PROPERTY TAX RELIEF PRESS CONFERENCE
Earlier this month, I joined my colleagues Assistant Minority Leader Dan Ugaste and State Representative Joe Sosnowski to unveil our new legislative bill package to deliver property tax relief to residents across the state. We discussed the impact that high property taxes have had on Illinois, and the Democratic majority’s inaction and refusal to provide relief.
Illinois has some of the highest property taxes in the country and has seen residents fleeing to states with friendlier tax environments. I am fighting to stop the reckless neglect of taxpayers and bring down property taxes through two new pieces of legislation. House Bill 4010 prevents taxing districts, other than home rule units, from levying taxes on parcels of real property more than 105% of the base amount unless conditions are met, and House Bill 4011 limits assessment increases to 3% or CPI, whichever is less.
My colleagues have also filed a number of bills to address this growing problem, including the following measures:
HB 0009 – Ugaste- Property Tax Relief
HB 1321 – Ugaste- Tax District Surplus
HB 1746 – Sosnowski- Homestead Exemption
HB 2543 – Sosnowski- Taxpayer Empowerment
HB 3723 – Sosnowski- Senior Exemption
HB 3724 – Sosnowski- General Homestead
A few weeks ago, Governor JB Pritzker released his annual budget proposal, which spends $2 billion more than the previous fiscal year and lacks any meaningful reform to help seniors, families, and businesses from the crushing weight of property taxes. The current budget shows just how out-of-touch the Democratic majority is with the everyday Illinoisan, and the totally ineffective 2019 Property Tax Relief Task Force is proof of just that.
Years of reckless spending and unbalanced budgets have led the majority party to endlessly drive up property taxes with no end in sight, and many Illinoisans simply cannot afford them. Our caucus is committed to alleviating this strain by improving existing exemptions, capping year-over-year tax increases, and returning surplus revenue back to taxpayers in our state. By reducing the property tax burden placed on folks here in Illinois, we will create an environment where working families can not only get by, but thrive.
You can watch my remarks from the press conference here:
SAY NO TO LEGALIZED PROSTITUTION
Democrats have again introduced legislation that will make our communities less safe, this time, in the form of a bill that would decriminalize prostitution.
A study published in ‘World Development’ reports “Countries with legalized prostitution are associated with higher human trafficking inflows than countries where prostitution is prohibited.”
I would ask that you all sign my petition to stand up against this harmful legislation. You can add your name by clicking here:
ILLINOIS SENIOR HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE: CHARLENE WEXLER
Earlier this month, my office hosted the Acting Director of the Illinois Department on Aging, Mark Killough, to honor one of the 2024 Senior Illinois Hall of Fame inductees, Charlene Wexler, with an award recognizing her incredible career. I’m truly gratefully to have had the opportunity to host Director Killough and Charlene to acknowledge her years of important contributions through her writing. Charlene joins a very prestigious group of only 142 folks to ever earn this distinction, so being able to recognize this achievement was nothing short of an honor.
For those who don’t know, the Illinois Department on Aging has awarded Illinoisans aged 65 or older into the Hall of Fame since 1994. In 2024, four Illinoisans received the award, one in each of the following categories: community service, education, the labor force, or in Wexler’s case, the arts, sports, and entertainment. The panel of judges voting on the award winners determined Charlene’s work was “beyond compare” according to a statement from the Department.
As outlined in House Resolution 141, which I filed last month, Charlene Wexler’s induction into the Senior Illinoisans Hall of Fame stems from her devotion to the art of writing, with pieces ranging from novels, essays, and short stories. Her passion for writing first began following the passing of her son, Jeffrey, who lost his battle with leukemia at just 12 years old. During his four-year battle, Wexler journaled as a form of therapy and, when Jeffrey passed, used her grief to write her first novel, titled “Lori.” Wexler went on to write several more award-winning novels and short stories including “Elephants in the Room,” “Farewell to South Shore,” “Milk and Oranges,” “Murder Across the Ocean,” and “Murder on Skid Row.”
