Severin and Fellow Southern Illinois House Republicans Call for Anti-Corruption Package
SPRINGFIELD – House Republican lawmakers presented their legislative proposals today to once again bring forward an opportunity for ethics reform in the Illinois statehouse. The proposals are an attempt to restore public faith in government and root out commonplace corruption under the dome. State Representatives Patrick Windhorst (Metropolis), Dave Severin (Benton), and David Friess (Red Bud) discussed the unfortunate record of public corruption guilty verdicts impacting the Illinois General Assembly, including the former Speaker of the Illinois House Michael Madigan.
State Representative Dave Severin says much more must be done to restore public trust.
“Rep. Windhorst and I were both here when Mike Madigan was still in control of this place,” said Severin. “A lot has changed since then. We had COVID, we’ve had arrests of politicians, we’ve had indictments, guilty pleas, and even guilty verdicts. Some things haven’t changed, we have the same House Rules, the same handpicked politicians running the place, and the same miserable results. I am proud of the work that my fellow Southern Illinois House Republicans have done to try to clean up this mess.”
State Representative Patrick Windhorst, a former prosecutor, and a current member of the House Judiciary Criminal Law, Restorative Justice, and Ethics and Elections Committees is sponsoring a number of ethics reform bills including HB 2413, which would prohibit legislators and Constitutional officers from lobbying at the local level. For Rep. Windhorst, it is a common sense first step forward.
“While Democrat politicians were arrested, indicted, charged, convicted, and incarcerated, we waited for action,” said Windhorst. “We have been disappointed time after time. While House Republicans continue to wait for Illinois Democrats to take the issue of public corruption seriously, we’ve been busy filing and sponsoring comprehensive legislative ethics reforms to stamp out corruption. Our legislative efforts aim to turn our state from a corrupt embarrassment into something our citizens can be proud of.”
State Representative David Friess discussed the long list of indictments as reason enough that ethics reform cannot wait.
“Today is our final day to pass house bills out of committee…and how many of our ethics reform bills have made it out of committee to even be considered on the House floor? Zero. With indictment after indictment, not a single ethics reform proposal we’ve introduced will even be debated in the chamber this spring. It’s shameful,” said Friess.
The House Republican members further noted just how long the people of Illinois have been subjected to public corruption laying out their objective when it comes to reform: No more legislators as lobbyists, close the revolving door, and end the use of campaign money to pay for public corruption defense.
The ethics reform legislation House Republicans are backing includes the following:
- HB 1382 – Puts ‘teeth’ into the Legislative Inspector General’s office to issue subpoenas without first seeking approval from the people they may be investigating.
- HB 1384 – Addresses local government lobbying reform.
- HB 1385 – Closes the loophole in the current revolving door policy that allows a legislator to be a member one day and the next day be a lobbyist.
- HB 3115 – 3-year revolving door lobbying ban for members of the General Assembly.
- HB 3121 – Implements representation case and recusal reform.
- HB 1554 – Bans public officials from using campaign funds for their own legal defense.
- HB 2813 – Requires a 72-Hour budget review before a vote on the budget.
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Severin Honors Agricultural Icon Sarah Frey on House Floor During Women’s History Month
SPRINGFIELD, IL – State Representative Dave Severin (R-Benton) rose on the House Floor on Tuesday to honor a Southern Illinois native, and national and regional agricultural icon, Sarah Frey of Frey Farms in rural Wayne County, on a point of personal privilege to celebrate Women’s History Month.
Rep. Severin said the following in honor of Frey’s many achievements, accomplishments, and contributions as a pumpkin and watermelon farmer, entrepreneur, and servant to the agriculture industry.
“I rise today to celebrate Women’s History Month to pay special tribute to Sarah Frey of Frey Farms in Wayne County, Illinois. Sarah Frey is a true pioneer in agriculture, a successful businesswoman, an author, and an inspiring example of leadership, innovation, and determination.
Sarah’s journey of hard work and success began at a young age, helping her family on their small farm. At 16, Sarah borrowed $10,000 to buy a used truck to take over her family farm’s melon route. She quickly grew the farm’s client list from 12 to 150.
