North Cook News

Rep. Tom Morrison (R-Palatine) sighs 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 the tax at the polls, new House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch (D-Hillside) recently hinted that Democrats are thinking of a do-over on the issue.

Welch said that this time around, most tax revenue would be earmarked for paying down the state's $141 billion debt in unfunded pension liability.

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

"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. 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 just over 47% of the 60% support it needed for passage. The measure came up short despite Gov. J.B. Pritzker pumping millions of dollars of his own money into a campaign designed to get it over the finish line.

Morrison said there is 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."