In this issue:
- Opposing gerrymandering
- Illinois leaving $1 billion for schools on the table
- State revenue went up in March
- Bedei, Hogan represent 106th District at ‘Women to Watch’ event at the Capitol
Opposing gerrymandering
This week I voted No on an effort to amend the state Constitution to make Illinois’ legislative district maps even more one-sided.
Illinois has some of the worst, most partisan-gerrymandered legislative district maps in the country. The Princeton Gerrymandering Project rated Illinois’ maps with an F grade. The maps are so bad that in 2022, Republicans actually received a majority of the popular vote for the House of Representatives but ended up winning less than 35% of the seats.
Now Springfield Democrats have decided to make the redistricting process even more one-sided.
A Constitutional amendment was passed through the House this week; mostly along party lines; which would enshrine partisan gerrymandering into the state Constitution. Currently, the state Constitution requires districts to be “compact, contiguous and substantially equal in population.” But now that criteria will be moved to the bottom of a list of priorities and qualified by the phrase “to the extent practicable.”
Illinois was sued last year by a plaintiff alleging that 52 of the 118 House districts violate the compactness standard. Districts already twist and turn or stretch dozens of miles to string together certain voting blocs in order to gain a partisan advantage for the Democrats who drew them. I voted No on this amendment because if it is enacted it will make that process even more partisan than it already is.
The amendment must now pass the Senate. If it does so, it will be put before the voters at the November election.
House Republicans proposed a much fairer alternative: a 16-member bipartisan commission to draw fair maps. That proposal was ignored.
Find out more at RedoRemap.com.
Illinois leaving $1 billion for schools on the table
Last year the federal government enacted an Education Scholarship Tax Credit program which allows taxpayers to receive a 100% tax credit for each annual donation of up to $1700 which they make to school scholarship funds approved by federal and state tax law. The program applies to elementary and secondary schools, and their scholarship funds, but only if the state the schools are located in chooses to opt into the program by December 31. So far, Illinois has not done so.
Students in public or private schools could use the funds for everything from tutoring and books to fees for college admissions exams or dual enrollment courses.
It is estimated that Illinois-based scholarship funds and student aid funds would reap $1 billion in donations if the state chooses to participate in the program. This figure is based on the amount of tax-free donations which are already being made in more than 20 other states which have already joined.
If Illinois does not choose to join the tax credit program, Illinois taxpayers can still donate, but their donations will go to help students in other states.
Illinoisans have indicated strong support for joining in the tax credit scholarship program. A recent poll found a majority of Illinoisans supported Illinois participating, and when the question was put before voters in advisory referenda on the ballot in 29 counties in March, every one was approved.
State revenue went up in March
The latest report from the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (CGFA) found that Illinois’ general funds revenue numbers were up in March by $233 million compared to March 2025. The gain largely came from increased revenue from personal income taxes and from public utility taxes.
As we factor these figures into the ongoing development of next fiscal year’s state budget, we must guard against the temptation to use improved short-term cash flow numbers as an excuse to spend more. CGFA continued to warn about a growing structural deficit in state government, focusing in part on the commitment to help pay for health care for state employees and retirees – about 380,000 people in total.
This cost is expected to be over $4.2 billion in the current fiscal year, with increases next year due to high levels of health care cost inflation, especially for pharmaceuticals. CGFA expects a 9.8% increase in state employee and retiree health care costs next year. That is more than double the 4.8% revenue increase which the state posted in March.
Bedei, Hogan represent 106th District in ‘Women to Watch’ event at the Capitol
I was honored to be joined at the Capitol on Wednesday by Tara Bedei, the mayor of Streator and Aindrea Hogan, the Grundy County Economic Development Council’s Vice President of Development for the annual Women to Watch Conference.
Each year, the Women to Watch Conference is hosted by House Republican Leader Tony McCombie and the House Republican Caucus to bring together women leaders from around the state. The networking conference features panel discussions, tours of the Capitol and the State Archives, a luncheon and a chance to observe House committee and floor sessions. In addition to legislators, this year’s special guest was Iowa Lieutenant Governor Chris Gearhart Cournoyer.
It was a very exciting day filled with good conversations. Thank you to everyone from throughout the state who attended!
Our current bill backlog
When a vendor provides the state with goods and services, they submit the bill to the Illinois Comptroller for payment. The Comptroller processes the paperwork and pays the bill when funds are available in the state’s checking account. Currently the total amount of unpaid bills is $1,966,171,806. This figure changes daily. Last year at this time the state had $1.5 billion in bills awaiting payment. This only includes bills submitted to the Comptroller for payment, not unfunded debts like the state’s pension liability, which is well over $100 billion.
Illinois headlines
Illinois loses 18k jobs in February, unemployment rises to 5%
State employees rip off taxpayers through PPP loan program
Illinois had third-largest loss of resident income due to outmigration
For young people looking to take over Illinois farms, the costs can be steep
Milford farmer a winner in Asgrow National Soybean Yield Contest