THE FOLLOWING RELEASE IS FROM STATE SENATOR CHAPIN ROSE’S OFFICE
Springfield, IL–State Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) issued the following statement after Illinois Democrats passed the largest budget in state history, totaling more than $56 billion:
“In eight years of Governor J.B. Pritzker, he has increased state spending by over $16 billion – a 40% increase.
“Most families in my district haven’t seen anything close to a 40% increase in their paychecks. In fact, Illinois take-home pay for the average Illinoisian has only grown 6.2%.
“So, the question is simple: under Gov Pritzker’s massive spending increase, what are Illinois families getting in return?
“They’re paying roughly $1,700 more per family in taxes and living with among the highest property taxes in the country.
“And now we’re told taxpayers should be grateful because Springfield is giving them a penny back on their gas tax. A penny? They don’t even make pennies anymore. Worse, roughly $150 million from the sales tax on gasoline is now going to be diverted to cover health care and ‘welcome centers’ for illegal immigrants. If lawmakers and the Governor want to provide real relief for the people of Illinois, we should suspend the sales tax on gasoline – as we Republicans have proposed. That would be real relief.
“On K-12 overall funding for many school districts is starting to drop off due to Governor Pritzker’s cuts to reimbursements for things like schools buses and special ed tuition – exacerbating property taxes increases on local families.
“Speaking of our developmentally disabled friends and neighbors, despite having increased spending by $16 billion, not one time in his 8 budgets now has Governor Pritzker been able to get funding to direct care workers for the developmentally disabled back to the same percentage as when he took came into office.
“Instead, Illinois families continue to get squeezed from every direction. They pay more at the pump, more in taxes, and now they’re facing some of the highest electricity bills we’ve ever seen. That’s right, during Gov. Pritzker’s 8 years in office, he negotiated, and signed into law, not one, but two different pieces of legislation that directly raised power bills on countless Illinoisans by requiring residential ratepayers to subsidize the profits of giant corporate utilities.
“After eight years of Governor Pritzker, the pattern is clear: out-of-control spending, 40-plus new taxes, higher utility bills, and massively higher property taxes.
“Illinois families can’t afford more of the same. Simply put, we can’t afford J.B. Pritzker.”
Watch the full video of Senator Rose speaking on the Senate floor here.