Charlene’s illustrious and successful career is profound, not only thanks to the stories she wrote but the story she lived. Her ability to overcome the loss of her son and channel that grief into her work is a testament not only to her skill as an author but her perseverance and passion for her craft. I can’t think of a more deserving person to be inducted into the Senior Illinoisans Hall of Fame. Congratulations, Charlene!
ILLINOIS BUDGET
According to a projection made by the nonpartisan Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (CGFA), which serves as our legislatures budget-forecasting arm, Illinois is facing a massive $737 million State budget shortfall for FY26. The negative forecast was presented to lawmakers by CGFA economists earlier this month.
CGFA sees relatively weak private-sector job growth for Illinois in the months ahead. This job growth slowdown is expected to generate disappointing Illinois tax payments and cash flows during the next twelve-month-long fiscal period. This shortfall would be more than $1.2 billion were it not for a series of “hidden” tax increases and one-time money transfers located deep within Gov. Pritzker’s proposed budget. Fiscal Year 2026 will begin on July 1, 2025.
ILLINOIS BROADBAND CONNECTIVITY
I also wanted to inform you all that McHenry County is partnering with the Illinois Broadband Lab amongst other agencies to put out a survey regarding internet connectivity here in our community to secure $1 billion in funds for broadband infrastructure in our state. The survey is short and sweet and can be accessed by clicking the link below. Just make sure you connect to your home or business’ Wi-Fi when taking the survey!
https://go.illinois.edu/ConnectMcHenryCounty
AT THE CAPITOL
With all that has been taking place down in Springfield these past few weeks, I’ve still had the pleasure of meeting with some great folks down in the Capital.
It was nice meeting with business owners and members of the Illinois Construction Industry Committee in my office while in Springfield. ICIC serves as the voice of Union Commercial Contractors here in Illinois and represents hundreds of union contractors who employ tens of thousands of skilled trades people, producing billions of dollars in economic activity in our state.
I also had the opportunity to meet with members of AARP Caregiving Caucus and Illinois Family Caregiver Coalition, our state’s chapter of the national organization which helps support family caregivers!
It was also great hearing from Rosalba Huerta and Chuanfen Ni, PhD students at Northwestern who are part of the Science Policy Outreach Taskforce, or SPOT, which provides nonpartisan services to help support informed policymaking. Thank you, Rosalba and Chuanfen for stopping by!
PROTECT HOMESCHOOL FREEDOM
As many of you know, House Democrats have launched an attack on Illinois homeschool families. HB 2827 would allow public schools to mandate homeschool families to produce an educational portfolio which would then have to be approved. New regulations would also mandate homeschool families to surrender private information and sensitive data to the State Board of Education. These new intrusions would impact thousands of Illinois families who have lawfully chosen to homeschool their children.
Please go to https://www.ilhousegop.org/weber_homeschool_petition and sign my petition to ensure every Illinois family can continue to choose their child’s educational path.
OUT AND ABOUT
On International Women’s Day, my wife, Becki, and I had the honor of attending the first-ever collegiate women’s flag football game in Illinois between the Rockford University Regents and the Benedictine University Eagles held at the Walter Payton Center next to Halas Hall. We had the pleasure of meeting Kevin Warren, President of the Chicago Bears, and some of the other great staff. These young women did a great job and we had a great time watching the game from start to finish!
There was also a great turnout at the Lake Villa Township Annual St Patrick’s Day Luncheon! Some bingo, prizes, and a lot of awesome volunteers cooking and serving up great food for the residents. It’s always nice seeing Township Supervisor Dan Venturi, Grant Township Supervisor Kay Starostovic, Mayor James McDonald of the Village of Lake Villa, Mayor Dominic Marturano of the Village of Lindenhurst, IL, and many others. What a great event!
I also had the chance to enjoy some beautiful weather during the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Lake Villa. After the parade, I stopped by the Lake Villa VFW Memorial Post 4308 for some corned beef and cabbage!
If you enjoyed reading this newsletter, share it with your family and friends! You can also connect with me on Facebook by clicking the button below!