House Minority Leader Tony McCombie (Savanna) was joined by several members of the House Republican caucus today in Springfield to unveil legislative priorities for the 103rd General Assembly. Leader McCombie announced the creation of five working groups to produce actionable solutions to some of Illinois’ most pressing issues.
State Representative Tom Weber (R-Lake Villa) will lead the Sustaining & Protecting At-Risk Kids working group.
“I want to thank Leader McCombie for asking me to lead this working group for our caucus,” said Weber. “Children at risk of abuse are the very definition of our most vulnerable, yet they are being failed in the worst possible way by systemic problems at DCFS. I’ve spoken with many legislators on both sides of the aisle who agree. I hope this working group may be a pathway for our caucus to fine tune and bring forward reform proposals that can win bipartisan support from our colleagues on the Democratic side of the aisle.”
The five Republican working groups include the following:
- Sustaining & Protecting At-Risk Kids: to protect children in the state’s care from abuse and neglect
- Supporting Women and Families: to make Illinois a place where families can move and grow for generations
- Reigniting Illinois’ Strong Economy: to improve Illinois’ business climate, while still protecting workers and using our strengths – geography, workforce, and resources – to bring job creators and opportunity home
- Literacy Improves Future Endeavors: to address learning loss, improve reading literacy, and restore Illinois students to a place where they are competitive in today’s world
- Improving Public Safety: to make our neighborhoods safe again, protect law-abiding citizens, and respect law enforcement
The working groups are each chaired by House Republican members. Besides Weber they include Jackie Haas (Kankakee), Dan Ugaste (Geneva), Dave Severin (Benton) and Patrick Windhorst (Metropolis). The working group chairs will spearhead the progress of these top issue areas with input from policy experts and residents across the state.
“Republicans are here to work and these groups reflect not only that commitment but also our governing priorities,” said Leader McCombie. “We are ready to be part of the solution on some of our state’s biggest challenges. These working groups are our first steps toward solving the problems impacting residents throughout Illinois.”
These priorities were unveiled ahead of the Governor’s annual State of the State and Budget Address to outline issues House Republicans believe are some of the most imperative to solve.
For the complete video of the press conference, Click Here.