SPRINGFIELD – Today, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker gave his State of the State address before a joint session of the House and Senate. Following the speech, State Representative Amy Grant (R-Wheaton) expressed concern that more needs to be done to fix Illinois’ broken property tax system and address ethics.
“Some of the highest property taxes in the nation have plagued Illinois families for years. I appreciate that Governor Pritzker prioritized property tax relief and job creation in his speech today, but the Governor needs to work with Republicans to enact real reforms. Our government cannot afford another phony property tax relief task force. If we work together in a bipartisan way and compromise, then we can tackle our sky-high property tax problem and provide long-overdue relief for Illinois families and small businesses.
“As the Governor referenced in his speech, an example of this bipartisan success was the recent consolidation of police and firefighter pensions to lower property taxes in Illinois, and while this is a great first step, we must go further. We need to address the pension mess in Illinois by reforming the entire system.
“I was also glad the governor concluded his speech by addressing the black cloud hanging over the Capitol since federal investigations began to unravel last year. As a freshmen legislator who served on the property tax task force, I witnessed what little task forces actually accomplish. I fear his commission on ethics will also fail to produce substantive results. Real, lasting ethics reform must be a priority this legislative session.”