Dupage Policy Journal

Candidate Laura Hois (R-Downers Grove) doesn’t think it would be fair for federal taxpayers to now be forced to ride to the rescue of Springfield.

“Illinois does not deserve a bailout,” Hois, who is running against incumbent Rep. Anne Stava-Murray (D-Naperville) in the 81st District, told the DuPage Policy Journal. “The rest of the country is not responsible to pay for years of financial mismanagement, unpaid bills, unbalanced or no budgets, and corrupt deals made in Springfield. The politicians who made those deals to grant lucrative pensions, lifetime health care benefits, and high-percentage raises to government workers do not deserve a bailout from Illinoisans, either.”

But that hasn’t stopped Democrats from asking, with Illinois Senate President Don Harmon recently penning a letter to members of Illinois' Congressional Delegation requesting $41 billion in federal funds as a way of helping the state recover from all the coronavirus-inflicted economic damage.

Among the requests, Harmon indicated he is seeking upward of $10 billion for the state’s long-troubled pension plans.

“At a time when Illinois faces fiscal crisis, Gov. (J.B.) Pritzker and the Democrat-controlled Legislature continue to reject reforming pensions,” Hois said. “We need pension reform now. We all know the projected pension debt is unsustainable. That is why we need serious-minded leaders and reformers in Springfield.”

Hois has a plan for what she thinks will finally help the state get its financial house in order.

“Leaders must identify ways to save costs and avoid or minimize any new spending to reduce debt,” she said. “They must implement the numerous ethics reform measures that were proposed and not acted upon last year. Especially now that the coronavirus crisis has led to shutdown of our economy, Illinois has to avoid digging an even bigger debt hole that we’re never going to financially climb out of.”

Hois added other reform measures also need to be a big part of the equation.

“Corruption, financial mismanagement and self-interest have caused the state’s financial hole,” she said. “They have led to a growing imbalance between the politically powerful and the private sector. Political posturing and rhetoric aren’t enough. We must send a fresh wave of reform-minded legislators to Springfield who will do more than talk and will actually deliver real accountability.”