Quincy Reporter

State Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) sounded the alarm in her Senate Week in Review for the week of Jan. 31, expressing concern about how the state plans to pay for Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s permanent government expansion once the state runs out of federal stimulus money.  

During his recent State of the State and Budget Address, Pritzker unveiled his $45 billion spending plan, which includes a $2.5 billion government expansion and short-term tax relief that expires after a year.

In a post to Facebook, Tracy said she thinks “the people of Illinois deserve long-lasting tax relief, not election-year gimmick relief that the Governor proposed.”

Tracy also pointed to the state’s rising violent crime rate, stressing the need for immediate action to curb the surge. Tracy said on Feb. 1 Senate Republicans offered up a list of legislative initiatives that includes a Fund the Police Grant that would provide targeted grants to assist law enforcement, provide additional training and purchase much-needed equipment, including body cameras.

Tracy said the state needs to raise the level of support it offers officers, highlighting that departments all over the state are now struggling with morale issues that have led to officers leaving the profession in never-seen-before-type numbers.

Tracy said much of the problem can be traced to the passage of the SAFE-T Act, which mandates body cameras for police officers, and next year will eliminate cash bail.

Tracy said the changes being proposed by Republicans also include measures designed to “keep violent offenders off the street, help stop the flow of illegal guns to criminals, take serious action against carjacking, provide mental health treatment to detainees and repeal the dangerous bail provisions of SAFE-T.”

Tracy highlighted what Republicans are touting as “much-needed tax relief” courtesy of their recently announced package of tax reform proposals.

“These measures will provide the citizens of Illinois with permanent, substantive relief, instead of the temporary relief proposed by Gov. Pritzker during his Budget Address on Feb. 2,” Tracy said. Other elements of the plan include Republican lawmakers calling for the elimination of the state’s 1% sales tax on food and prescription drugs as a way of dealing with mounting concerns of inflation and soaring consumer prices.

Senate Republicans also highlight the longtime issue of property taxes, calling for an increase in the state’s property tax income tax credit from 5 to 10 percent.