North Cook News

The unbalanced state budget proposed by House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) and the inability of state lawmakers to pass any sort of budget have sparked ire among many concerned citizens in Illinois, including Jillian Bernas, a Republican who is running for the District 56 state House seat.

Bernas particularly blames state Rep. Michelle Mussman, her opponent in the House race who voted "yes" to Madigan’s budget proposal, which was more than $7 billion out of balance. 

Jillian Bernas | Courtesy of votejillian.com

“The 500-page budget was given to House members less than three hours before they voted on it," “ Bernas told the North Cook News. "There’s no way Rep. Mussman was able to read it, and if she did, she would have understood that a budget that unbalanced would force a $1,000 tax hike on Illinois families. That’s simply unacceptable.”

Bernas elaborated further in a press release, stating that Madigan’s budget would increase the state’s unpaid backlog by $15 billion. While Madigan’s budget passed the House, it failed to clear the Senate on the last day of the spring legislative session. Now Illinois is facing another year without a state budget.

The state’s inability to pass a budget already has scared away many college students and families. Businesses also find themselves struggling to stay in the state. In a recent survey by Chief Executive Magazine, Illinois was ranked the worst state for businesses in the Midwest. It ranked third worst for business-friendliness.

Bernas is not surprised by this and lays the blame directly at the status quo in Springfield.

“The political status quo wants to drive this state without an economic engine,” Bernas said. “This is a formula for a head-on collision with fiscal failure. It is insulting to the hard-working families and businesses in Illinois that establishment politicians, like my opponent, prefer to tax them instead of looking at economic reforms. They would rather burden families with taxes than look for opportunities to grow our economy, and this is wrong.”

Many business owners have voiced their concerns and proclaimed their intentions to leave the state directly to Bernas.

“I spoke with (the owner of) an Illinois-based business a couple months ago that provides good manufacturing jobs in my district, and they told me that they are planning investments everywhere but in Illinois,” Bernas said. “Those are investments that could mean jobs and high salaries for people in my district. I’m going to Springfield to fight for policies that make it possible for businesses to invest in Illinois.”

With businesses leaving, a steadily growing workforce is left struggling to find stable work.

Bernas has seen firsthand the effects of Illinois’ unemployment.

“This is exactly the reason that I am running for office,” Bernas said. “I have seen too many of my peers leave the state due to a lack of opportunities. We live in a state that should have everything going for it. We have top-notch infrastructure, the best trained workforce and a great location. But high taxes and a dysfunctional government are driving people out of Illinois. We need to change that.”

Bernas is asking voters to question what their representatives have done for them. 

“I ask my constituents to ask themselves this question when they go to the polls in November – what has Michelle Mussman done to improve the economy?” Bernas said. “What reforms has she sponsored and fought for to grow businesses here and keep people from leaving? We need to reform Illinois, and Michelle Mussman stands for the status quo.”

Bernas, frustrated with the legislature playing games (figuratively and literally) with voters, wants to see a paradigm shift.

“We need our legislators to have an independent voice,” Bernas said. “They need to speak up for their constituents and participate in debates about legislation that affects our communities… . We need serious leadership in Springfield, and I am running to replace legislators that don’t do their jobs."