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House Minority Leader Tony McCombie, R-Savannah, held a news
conference Thursday in Springfield before legislators adjourned
for the week. Alongside other leading House Republicans, the
group reviewed its plan for the upcoming session.
"First and foremost, we need to hold the majority party
accountable to spending," McCombie said of Democrats who hold
the supermajority in the House and Senate. "No new taxes, we
certainly do not, and the voters have spoken that they do not
want a graduated income tax, so that will be a number one
priority."
McCombie said addressing state agency mismanagement and
dysfunction will be high on their session list. McCombie is also
looking at meeting the party's obligations from the 2019 capitol
bill, which includes $41.8 million in projects that haven't been
released.
"Some of those projects are now in Democrat districts," McCombie
said. "It is for the betterment of the citizens around the state
that we meet that obligation."
Illinois currently spends about $10 billion a year on public
pensions, and the state's five systems have an unfunded
liability of at least $140 billion. Addressing those debts will
also be a priority for Republicans.
State Rep. Norine Hammond, R-Macomb, said they hope to work with
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on the budget.
"What are the revenues? What are the spending demands," Hammond
asked about Pritzker's potential budget. "We often talk about
above the line and below the line, which is very important to
do. We have priorities that we absolutely need to maintain."
The governor's budget address is set Feb. 21. Legislators return
the day before.
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