Dupage Policy Journal

With a new Pew Charitable Trusts survey ranking Illinois next to last in the U.S. in personal income growth since the Great Recession, House candidate Laura Hois, of Downers Grove, is more determined than ever to punch her ticket to Springfield.

“Working Illinoisans can't find good paying jobs due to the tax and regulatory burden imposed by state government,” Hois, who is challenging incumbent state Rep. Anne Stava-Murray (D-Naperville) in the 81st District, told the Will County Gazette. “I am running to ensure folks in my district can find a job, support their families, afford health care and save enough for their children's education. That means a balanced approach of lowering taxes and reforming government programs to expand opportunities for workers and encourage hiring by community businesses.”

Gov. J.B. Pritzker's progressive income tax proposal only figures to make matters worse for taxpayers, as Illinois Policy Institute (IPI) reports that states with the most competitive income tax policies, such as low, flat rates or no income taxes at all, are showing the strongest personal income growth. According to IPI, four of the five worst-performing states for personal income growth now have progressive income tax systems similar to the one Illinois Democrats are pushing for.  

But Hois, currently serving as Town Clerk of Downers Grove Township and with 19 years of experience as in-house counsel for McDonalds Corp., has a plan.

“Today, government is piling up debt and raising taxes,” Hois said. “I am championing an approach of fiscal responsibility, lowering taxes and promoting job creation. I have experience and a proven track record of improving services while implementing cost-saving initiatives.”

Hois says that her time campaigning has convinced her more than ever that there is no time to lose.

“The families I talk with on the campaign trail every day are already paying the price of bad leadership and public policy,” she said. “Fewer job opportunities, higher taxes and friends and neighbors fleeing our state are the result of decisions made by the former and current elected officials in Springfield.”