Dupage Policy Journal

Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Burr Ridge) criticized the budget passed by the Democrats during the waning hours of the May 31 session.

During a Tuesday news conference, he also called out other issues in the budget, including salary increases.

“Last night at 3 a.m. we wrapped up this legislative session. Even with what was promised as a new day we saw a 1000-page budget pass at the 11th hour, literally, at about 11:30,” Durkin pointed out. “This gave zero time for review and no notice for any transparency for the public. That was classic Mike Madigan. Baked into that budget were pay increases for legislators, with the Democrats hoping the public wouldn’t notice. The Democrats gave themselves pay raises. Don’t be fooled when you see press release after press release that they won’t take pay raises.”

Durkin recounted the many pieces of legislation the Republicans have introduced, including ethic reforms, and said that nothing was accomplished.

“We saw a minuscule step in ethics reform when we could’ve done so much more. Loopholes still exist and many could still take advantage of the system,” he said. “We see Pritzker go against his word and take away the agreed business incentives from two years ago that our state desperately needed. In the end, he backed down and we won but it’s proof that Pritzker does not keep his word. He continues to lose credibility. We saved scholarships for low-income students, we made sure that data center incentive continues to thrive."

"For several weeks, hearings after hearings have been made that could have made the redistricting process easier, transparent, and fair," he said.

“Sadly though we saw gerrymandered maps pass by the majority party, drawn behind closed doors with absolutely no transparency and with flawed data,” Durkin said. “When we are in the midst of the worst scandal in Illinois history don’t you think our citizens would want more from us? They desperately want honesty from their government.”

Durkin urged Pritzker to step up and keep his promise to veto any maps drawn by legislators. He reminded Pritzker that he owes it to Illinoisans who are depending on him to stick to his word.

Durkin has earlier claimed that the Democratic lawmakers who drew up proposed maps did not disclose what data they used. “They did not provide shape files or any tools for the public to assess their proposed changes. Make no mistake, these maps were drawn solely for Democrats to maintain their political power in the state of Illinois,” Durkin wrote in a statement.