Springfield… State Representative Steve Reick (R-Woodstock) released the following response to Governor Pritzker’s annual State of the State address.
“Governor Pritzker’s State of the State address was well delivered, but unfortunately fell short in discussing what his legislative priorities are for the upcoming session,” said Reick. “Given the problems facing Illinois, I was hoping that he would be more forward-looking.
“I thought that his robust condemnation of the corruption that’s been on display in the past months hit the right tone, and I will fully support any measures that will put a halt to the self-dealing and illegal activities which were on display on Tuesday with the guilty plea by former Senator Martin Sandoval. House Republicans have introduced more than a dozen corruption-focused bills which I hope the Governor will take into account as the Session moves along.”
Where the speech fell short, Reick indicated, was when the Governor failed to discuss the issue of redistricting. Previously, Governor Pritzker pledged to veto any legislative map that is not drawn in a fair way. Reick said he was disappointed that the Governor failed to mention support for various Fair Maps amendments pending in Springfield.
“The legislative maps that were drawn and passed by the Democrats that control Springfield are a patchwork quilt, they are not contiguous, and they split communities among multiple legislators,” said Reick. “In 2016, hundreds of thousands of citizens signed a ‘Fair Map’ petition, only to see it thrown out by the Speaker’s legal team. Ethics reform begins with fair representation, you cannot separate the two.”
The Governor made passing reference to property tax relief, but more is needed, Reick noted.
“Given the tepid suggestions which came out of the Property Tax Relief Task Force, it’s not surprising that the Governor didn’t focus more on this critical priority,” said Reick. “I hope that he’ll spend more time in the coming months listening to the proposals for reform that have been offered by House Republicans. We need robust tax reform, not the same time-worn proposals that we’ve seen in the past.”
In addition to those items noted above, Representative Reick said his top priority for the upcoming session is fixing the problems which plague the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).
“The problems at DCFS start with the hotline and extend all the way through as children are shoved through the system,” said Reick. “The DCFS Inspector General’s recent report is a litany of failures of an agency tasked with protecting the most vulnerable, and is a roadmap for reform. The Governor indicated during a recent meeting that he’s committed to fixing the agency, and I look forward to working with him to do just that.”
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