Dupage Policy Journal

Illinois State Senate District 24 Senator Seth Lewis emphasized the importance of prioritizing Illinois residents when crafting the state budget. "These are the Illinoisans that should be our top priority when crafting a budget," Lewis stated. Lewis, who defeated Democrat Lauren Nowack in the 2022 general election, reiterated, "These are the Illinoisans that should be our top priority when crafting a budget."

"The budget brought before the Senate Sunday evening actually cut spending for or underfunded several vulnerable populations in this state," said Seth P Lewis, State Representative for 45th District (R), according to Facebook. "These are the Illinoisans that should be our top priority when crafting a budget."

In a Facebook post, Sen. Seth Lewis shared a video of his remarks on the Senate floor.

Screenshot of Sen. Seth Lewis' May 28 Facebook post | Senator Seth Lewis' Facebook page

"State government has primary responsibilities that should always be front of mind. Some of those include educating our youth, making sure our communities are safe and ensuring the most vulnerable are properly cared for. I was honored to be named a budgeteer this year. My colleagues across the aisle who I worked with - very good experience. I was honored to be minority spokes on public safety and appropriations. We had many good times until 9-10 o’clock at night, discussing the issues of the state," said Lewis in his remarks.

On May 29, according to WBEZ, the Illinois State House passed a $53.1 billion budget. The budget includes an expansion of a child tax credit for children under age 12, providing a credit of 20% of the state’s earned income tax credit this year. It also includes funding for the Smart Start Illinois program and an increased $75 million for early-childhood block grants and opening 5,000 more preschool slots. Additionally, $160 million is earmarked for migrant welcome centers and $198 million is allocated to the rainy-day fund.

Lewis' statement continued to focus on educational issues he had previously mentioned: "We’re in an educational shortage and we’re not taking care of our new teachers in their retirement system. Completely forgotten about. Mandated categoricals. For those listening at home, that is state funding for special education, for transportation, for tuition for those who are severely disabled. ISBE recommended $135 million more than what is in this budget—$135 million to take care of our schools," he said in the video attached to his Facebook post.

Seth Lewis represents the people of the 24th Senate District and has done so since January 2023. Before that, he spent two years in the Illinois House of Representatives. He is an independent business owner and agent with State Farm and worked as Vice President of Operations for a small manufacturing business in Melrose Park. He holds a bachelor’s degree in manufacturing engineering from the University of Iowa.