Illinois State House of RepresentativesCandidato para Distrito 44

I support term limits for legislators as well as constitutional officers. We should look at the experience of other states and have a discussion on term limits based on sound public policy, not one driven by political agendas. There are pros and cons to term limits. For example, term limits would remove legislators that don’t represent their districts’ best interest yet keep getting elected. On the other hand, losing institutional knowledge would allow insiders and lobbyist to exercise more influence in the Capitol. Also, term limits would produce lame duck legislators that won’t be held accountable for their votes, hence there should be a ban a legislators working for interest group/organizations after their terms expire.

Pointing figures does not help solve the problem. The current impasse has detrimentally impacted our most vulnerable citizens, and the longer we wait the more harm it will cause. The budget process requires the governor and the General Assembly to work together in presenting and passing a balanced budget.  As chairman of the Appropriations Committee for General Services, I am committed to continue working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and with the administration, to find a reasonable solution to the budget stalemate.

I don’t agree with the drastic cuts proposed by the governor, and I am most definitely opposed to cuts to the MAP grants that help many low-income and middle-class families send their children to college.  We have heard from state colleges and universities that not only are they losing students, but also experienced professors. The loss of students and professors coupled with credit rating downgrades has already caused significant harm to our state colleges and universities. Additionally failing to adequately fund higher education can result in higher tuition for the students.

As chairman of the House Education Committee on Curriculum and Policy, and a member of the governor’s Education Funding Commission, I have a strong interest in this issue. I do not support education-funding models that favor some school districts at the expense of others. There is a model being considered, the Evidence Base Model, which I think should be explored. I will continue working with my colleagues and the administration if finding a fair and equitable funding solution that will benefit all children in our state.

There are several options to increase revenue without asking the middle class to pay higher taxes. I have introduced legislation that cuts over a million dollars from the lieutenant governor’s office. Other revenue-generating options include consolidating services provided by state agencies, closing corporate tax loopholes and increasing tax rates on millionaires. I have also strongly recommended using the Auditor General’s reports and findings during the appropriation process to identify waste and ways to improve processes.

I do support the constitutional amendment.

For sure it will require all hands on deck to come up with a solution. Any solution needs to ensure that it’s fair to taxpayers and employees who have met their obligations and made their required payments into the pension system. We need all stakeholders at the table. It’s important to keep in mind that this dire situation was created over several decades, through underfunding the pension systems and made worse by recessions that had a significant impact on the pensions’ investment returns. We have to work with the understanding that any solution will take years to correct the problem.

I do not support initiatives that would release criminals into our neighborhoods.

Residents of my district are more concerned about safe neighborhoods and safety in general than changing the state’s civil asset forfeiture system.

I have supported legislation that allows civil unions and same-sex marriage in our state.  Those issues were thoroughly debated and discussed in the General Assembly. The issue being questioned here deserves the same thorough debate and discussion.    

This issue has seldom if ever brought up in my district. The residents in my district are more concerned with issues that impact the quality of life of seniors, women’s health and children’s wellbeing which are currently being neglected by this administration.

I support common-sense gun laws to protect the residents of our state. That includes requiring gun dealers to be licensed, placing a ban on assault weapons, and requiring a background check on anyone purchasing a firearm.

I’ve supported increasing the minimum wage, and will continue to do so. The current minimum wage does not meet the standards of a living wage. The minimum wage has lost close to one-third of its value since the 1960s.  As we discuss raising the minimum wage we need to reconcile the needs of employees and employers to ensure that any increase protects both.

I do not support 1-cent tax on soft drinks.

As a member of the Public Utilities Commission, I’m always interested in exploring new renewable energy sources. I strongly support investing in clean energy alternatives as a way to protect our environment for this and future generations, and as a way to create new jobs.