Davis’ full time district office located at 1912 W 174th St in Hazel Crest at 708-799-7300.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Deb Conroy, D – Villa Park, issued the following statement in response to Governor Rauner’s State of the State address on Wednesday:

“This afternoon, the governor asserted that Democrats and Republicans must work together and solve the budget crisis. I wholeheartedly agree that this should be our number one priority and sincerely hope that he is willing to put that talk into action by reinstating the bipartisan budget working groups. It’s urgent that Illinois legislators finally negotiate a compromise and put Illinois back on track.

“Over the past 19 months, people in our community have been held hostage to an extreme agenda that has restricted some of our most vulnerable neighbors from access to vital mental health and drug counseling services, jeopardized the future of the MAP grant program that helps our brightest college students prepare for successful careers, and forced thousands of Illinois seniors to wonder where they will receive their next hot meal.

“I believe that we can create jobs and grow our state’s economy without cutting wages and stripping away protections from our middle class. I remain dedicated to fighting for reforms that will lift up working families and level the playing field for small businesses while ensuring that our local schools, critical human services, and infrastructure receive the funding needed so our community can thrive.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – In response to Governor Bruce Rauner’s State of the State address on Wednesday, state Rep. Larry Walsh, Jr., D-Elwood, released the following statement:

“The governor and legislators on both sides of the aisle must put aside their partisan differences and negotiate a fair and responsible budget that preserves programs for our most vulnerable residents. I agree economic reforms are necessary to improve Illinois, but I do not support proposals that lower wages and eliminate protections for middle-class families.

“Over the next few months, House Democrats will be advocating a bold economic reform agenda that provides tax relief for working families, raises the minimum wage and creates jobs by giving tax credits to businesses to hire more workers. I strongly believe that our state’s economy performs best when we have a strong middle-class and these reforms will help our residents thrive.

“Our reforms would get rid of tax loopholes used by large corporations to avoid paying any taxes and would require all businesses to pay something. At the same time, we must help the real job creators of Illinois, small and medium-sized businesses, by lowering taxes to promote economic growth.

“Lastly, I will continue to fight for better funding for our schools. Children in our communities deserve top-notch educational opportunities and I am supporting a proposal that asks individuals making over $1 million to pay their fair share toward our kids’ educational futures.

“I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to enact legislation that will protect working families, create jobs and ensure that Illinois is ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – In response to the governor’s State of the State address on Wednesday, state Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, reaffirmed her commitment to investing in Metro East’s working families and employers.

“The governor and I share the goal of improving the state’s business climate. We have to find creative new ways to put people back to work in good-paying careers, and I believe that we can help businesses achieve this goal without cutting wages and stripping vital protections from working families.

“Solving our budgetary problems depends on our ability to get Illinois’ economy back on track and create quality jobs. I am fighting for economic reforms that will level the playing field for small and medium sized businesses, encourage businesses to create and retain jobs within our borders and hold corporations that ship jobs overseas accountable by preventing them from taking any taxpayer-funded tax breaks.

“It is completely unacceptable that the state has gone 19 months without a budget. Families, seniors, taxpayers and employers are hurt more with every passing day that we go without passing a long-term, responsible budget. That is why I am refusing to accept my own legislative pay until a budget is in place and introduced my first bill to prevent lawmakers from receiving an automatic pay increase.

“We have a lot of work ahead of us. I’m committed to working with both sides of the aisle for common-sense reforms that protect taxpayers, encourage economic growth and support middle-class families.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Justin Slaughter, D-Chicago, issued the following statement Wednesday following the governor’s State of the State address:

“Illinois has gone far too long without a balanced and responsible budget, and it remains my priority to ensure that we pass a plan that will move our state forward. We need to put aside reckless partisan agendas, and instead work to craft solutions that preserve essential services and protect middle-class families.

“I do not disagree with the governor that Illinois needs to do more to attract business. However, I believe his plan would reduce wages and weaken the standard of living for residents in our community. That is why I plan on backing proposals that would prioritize education funding, raise the minimum wage and expand income tax credits for working families.

“I also am working to make our tax code system fairer for small and mid-sized businesses. I want to cut the income tax rate these local businesses pay, while eliminating loopholes that have allowed large corporations to avoid paying taxes. It is important that we create jobs in Illinois, and by extending incentive programs we can help bring more jobs to our community.

“The people I represent deserve to have a strong voice in the decisions that will be made in the coming months. We have a lot of work to do to increase opportunity for every resident, but by focusing on a responsible spending plan, our education system and our business climate, we can make sure that Illinois is on the right path.  It is time to bring jobs and job training to our community so everyone can have a chance to succeed in a thriving economy.”

For more information, please contact Slaughter’s constituent service office at 773-445-9700 slaughterj@ilga.gov.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill –State Rep. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur, issued the following statement Wednesday in reaction to Gov. Rauner’s State of the State address:

“I hear from people every day who are fed up with the impact of the budget impasse and are struggling to overcome it. Because I care about the residents of my district, it is my goal to do everything I can to get a budget in place without balancing the budget on the backs of working families.

My focus, as I believe the governor’s should be, is on passing a responsible budget that protects funding for important programs and services like education, breast cancer screenings for women, assistance for children with disabilities, rape crisis centers, and in-home care for seniors. We must put middle-class and working families first. That’s why I have repeatedly opposed attempts to raise taxes on those who are already struggling to make ends meet and why I will fight for every resource available to bring jobs to our communities.

“While I continue to feel disappointed by the governor’s political games, I remain ready and willing to work together to improve the lives of working families and to ensure our state functions as it should.”