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House Republicans Prioritize Affordability for Illinois Families. As legislative session resumed in the Illinois House this week, House Republican lawmakers held a press conference in the Capitol to talk about their session priorities. House Minority Leader Tony McCombie stood beside Assistant Leader Amy Elik and State Representative Joe Sosnowski to talk about delivering affordability to Illinois families.
“House Republicans have long focused on reining in spending, providing real tax relief for hardworking families, and creating opportunities for growth,” said Leader McCombie. “What is new is hearing House Democrats suddenly embrace the word ‘affordability.’ Here’s the problem: you can’t have affordability without accountability.”
McCombie criticized recent legislative sessions in which Democrats authorized billions of dollars in new spending, including a proposed $2.5 billion transit package, which she said lacks transparency and oversight. She argued that true affordability would focus on expanding Illinois’ tax base rather than increasing government revenue through higher taxes.
Republicans outlined a series of proposals they say would put more money back into residents’ pockets, including eliminating state taxes on tips and overtime, providing relief on car loan interest and expanding education tax credits. Illinois already has one of the highest tax burdens in the nation, McCombie said, adding that affordability “cannot be a political buzzword.”
Assistant Republican Leader Amy Elik, who represents the 111th District in the Metro East, said high taxes are pushing families and businesses out of Illinois, particularly in border regions where residents can move to neighboring states with lower costs.
“In Missouri, lawmakers are even working toward eliminating the state income tax by identifying responsible budget cuts,” Elik said. “That’s what leadership looks like.”
Elik, a certified public accountant, said Republicans are routinely excluded from budget discussions, leading to what she described as bloated budgets and a lack of transparency. She criticized the administration for denying a Freedom of Information Act request related to a gubernatorial executive order intended to identify waste and redundancies in state agencies.
State Rep. Joe Sosnowski of Rockford said Democratic policies, including recent energy legislation and funding for Chicago-area transit, are increasing costs for working families and seniors statewide. He cited estimates that a new clean energy law could raise annual electricity bills by more than $100 and pointed to rising tolls, gas taxes and state spending, which he said has increased about 40% over the past seven years.
Sosnowski also criticized Illinois for opting out of a federal provision allowing workers to exclude a portion of tips from taxation, saying the decision hurts service workers and other hourly employees. He said Republicans have introduced legislation to reverse that decision and to limit property tax increases, particularly for seniors.
· Democrats Are to Blame for Affordability Issues in Illinois
During remarks earlier this month at the City Club of Chicago, Speaker Welch claimed that Democrats are working to bring down the cost of living. That statement is difficult to square with reality, given how much Democratic policies have increased costs for Illinois families over just the past year.
Since May of last year alone, Democrats have driven up the cost of living through a series of tax hikes and expensive policy decisions. Democrats:
o Passed the largest budget in Illinois history at over $55 billion, which included more than $700 million in new taxes.
o Pushed through a green energy giveaway that is projected to saddle Illinois families with an $8 billion increase in utility rates.
o Opened the door to higher tolls and allowed for a new RTA sales tax hike in their mass transit bailout bill.
If Democrats are serious about addressing affordability, they should start by acknowledging their own role in making life more expensive for working families.
The cost-of-living problem in Illinois is a cost-of-government problem. Illinois Democrats have been working around the clock for years making Illinois unaffordable and making sure politicians remain unaccountable.
As Democrats now try to come around to lowering the cost of living, their decades of bad policies and tax hikes are the reason families are feeling the squeeze. Their energy policies are driving up costs for families and empower unelected bureaucrats to raise rates for years to come.
Democrats are introducing new tax increases, raising fees, stealing infrastructure dollars from downstate communities, and taking away tax savings families are receiving at the federal level.
Illinois House Republicans are here to lower taxes, lower the cost of living, bring down energy costs, rein in out-of-control government growth and government spending, and to hold Democrats accountable for their failed policies.
Illinois families deserve an accountable government and an affordable state. That’s what we’re fighting for.
BUDGET
Pritzker administration reserving $481 million from FY26 budget. The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget (GOMB) this week ordered Illinois State departments to reserve or “freeze” $481 million in Fiscal Year 2026 spending and fund transfers that these agencies would otherwise have paid out. This freeze order and spending pause will prevent these funds from being spent in the areas in which they were budgeted.
The list of areas where these freeze orders will take effect are:
o Healthcare and Human Services - $361.5 million
o Government Services - $57.2 million
o Higher Education - $30.5 million
o Public Safety - $22.1 million
o Economic Development, Environment and Culture - $10.3 million
The moneys subject to these savings are slated to be achieved by a mix of budget management actions such as hiring and grant freezes, lower than expected caseloads or spending need, and 2% cuts to state universities and community colleges. Over half of this reserve amount is attributed to additional funds coming into the state that were not budgeted last May. This action will affect the final five months of FY26, which ends June 30, 2026.
A move to place money in a “fiscal reserve” is not yet the same as a formal FY26 State budget cut. This is because reserved State funds can be released by GOMB, or partly released, at any time. This week’s “fiscal reserve” move offers a glimpse of what the Governor’s budget address to the state will look like on February 18th, where it is expected that Governor Pritzker will attempt to lay blame for Illinois’ ongoing fiscal woes at the feet of Washington politicians and the Trump Administration.
