House Republicans Talk Business, Budget, Bears at Local Forum

House Minority Leader Tony McCombie took part in a bipartisan panel of Illinois legislators last week to discuss "Business, Budget & Bears" at a dedicated forum organized by the Schaumburg Business Association.

During the discussion, Leader McCombie and fellow Illinois House member Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) highlighted affordability as a top priority when it comes to keeping both businesses and the Chicago Bears in Illinois. Both lawmakers emphasized the importance of easing financial pressures on families while reducing the heavy tax burden placed on Illinois residents.

"If we continue trying to tax our way out of long-standing fiscal problems, we'll keep driving residents and businesses out of Illinois," McCombie said. "That's not a sustainable path forward for our state."

Addressing this year's proposed budget and a proposed $60 million reduction to the Local Government Distributive Fund (LGDF), McCombie warned that communities across Illinois are already feeling the strain.

"Sustainable reforms should solve the problem," McCombie said. "Shifting costs onto local governments isn't reform, it just forces communities to raise property taxes on the very families we should be helping."

As property taxes continue to cause problems in communities across the state, Representative Dan Ugaste has filed relief proposals he says would provide immediate help. One of his bills, HB 9, would have provided $3.5 billion in property tax relief this past year alone.

"Our residents are fed up and taxed out," said Rep. Ugaste. "The Chicago Bears should stay in Illinois but not at an unfair cost to taxpayers," said Representative Ugaste. "This cannot be a one-time deal that only accommodates the Bears, but any relief should be extended to taxpayers across Illinois."

Leader McCombie and Rep. Ugaste will return to the Illinois House for legislative session next week, on March 18^th.