Working Families Could Face $1.5 Billion Tax Hike in Second Week of Veto
Legislators are back in Springfield this week for the final three days of the fall veto session. As I mentioned in my last newsletter, Democrats are pushing a plan that could cost Illinois families up to $1.5 billion more each year to bail out Mayor Brandon Johnson’s Chicago transit system, which faces a looming budget shortfall due to long-term financial mismanagement.
The new tax hike proposals are similar to the tax and fee increases that were championed by Democrats back in May. The tax hikes were bad then, and they’re bad now. As a reminder, here are my floor comments from that May 31 Senate floor debate.
As was the case in May, the new Democrat tax hike plan doesn’t just raise taxes, it raises the cost of daily life. Families would pay more for the basics they rely on every day, from getting to work and buying groceries to caring for their kids.
The taxes would hit suburban and downstate families hardest, forcing them to subsidize Mayor Brandon Johnson’s financial mismanagement. For families in this area who never ride Chicago’s buses or trains, this plan means paying more for a service they may never use.
Every extra dollar matters for working parents trying to put food on the table and keep the lights on. The last thing Illinois families need is another tax making life harder. It is time for Springfield to start helping families get ahead instead of holding them back.
Senate to Consider Pritzker’s Changes to Equality for Every Family Act
This week, the Senate is expected to take up Governor J.B. Pritzker’s amendatory veto to House Bill 2568, known as the Equality for Every Family Act. The measure makes sweeping changes to Illinois’ parentage laws, replacing traditional references to “mother” and “father” with gender-neutral terms such as “acknowledged parent” and “person who gave birth.”
I was vocal with my opposition to this bill when it originally came before the Senate in May because I believe it is an attempt to erase the fundamental definitions of family. During the Senate floor debate on the original bill, I had this to say:
“There are only two genders. This act replaces ‘father’ with ‘acknowledged parent’ and refers to mothers as ‘the person who gave birth.’ As a father, that’s offensive. For women, it should be equally so. The people of Illinois deserve laws that strengthen families, not redefine them. Words matter, and removing ‘mother’ and ‘father’ from our statutes sends the wrong message about the importance of parents in a child’s life.”
Pritzker’s amendatory veto addressed what his administration described as a drafting error. However, I maintain that the legislation reflects a broader ideological effort to rewrite long-standing social norms.
Illinois Senate Passes Resolution Honoring Charlie Kirk
The life of First Amendment advocate and popular radio host Charlie Kirk has been honored by the Illinois Senate through a resolution passed earlier this month.
Senate Resolution 427 passed unanimously on October 16, 2025. The resolution officially mourns the passing of Charlie Kirk and extends condolences from the members of the Senate to Kirk’s family, friends, and all who knew and loved him. It also directs a copy of the resolution to be presented to his family as an expression of our deepest sympathy.
Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was born in Arlington Heights, Illinois, in 1993. Kirk’s organization would become a national powerhouse as the man behind it became an accomplished author, speaker, and talk radio host.
Charlie Kirk was tragically killed on September 10, 2025, when he was shot by a sniper during a Turning Point event on the campus of Utah Valley University.
