Rollback of the Stroger Tax Increase for Cook County residents.

HB 3948

Democrats voted against the legislation and killed the bill.

Detail: Immediately rolls back the tax increase levied upon Cook County residents last year by County Board Chairman Todd Stroger. The Stroger tax increase created the nation’s highest sales tax. The legislation also requires any future tax increases must be approved by public referendum.

Requiring a Special Election for United States Senate.

HB 2503

Democrats voted NO, legislation was defeated in committee and the House Floor.

Detail: Would require a special election to be held for any future vacancy in the US Senate. Currently, the Governor gets to appoint for the vacancy. The legislation was spurred due to Governor Blagojevich’s appointment of Roland Burris to the US Senate. During testimony before the Illinois House Impeachment Committee, Burris maintained that he had little contact with Gov. Blagojevich about the appointment, but subsequent investigations revealed Burris had lengthy and consistent communication with Blagojevich insiders about the appointment. Currently, Burris is under criminal investigation for perjury.

Allowing Citizens to Recall Public Officials

HJRCA 10

Democrats have refused to even allow a committee hearing on the legislation.

Detail: Allows citizens to petition to have a recall election to remove public officials from office before their term expires. Such legislation would have allowed voters to recall Gov. Blagojevich in 2008. The legislation was voted on in the Illinois House in 2008 with opposition coming from the Speaker of the House and Chairman of the Democrat Party, Michael Madigan. The legislation did not receive approval from the Illinois General Assembly and as such was not enacted.

Requiring a Super Majority to Approve Any Tax Increase

HJRCA 28

Democrats have refused to even allow a committee hearing on the legislation.

Details: Too often, budget problems are addressed by simply digging deeper into taxpayers’ pockets. HJRCA 28 requires a 3/5 supermajority vote on any legislation that would raise taxes or fees on Illinois families or businesses. This reform will put a stop to out-of-control spending, encourage prudent examination of spending plans before raising taxes, and, most importantly, bring back fiscal discipline to Illinois.

Sunshine Commission

HB 4134

Democrats have refused to even allow a committee hearing on the legislation.

Details: In late 2007, the state Auditor General issued a report indicating that Illinois “does not have a comprehensive, consistent inventory of programs” it funds on a daily basis. This report reveals that the state government is so disorganized and inefficient that a roster of state programs does not exist.

The Sunshine Act (HB 4134) creates a tool to carefully and thoughtfully remove wasteful, fraudulent, ineffective or inefficient spending. It creates an independent commission of business leaders that make specific recommendations to consolidate or eliminate duplicative, outdated, or ineffective state programs. The General Assembly must vote up or down on the commission’s total recommendation.

PAYGO

HB 3189

Details: PAYGO (HB 3189, Pay As You Go) requires honest accounting from elected officials. With PAYGO, when a new spending program is added, lawmakers must offset the expense by eliminating an existing program that is outdated or ineffective. Every day, Illinois families have to balance their spending decisions within their budget, and so should the state government.

Stimulus Watch

HJR 19

Democrats have refused to even allow a committee hearing on the legislation.

Details: The Stimulus Watch Act (HJR 19) brings fiscal discipline to Illinois government, particularly in the use of any funds received as part of the recently passed federal stimulus package. This resolution restricts the governor from using any funds from the stimulus package unless a program is created and appropriated by the General Assembly. Further, any new programs launched as part of stimulus funding must sunset when stimulus funds are no longer available, preventing excessive upward pressure on spending when future revenue sources are uncertain or unavailable.