With the close of Lame Duck Session approaching, State Senator Jason Plummer (R-Edwardsville) issued the following statement condemning Democrat lawmakers’ decision to push radical, multibillion-dollar legislation in the limited time that remains:
“We are still reeling from the impact of a global pandemic that was met with failures in leadership and mishandled time-and-time again. Republican lawmakers have repeatedly called on Democrat leaders to return to session to take up pandemic relief and provide real assistance to the thousands of Illinois families and businesses that are barely surviving after Governor Pritzker unilaterally decided to shut down our state. But our calls fell on deaf ears. Instead of working with us, the Democrat-majority chose to ignore their responsibilities for months and, now that we are finally meeting, have chosen to ignore important pandemic related efforts and are focusing on their energy on pushing through an egregious tax burden on Illinois families. It’s shocking and inexcusable.
“Despite the fact that these are complex, multibillion-dollar pieces of legislation that will fall directly on the backs of the hardworking men and women of this state, Democrat lawmakers are prioritizing an agenda focused on increasing taxes, defunding our police and demanding costly, unfunded mandates in the 11th hour of Lame Duck Session.
“These bills do everything from stealing and redirecting critical funding from hospitals in Southern Illinois to hospitals in Chicago, to eliminating cash bail and endangering public safety, to hurting small Illinois businesses at a time when they need our help the most.
“The hardworking families and the business community of our state have already endured so much and simply cannot withstand another round of thoughtless, rushed measures that will take even more from their pockets.”
Measures being pushed by Democrat lawmakers in the final two days of Lame Duck Session include:
- House Bill 163, which Senator Plummer has condemned as a dangerous criminal justice proposal that would endanger our law enforcement personnel, families and communities while also essentially defunding the police.
- House Bill 2685, is an $80 billion unfunded mandate on local governments that will increasewater rates and dramatically increase property taxes.
- House Bill 3840 which will cost billions of dollars while placing unfunded requirements on daycares struggling to get by with COVID-19 restrictions potentially further limiting working families, terminates managed care and increases Medicaid payments to one narrow category of hospitals, without considering the needs of other hospitals that also serve vulnerable communities.
Lame Duck Session is scheduled to resume on January 11 and will end January 12.