When the farm fell on hard financial times, at the young age of 18, Sarah bought the farm outright and started what would become a wildly successful pumpkin farm operation. Sarah now grows more pumpkins than any other farmer in the United States, earning her the nickname ‘Pumpkin Queen of America.’
Sarah has also built a highly successful watermelon juice brand known as Tsamma Watermelon Juice.
Beyond her remarkable business success, Sarah has been a tireless advocate for rural communities and women in farming. Sarah serves on the United Fresh Government Regulations Council and the National Watermelon Promotion Board, and is a member of the Illinois Agriculture Coalition Committee.
Sarah’s leadership, passion, and commitment to agriculture inspire us all. Thank you for your invaluable contributions and for paving the way for future generations of women in agriculture.”
Protecting Homeschool Freedom
House Republicans continue to fight to protect the rights of parents to choose the best educational experience for their children.
House Bill 2827, the “Homeschool Act,” was heard in committee this week and passed over the objection of tens of thousands of families choosing home or private school for their children. This bill mandates that non-public elementary and secondary schools register annually with the Illinois State Board of Education and requires homeschools to fill out a Homeschool Declaration Form or risk truancy, which could lead to fines and even imprisonment. It further requires homeschool administrators to submit personal information about themselves and their students to state and local authorities.
“Illinois should empower parents to place their children in education environments that help them learn and succeed,” said Rep. Amy Elik. “Bureaucrats in Springfield have bigger problems to solve than tracking parents’ schooling decisions. This bill attempts to solve a problem that does not exist.”
The public has been vocal about their opposition to this state overreach. Nearly 51,000 motivated residents filed witness slips in opposition to HB 2827. Thousands of Illinoisans went to the State Capitol on Wednesday to express their opposition and speak to lawmakers about their positive experience with homeschooling.
“Placing children in public schools does not guarantee results or safety,” Elik continued. “I oppose forcing additional mandates on responsible parents.”
HB 2827 was heard in the Education Policy Committee where Elik is the House Republican Spokesperson. Despite all Republicans voting in opposition, it passed committee and was advanced to the House Floor for further action. Residents who agree HB 2827 should be stopped can sign the House Republicans’ petition and file a witness slip at ilga.gov.
Following the committee hearing, Leader McCombie issued the following statement:
“Today, the Democrat majority silenced over 50,000 advocates who oppose this misguided legislation—a blatant disservice to Illinois families that must not be ignored.
“With the serious challenges facing our state, lawmakers should be addressing real problems, not creating solutions for issues that don’t exist. HB 2827 is nothing more than a strategic push for more government control, doing nothing to tackle the true root issues plaguing public education.”
Rep. Elik, Leader McCombie, and Rep. Wilhour spoke to the press following the committee hearing. Watch their remarks here.
Rep. Severin Offers Opening House Prayer
HOUSE REPUBLICAN WEEK IN REVIEW
REDISTRICTING REFORM
- Reformers: Democrats Recruit ‘Prince of Darkness’ to Defend Illegal Maps. Illinois House Republican leaders provided the latest update this week regarding their ongoing lawsuit on redistricting filed with the Illinois Supreme Court. The lawsuit alleges that the Illinois Democratic majority has rigged legislative elections by gerrymandering electoral districts to their benefit, and at the expense of a fair process for all Illinois voters.
House Republican Leader Tony McCombie was joined by Deputy Leader Ryan Spain and Assistant Leader Dan Ugaste at a press conference in Springfield to provide the latest details.
“In response to the Illinois Supreme Court’s order to address the issue of timeliness, the Illinois Attorney General has declined to take a position on behalf of the State Board of Elections,” explained Assistant Leader Ugaste. “This is contrary to what has happened in these situations in the past. Speaker Welch and Senate President Harmon have intervened, and their lawyers are now relying on a legal technicality to deny an untold number of voters their constitutional rights concerning their vote.”
This legal technicality is called ‘laches,’ a seldom-used defense mechanism that asserts the plaintiff has unreasonably delayed its legal claim and therefore is no longer subject to the relief it seeks. As Ugaste explained, the defense, which in this case is the State Board of Elections, is now attempting to prove the plaintiffs, which are Leader McCombie and five registered voters, were not diligent in pursuing this lawsuit. The defense is also attempting to prove prejudice, which in a legal sense, is their ability to defend their case.
