McHenry Times

Rep. Allen Skillicorn (R-East Dundee) pointed out to his House peers last week that the spring session will be over in three weeks with no revenue estimate or budget approval in sight, yet lawmakers were exiting the Capitol a day early.

Skillicorn went on to share his his personal financial fears and the “silent majority” that lawmakers are always referring to when discussing rising taxes and home equity decline. 

“This story is about me,” Skillicorn said. “I bought a home 10 years ago and it is currently $60,000 less than what it was then.” 

Rep. Allen Skillicorn

He disclosed that he has prepaid his mortgage by $25,000 to no avail.

“Yet if I sold today, I would still have to take a $60,000 to $70,000 loss from what I paid for,” Skillicorn said.

Lost down payments and declining equity continues for all of Illinois, according to Skillicorn, who said so many citizens are “still upside down in their home mortgages.”

“This is not a worthwhile investment,” Skillicorn said.

He said while the people of Illinois are suffering, lawmakers are leaving early.

“We canceled session tomorrow and to my knowledge we have not solved our problems,” Skillicorn said. “To my knowledge we have no revenue estimate and we haven’t passed a budget yet.”

He recently said there were only 15 working days left to pass a budget, and he hopes the floor will unite quickly. “I hope we can all work together to pass a revenue estimate and a budget,” Skillicorn said.