As the clock ticks down toward the end of Lame Duck Session, State Senator Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg) issued the following statement voicing his opposition to Democrat lawmakers’ efforts to push through radical, multibillion-dollar legislation in the limited time that remains:
“We have only hours ahead of us in the Lame Duck Session and I’m extremely disappointed that my Democrat colleagues are choosing to ram through legislation that is not only costly but also dangerous.
“We are already facing an uphill battle to recover from this global pandemic and the last thing the taxpayers of this state need is to face the very real possibility of yet another costly tax burden being placed on their doorsteps.
“The proposals being pushed include legislation that would endanger the safety of our communities, a bill that could bankrupt many vital hospitals in Southern Illinois and a measure that mandates a costly water program that could dramatically increase property taxes. These are shortsighted, irresponsible and damaging proposals that would have lasting consequences on the hardworking men and women of our region.
“We’ve had months in which we could have been working on these proposals and gathering public input. However, Democrat leaders refused to call us back into session. It’s outrageous that they now choose to push through sweeping, radical and frankly thoughtless measures that negatively impact our state.
“We should focus on helping our small businesses, fixing our economy and pushing through real reforms that will help our state move forward.”
Measures being pushed by Democrat lawmakers in the final two days of Lame Duck Session include:
House Bill 163, which Senator Fowler has condemned as a dangerous criminal justice proposal that would endanger citizens and essentially defund the police.
House Bill 2685, which mandates an $80 billion unfunded water program on local governments that will increase water rates or dramatically increase property taxes.
House Bill 3840 which will cost billions of dollars while placing unfunded requirements on daycares struggling to get by with COVID-19 restrictions potentially further limiting working families, terminates managed care and increases Medicaid payments to one narrow category of hospitals, without considering the needs of other hospitals that also serve vulnerable communities.
Lame Duck Session is scheduled to resume on January 11 and will end January 12.