North Cook News

Rep. Tom Morrison (R-Palatine) said Democrats are being true to who they are in again pushing progressive tax legislation.

"I'm not surprised that Democratic leaders are coming back so quickly with this proposal," Morrison told the North Cook News. "Tax and spend is their playbook. Collectively, they don't have the inclination or the will to cut or even reform spending."

Just months after voters stood firm in rejecting such a tax plan, new House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch (D-Hillside) recently hinted that Democrats are considering proposing the tax plan again.

Welch stressed that this time around, most of the tax revenue would be earmarked for paying down the state's massive unfunded pension liability, estimated to be in the neighborhood of $141 billion.

Morrison wonders what it will take for Democrats to get the message.

"The measure was so widely rejected across the political spectrum that I would expect it to finish around the same or possibly worse," he said. "Its chief proponent, Gov. [J.B.] Pritzker, has not demonstrated that he got the message. Illinois has a massive tax and ethics problem, and Illinoisans are tired of handing the politicians even easier ability to tax more."

In November, voters overwhelmingly shot down a similar proposal when the initiative gained 47% of the 60% support needed for passage.

Morrison said there's clearly an easier way.

"The deeper into debt we go, the fewer and harder are our options," he said. "We must amend the state constitution to provide for pension changes on a go-forward basis — no more virtual blank checks that prohibit any benefit changes from the first day of an employee's work until they pass. The state and local governments will not be able to maintain staffing or service levels given the growth of legacy pension debt."