Fiscal pressures on the FY27 budget are expected to be even more severe than in FY26, due to Illinois’ unsustainable spending path. Expected FY27 revenue growth will not be enough to achieve the spending levels that many Springfield politicians would like to have. The most recent estimate for FY27 was published last fall in GOMB’s Economic and Fiscal Policy Report. This report shows a $2.2 billion shortfall for the upcoming fiscal year – representing an amount four times the size of the $481 million “fiscal reserves” FY26 order posted this week.
Illinois House Minority Leader Tony McCombie said a lot more than $481 million went to people who are in the country illegally.
“We have 550,000 people that have come here, that is, we spent over $2 billion on health care, education and housing for illegal immigrants,” McCombie said.
McCombie said she hopes next year’s budget is flat or lower than the current $55.2 billion spending plan.
“Since I got here in 2017 it was $36 billion for our general revenues fund. I hope there’s no pork projects. I hope we’re not going to fund illegal immigrants,” McCombie said.
House GOP leaders told WAND News they're glad to finally see cuts being made to state spending, but some are upset it took five months to get answers.
"It was an executive order that called for this in 30 days and we're just now finding out about it," said Rep. Dan Ugaste. "I don't know if it's because the budget address is coming up or what the reasoning is for it, but it's a little odd with the timing of the whole thing."
The administration is reserving $50 million from state employee health insurance funding and $30 million will not be sent to public universities and community colleges.
Ugaste said he was shocked to see $22 million reserved from the state's public safety agencies.
"Why didn't they first go after the pork projects the Democrats have on their side? There's a couple hundred million dollars there," Ugaste said. "Why didn't they go to the money being spent for illegals here, so our citizens make sure they have the services?"
CRIMINAL LAW
Rep. Mike Coffey Joins Sangamon County Officials to Address SAFE-T Act Concerns. State Representative Mike Coffey held a press conference with Sangamon County Sheriff Paula Crouch and State’s Attorney John Milhiser to highlight the ways the SAFE-T Act is negatively affecting communities across Illinois.
The SAFE-T Act, no cash bail and pre-trial release, have been met with criticism since going into effect in September of 2023. Many State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs across Illinois have expressed opposition to it, as they believe provisions in the SAFE-T Act increase crime and jeopardize public safety.
“Sheriff Crouch, State’s Attorney Milhiser and I share the same objective – to make our communities in Sangamon County and across Illinois safer,” said Rep. Coffey. “Since the SAFE-T Act was signed into law, our judges have lost authority to keep some dangerous criminals behind bars. I filed legislation that would give that power back to judges, so repeat offenders are not let back into our communities to continue to commit crimes.”
House Bill 4275 was filed by Rep. Coffey to give judges the ability to detain offenders accused of a felony offense and close the “revolving door” for repeat offenders.
“The SAFE-T Act has turned our justice system into a revolving door,” said Sangamon County Sheriff Paula Crouch. “Our deputies arrest individuals for serious crimes, and far too often those same offenders are back on the street within hours. That cycle helps no one – not the victims who deserve justice, and not the offenders who need intervention and accountability.”
Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser said the SAFE-T Act has made it more difficult for judges to keep offenders behind bars.
“The SAFE-T Act has limited our ability to hold offenders accountable and protect victims,” said Milhiser. “Defendants charged with crimes are being released because the law does not give judges the discretion needed to detain offenders. We should at least allow for detention for felony offenses while our courts ensure that violations carry meaningful penalties.”
FIRST WEEK OF SESSION
Democrats waste time and taxpayer dollars on meaningless anti-Trump resolutions. The first week of House session was met with a lot of words and very little action.
Despite all the talk about affordability, Illinois Democrats did nothing to reduce the high cost of living for Illinois families and seniors. They did nothing to provide relief from Illinois’ high tax burden and out-of-control property taxes. And Democrats did nothing to address the energy cost crisis hurting Illinois consumers.
What the Democrat majority did do was waste time and taxpayer dollars on a series of meaningless anti-Trump resolutions.
On Wednesday, House Democrats introduced and debated House Resolutions 620-624, resolutions that attacked President Trump, the Trump Administration’s efforts to rein in government spending, and condemned ICE and the law enforcement community. Democrats once again sided with criminal illegal aliens over crime victims and public safety.
· Resolution condemning federal immigration law enforcement sparks debate
Illinois House Democrats are calling for investigation, prosecution and impeachment of federal immigration law enforcement. […]
HR 622 calls for an independent investigation into U.S. Department of Homeland Security-involved shootings, killings and deaths in custody, as well as the appointment of independent counsel to prosecute agents, administrators, and political appointees found to have committed, directed or covered up such acts.
The resolution also calls for [U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi] Noem’s immediate resignation and her impeachment if she refuses to resign. […]
The resolution passed with a partisan vote of 69 to 35.
State Rep. Patrick Windhorst, R-Metropolis, said there is chaos in sanctuary states like Illinois, where local law enforcement is not working with federal law enforcement.
“I do not think we should be passing resolutions condemning law enforcement or condemning elected officials until we take a close look at what we’re doing in the state of Illinois with our laws, making it difficult for the federal laws to be enforced,” Windhorst said.
State Rep. Adam Niemerg, R-Dieterich, said Democrats were chastising the people who are trying to get Illinois and the country under control.
We spent $3.2 billion on illegal immigration in this state rather than spending it on the citizens of this state,” Niemerg said.
Read more on this story from The Center Square.
· Reps. Keicher and Ugaste Recap the First Week of the 2026 Spring Session
House Republican Conference Chair Jeff Keicher and Assistant Republican Leader Dan Ugaste provide a video recap on the first week of the 2026 Spring Session.