As your State Representative, I take every vote seriously, especially when it involves billions of taxpayer dollars.
That’s why Illinois’ budget process continues to concern me.
This year’s state budget totaled nearly $56 billion and was approved in the middle of the night after lawmakers were asked to review a nearly 3,700-page spending plan. The Senate voted shortly after 3 a.m., and the House followed around 4 a.m.
Recently, Governor Pritzker was forced to use his item and reduction veto powers to correct numerous errors that made their way into the final budget. The most notable was a typo that accidentally appropriated more than $500 billion to a single organization. While that error was corrected before it could ever take effect, it raises an important question: How did it make it into the budget in the first place?
The issue isn’t the typo itself. Mistakes happen. The real issue is a process that gives lawmakers and the public little time to thoroughly review thousands of pages of spending proposals before a vote is called.
I don’t know many people who would sign a mortgage, business agreement, or financial contract at 4 a.m. without taking the time to carefully read it. Yet that is often how state budgets are handled in Springfield.
Illinois families deserve better, plain and simple.
Taxpayers deserve transparency. They deserve accountability. They deserve a budget process that allows sufficient time for review, discussion, and public scrutiny before billions of dollars are committed.
Whether you agree with every spending decision in the budget or not, we should all agree that transparency matters. Good government requires careful review, open debate, and enough time to get it right.
I will continue advocating for a budget process that is more transparent, more accountable, and more respectful of the taxpayers who ultimately fund every dollar we spend.
ABC-7 Interview
Thank you to Barb Markoff and the ABC 7 team for coming out to discuss my legislation regarding financial coercion in domestic violence situations.
Financial abuse can leave survivors burdened with debt they never willingly agreed to. HB 4659 provides victims of coerced debt with an affirmative defense in court, helping protect survivors who were forced or manipulated into taking on debt through fraud, intimidation, threats, or other abusive tactics. I appreciate the opportunity to help bring attention to this important issue.
We will let you know when it airs!
Congratulations, D82 Libraries!
Libraries are essential to our community, providing access to educational materials, technology, lifelong learning opportunities, and so much more.
I’m pleased to share that libraries and school districts serving the 82nd District have been awarded state grant funding to help strengthen library services, improve security, and support school library programs.
Congratulations to all the libraries receiving these awards. These investments will help ensure residents and students continue to have access to the resources they need to learn, grow, and succeed.
Award recipients include:
Per Capita Library Grants
• Homer Township Public Library District
• Indian Prairie Public Library District
• Lemont Public Library District
Library Security Grants
• Homer Township Public Library District
• Indian Prairie Public Library District
School District Library Grants
• Cass School District 63
• Darien School District 61
• Center Cass School District 66
• Community High School District 99
• Downers Grove Grade School District 58
• Burr Ridge CCSD 180
• Pleasantdale School District 107
• Hinsdale CCSD 181
• Hinsdale Township High School District 86
• Indian Springs School District 109
• Lyons Township High School District 204
Congratulations to all of this year’s recipients! Thank you for everything you do to inspire learning and serve our communities.
Small Business of the Month
I was proud to recognize Tameling’s Landscape Supply as District 82’s March Business of the Month.
The spring legislative session kept us busy both in Springfield and at the district office, so we’re catching up on a few well-deserved recognitions. I’m grateful for the opportunity to celebrate businesses that make such a positive impact in our community.
For years, Tameling’s has been a trusted local business, providing quality products, outstanding service, and helping homeowners and businesses throughout the area bring their outdoor projects to life. Their dedication to their customers and our community is a big reason they have earned such a strong reputation.
Congratulations to the entire Tameling’s team on this well-deserved recognition, and thank you for your continued investment in the 82nd District.
Keep an eye out—we’ll be announcing our next Business of the Month soon!
Learn more about Tameling’s: Landscape Supply Willowbrook, IL
I was thrilled to see Lemont’s own Daniel Luciano III recognized for his outstanding achievement of being selected to attend the Congress of Future Medical Leaders in Boston.
Daniel’s hard work, academic excellence, and passion for helping others have earned him an incredible opportunity to learn alongside some of the nation’s brightest future medical professionals. His story is a reminder that dedication, curiosity, and a heart for serving others can open remarkable doors.
Congratulations, Daniel! Our community is proud of you, and I can’t wait to see all that you accomplish in the years ahead.
Read more at the Lemont Patch: Old Quarry Graduate Selected for Prestigious Congress of Future Medical Leaders | Lemont, IL Patch
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