McHenry Times

Rep. Allen Skillicorn (R-East Dundee) hopes the tide is turning away from taxes and toward reform.

“I don’t think there is an appetite in Springfield to raise taxes,” Skillicorn told the McHenry Times. “The special interest groups are the only ones that still want to pass taxes. About 75 percent of our budget is spent on pension plans and Medicaid. If we go after waste, fraud and abuse, we can save.”

With lawmakers convened in Springfield for a special session called by Gov. Bruce Rauner in which hammer ing out a state budget is the goal, Skillicorn is hoping people continue to oppose raising taxes.

“It’s a beautiful day to defeat a massive tax hike,” he said. “I don’t think new taxes are necessary. With aggressive reforms, we can solve the problems. I don’t want to see one Republican voting for new taxes.”

With the state on the verge of embarking on its third straight year without a full budget and saddled with more than $15 billion in unpaid bills, Rauner called on all lawmakers to "put the people's interests ahead of all else."

Skillicorn hopes Democrats got the message.

“The governor is trying to compromise, but (House Speaker Michael) Madigan only wants to win at all costs,” he said. “He doesn’t care about what’s best for the people.”

Still, Skillicorn is convinced the momentum is on the side of no new taxes.

“Back in May, only 44 Democrats wanted to pass taxes,” he said. “Now, at this late stage, they would need 71 votes.”

Cries for action have grown louder ahead of the July 1 official start of the new fiscal year. With no budget in place, Illinois runs the risk of seeing its credit rating reduced to junk status.

Illinois Department of Transportation officials also recently warned that more than 700 road projects are in jeopardy of being shut down by July 1, with the state unable to pay contractors without a deal in place.

State officials found themselves in a similar predicament last year before hammering out a last-minute stopgap agreement that kept some things afloat.

This time around, Skillicorn is pushing for something a lot more long-lasting.

“Illinois will never be solvent until we solve these problems,” he said. “I’m advocating we start doing that today.”