I hope you’ve been enjoying the warmer weather recently! I’ve been keeping busy representing the 109th District and wanted to let you know what’s been going on around the state and district!
REDISTRICTING
House Republicans have filed suit on the partisan, gerrymandered legislative maps. The suit and updates can be found at RedoRemap.com.
Even the Chicago Tribune agrees with us! Read their editorial on our efforts:
Chicago Tribune Editorial: Illinois Supreme Court, it’s time – finally – to act on gerrymandering. The court should put aside any partisan leanings and do the right thing for Illinois voters.
For better or worse, November 2024 elections were a triumph for Republicans nationwide. And margins for the GOP in deep-blue Illinois were no exception. For the Illinois House, Republicans received a total 45% of votes statewide, a considerably better showing than in 2020, the previous presidential election year, when the GOP got just 39% of the Illinois House vote.
But in terms of seats in Springfield’s lower chamber, nothing changed after November.
Literally nothing.
Not a single district went from blue to red or vice versa. Just as they did before the 2024 election, Democrats have a 78-40 supermajority in the House, 66% of the seats. That’s despite their winning just 55% of the vote.
This tells any fair-minded person that Illinois has a map problem.
Democrats have drawn the 118 House districts in such a way as to reduce the truly competitive seats to a minimum, leading to more politically extreme representatives from both parties in the state capital and an embarrassing number of uncontested elections.
In November, voters had no choice in 55 of the 118 House races. In 2020, the number of uncontested races was 47. An unacceptable figure in 2020 only got much worse four years later.
House Minority Leader Tony McCombie along with Reps. Ryan Spain, R-Peoria and Dan Ugaste, R-Geneva are championing a lawsuit filed in January that would throw out the gerrymandered map in favor of a fairer one. They’ve asked the Illinois Supreme Court to declare the map unconstitutional and appoint an independent official to draw a new map.
This is the latest in a string of such attempts over the past two decades, all of which the state’s high court declined to consider. But in a meeting with us, McCombie, Spain and Ugaste said there’s reason to be optimistic about a different outcome this time.
First, courts in this state and others have ruled in the past that such challenges weren’t timely because elections were looming in the near future and judges didn’t want to change the rules in the middle of the game.
The Republicans purposefully filed this challenge just after the November election to remove that obstacle.
Secondly, the Democratic-drawn map is so egregious that the GOP challengers have amassed considerable data from university experts to support their case.
We agree with McCombie and her colleagues: The Illinois Supreme Court should accept this case and determine whether, in fact, too many Illinois voters are being unconstitutionally deprived of their electoral franchise.
Read the rest of the Chicago Tribune’s editorial.
BUDGET
Massive $737 million State budget shortfall projected for FY26. The projection was made by the nonpartisan Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (CGFA), the budget-forecasting arm of the Illinois General Assembly. The negative forecast was presented to lawmakers by CGFA economists on Tuesday, March 4.
CGFA sees relatively weak private-sector job growth for Illinois in the months ahead. This job growth slowdown is expected to generate disappointing Illinois tax payments and cash flows during the next twelve-month-long fiscal period. This shortfall would be more than $1.2 billion were it not for a series of “hidden” tax increases and one-time money transfers located deep within Gov. Pritzker’s proposed budget. Fiscal Year 2026 will begin on July 1, 2025.
State announces plans to borrow $725 million. Illinois, which continues to feel the effects of a subpar credit rating relative to its competitors among the 50 states, will work through a fiscal platform called “Build Illinois” to sell the large quantity of bonds scheduled to be released. In “Build Illinois” bonds the debt is specifically backed and will be financed by the sales and use tax revenues of the state of Illinois. This means that whenever consumers buy taxable goods or services, such as motor fuel or fast-food meals, the sales tax added to the required payments can be used to repay the “Build Illinois” debt. Lenders consider this to be a relatively secure funding stream and are willing to lend money to the State on this basis.
Proceeds from the $725 million State debt issuance are expected to be used for capital projects, with development of Illinois’ new Chicago-based “quantum campus” at the top of the list, followed by a newly proposed $500 million initiative to clean up and offload surplus State property that is in disrepair. There will also be some matching funds for school construction projects, including buildings at some Illinois colleges and universities. Many Illinois institutions of higher education say they have been cash-starved for many years and are asking for help from the State to build new buildings or to rebuild/refit existing structures.
EDUCATION
Homeschool advocates rally for freedom against burdensome mandates. Hundreds of families and supporters rallied in Springfield on Thursday to express their support for homeschool families. House Republicans stand with homeschool families against HB 2827, legislation that is threatening the freedom of homeschool families to teach their children according to their family values.
House Bill 2827 greatly increases regulations on homeschool families and programs, sets onerous new provisions for how homeschool programs should operate, mandates declaration forms to be submitted to the local school district that the student would otherwise attend, and establishes truancy punishments for non-compliance.
HB 2827 has been assigned to a Committee Hearing for next Wednesday, March 12 at 8:00am.
Protect Homeschool Freedom!
Stop the Illinois Democrats’ ATTACK on homeschool families. Join us in sending a message to Springfield that intrusive mandates and punitive measures for families making the choice to homeschool must be stopped. Parents deserve the right to make their own decisions regarding their children’s education. This is just another attempt by big government to expand their power and influence over your parental rights. Please make your voice heard by signing our petition to end the attacks on Illinois families’ choices about how their children are raised and educated.
ILLINOIS STATE FLAG
Current State Flag is Decisive Winner in Flag Redesign Contest. The public overwhelmingly favors retaining the current state flag, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced following the five-week voting period to consider a redesign of the flag.
Voters had the option to choose their favorite design from one of the Illinois Flag Commission’s Top 10 new designs, or one of three former flag designs, including the current one, which has not had a major redesign in the past century.
Of the nearly 385,000 votes that were received, over 165,000, or 43 percent, were cast for the current Illinois State flag, which received more votes than the next five top designs combined.
The Illinois Flag Commission will prepare a report detailing its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by April 1. Lawmakers will then vote on whether to adopt a new flag, return to a previous iteration or keep the current one.
I’ve been asked many times about this and want to be clear: I will vote against adopting a new flag. Our current flag is historic, and we do not need to spend any tax dollars on exploring a new flag design.
AROUND THE DISTRICT
CONGRATULATIONS to the Nasville Lady Hornets on their 2A State Championship win.
I was happy to meet with this group to discuss their work for healthy, drug free communities.
While in Springfield last week, I meet with a group from the Stewardship Alliance and constituents.
I was happy to meet with Amy Robinson, Birth to Five Illinois, and her group.
Many of the dinners that I purchase go to my elderly neighbors, family and friends. I’m pictured with Melba who received some meals from last weekend.
While in Springfield this week, I met with several families who choose to home school their children. They were there to fight against HB2827.
Here’s a picture from the Marine UCC Chicken Dinner last Sunday. I also supported the Sausage Supper at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Troy. I enjoy visiting with constituents and good friends.
Deien Chevrolet in Trenton donated a car detailing package to one of Kaskaskia College fundraisers and I was lucky enough to have gotten the winning bid. I got my car cleaned before I headed up to Springfield on Tuesday and they did a fantastic job.
Another wonderful Chicken Dinner. This one was from the Immaculate Conception Church in Pierron.
I supported the Highland Masonic Temple by purchasing a Sausage Dinner at their annual Fundraiser.
A wonderful breakfast at the Highland American Legion. Did you know they have a breakfast fundraiser the 1st Sunday of each month?
DOWN ON THE FARM
First sign of spring on the farm. The crocus are blooming.
