Illinois lawmakers lay out end-of-session priorities

[May 05, 2023]  By Andrew Hensel | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – Illinois lawmakers are laying out their agendas for the end of the legislative session, including addressing education, energy pricing issues and looking to fix the many problems facing the Department of Child and Family Services.

The Illinois General Assembly will end its regular spring session on May 19.

Republican lawmakers from both chambers hosted separate news conferences Thursday and outlined what they hope to accomplish before the end of the session, despite being in the minority.

State Sen. Neil Anderson, R-Andalusia, said first and foremost, the state needs to provide relief to its taxpayers.

"We have been here fighting for families that are trying to make ends meet with inflation and rising costs," Anderson said. "We have put an emphasis on boosting our economy and creating jobs. We have sponsored and co-sponsored and advocated for a number of ideas that would help our constituents in our districts and across the state of Illinois."

State Sen. Jason Plummer, R-Edwardsville, said one of the ways to do this is by addressing the high cost of energy.

"Senate Bill 2200, that would get rebates into the pockets of the families that need them the most," Plummer said. "To be clear, this policy has already passed. It's there. All we have to do is fund it. We can fund it right now. We are spending money on many other things. We can fund Illinois families that are struggling under egregious energy bills that the General Assembly caused."

Illinois state Sen. Jason Plummer, R-Edwardsville, during a news conference in Springfield
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In January, a report released by the Illinois Inspector General showed that in 2022, nearly 50 more children died while in the custody of DCFS than in 2021 and that 171 children died while in contact with the department last year alone.

State Rep. Steven Reick, R-Woodstock, said he has a measure related to DCFS he hopes to pass.

"I put forth a bill to require DCFS to institute a caseload tracking system with yearly reports to the General Assembly as to the ongoing case files, operation of the caseload management system itself, the ratio of active files to personnel, and how appropriations can be structured to incentivize caseload management," Reick said.

Democratic legislators have pushed for several measures to pass before the end of the spring session. Among other bills, Senate Bill 90 looks to address discrimination in schools, House Bill 2396 would implement full-day kindergarten throughout the state, and House Bills 3924 and 1557 both aim to prevent drug overdoses.

Andrew Hensel reports on issues in Chicago and Statewide. He has been with The Center Square News since April of 2021 and was previously with The Joliet Slammers.