McHenry Times

Senator Craig Wilcox has published an opinion piece in Shaw Media and the Northwest Herald, criticizing recent tax increases in Illinois and what he describes as a lack of fiscal responsibility by the majority party. He noted that his op-ed is also available on his legislative website.

Wilcox highlighted a new ranking showing Illinois now has the highest property tax rate in the United States. According to the Tax Foundation, homeowners in Illinois paid an average effective property tax rate of 1.83% in 2023, higher than rates in neighboring states. Wilcox attributes this trend to recent state policies, including what he called “the largest state budget in Illinois history,” signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker, which included nearly $1 billion in new taxes and fees.

“The Governor’s agenda is crushing working families, piling even more taxes onto Illinoisans. Instead of making life more affordable, Pritzker and his allies are choosing to spend more, tax more, and ignore real reforms that could actually bring relief to homeowners,” Wilcox said.

Senate Republicans have also criticized Governor Pritzker for his comments on redistricting efforts outside Illinois. They argue that Pritzker broke a campaign promise by signing partisan maps into law in 2021 after pledging to support independent redistricting. “Pritzker is now faking outrage over fairness while inserting himself into redistricting debates out of state. After setting the standard for partisan map manipulation in Illinois, his calls for fairness are the textbook definition of hypocrisy. His words ring hollow and appear more focused on political advantage than principle,” Senate Republicans stated.

Wilcox recently attended an Antioch Village Board meeting where he supported a resolution urging repeal of the SAFE-T Act. The resolution followed reports about an undocumented immigrant who was released pre-trial under provisions of the SAFE-T Act after being charged with concealing a corpse and other offenses related to a missing woman from Antioch.

Wilcox announced several upcoming community events for constituents in the 32nd District, including a free document shredding event co-hosted with State Representative Steve Reick on August 16 at Reick’s Woodstock office. Other scheduled events include pet adoption drives, informational sessions on Medicare and IPASS services, and a senior resource fair.

In legislative news, Governor Pritzker signed Senate Bill 8 into law last week. The measure reduces the deadline for reporting lost or stolen firearms from 72 hours to 48 hours starting January 1, 2026. Wilcox criticized this change: “This new law punishes people for being the victim of a crime... The new law is just another one-size-fits-all mandate that turns law-abiding citizens into offenders while failing to crack down on actual criminals.”

Wilcox has represented Illinois’ 32nd Senate District since being elected in 2018 as a Republican, succeeding Pamela Althoff (https://www.shawlocal.com/news/2018/11/07/wilcox-wins-illinois-senate-seat-in-32nd-district/).