House Republicans are optimistic and eager for the legal process to continue moving forward. It’s also worth noting that Welch and Harmon are calling upon prominent election lawyer Mike Kasper to defend the case. In the past, Kasper has been called ‘Vader,’ the ‘prince of darkness’ and Democrats’ ‘chief weapon against redistricting reform.’ He was also a top lawyer for disgraced and convicted ex-speaker Mike Madigan.
“Speaker Welch has come forward and hired Mike Madigan’s favorite henchman, Mike Kasper, to defend his overtly partisan gerrymandered legislative maps,” stated Deputy Leader Spain. “It is time to end Democrat insiders conspiring with one another to disenfranchise the people of Illinois!”
“The Illinois Supreme Court has a crucial opportunity to declare these maps unconstitutional and end political gerrymandering in our state,” stated Leader McCombie. “House Republicans recognize the gravity of this moment and are committed to supporting a fair and transparent process for Illinois. Meanwhile, Speaker Welch continues to recklessly defend extreme partisan tactics that undermine our democracy.”
For all the latest news in the case, please visit redoremap.com.
CRIMINAL LAW
- House Republicans lead fight against human trafficking with legislative proposals. House Republican lawmakers presented their legislative proposals at a Capitol press conference to bring light to human trafficking and the impact it has throughout Illinois. With Illinois ranking among the top ten nationwide for human trafficking cases, State Representatives Nicole La Ha, Jennifer Sanalitro, and Dennis Tipsword discussed the importance of putting forth viable solutions.
State Representative Nicole La Ha has been a vocal advocate in the fight against human trafficking, driven not only through her commitment to justice but to protect the vulnerable. To do that, she filed three bills: HB 1114 removes the statute of limitations for prosecuting crimes such as involuntary servitude, involuntary sexual servitude of a minor, or trafficking in persons when the victim was under 18 at the time of the offense; HB 1467 eliminates the affirmative defense of “mistake of age” for individuals accused of patronizing a minor engaged in prostitution; and HB 1469, which amends the Sex Offender Registration Act to include offenses such as trafficking in persons, involuntary servitude, and involuntary sexual servitude of a minor, requiring offenders to register as sex offenders.
LaHa’s legislation ensures victims have the time they need to come forward, holds offenders accountable, and provides transparency in communities to promote awareness of the severity of human trafficking.
“Today, we took a stand against the horrific reality of human trafficking in Illinois,” said Rep. La Ha. “I’m working to ensure traffickers are held fully accountable and that survivors have the time, resources, and support they need to seek justice. We must take action to make sure those responsible face the consequences of their crimes.”
“I want to thank the advocates and survivors who have shared their stories with me. Your voices matter, and your courage fuels this fight,” continued La Ha. “I will continue pushing this legislation forward and working on new measures to support you and ensure traffickers are brought to justice. Every step we take brings us closer to protecting our vulnerable and ending this heinous crime.”
State Representative Jennifer Sanalitro noted that Illinois’ central location and access to world class airports, highways, and other transportation networks has only propelled human trafficking in the state. Resulting in us being a hub for trafficking. Knowing this she said, “We cannot turn a blind eye.”
“I talk with law enforcement officers on a regular basis and I know they are working hard, but their resources are stretched thin,” continued Sanalitro. “As lawmakers, we need stronger laws, more funding, and more community engagement to combat these crimes. Every second we wait, another victim is at risk.”
Rep. Sanalitro introduced the bills she’s backing and called on her colleagues to work together to stop human trafficking and protect the vulnerable. Her bills include: HB 1903, which allows victims to obtain legal protection against their traffickers, and HB 3237, which ensures victims are not punished for crimes they were forced to commit while being trafficked.
State Representative Dennis Tipsword provided insight into the importance of working with law enforcement in the fight to end human trafficking, which for him means holding criminals accountable and protecting some of the state’s youngest and most vulnerable residents.
“These predators are drawn to sexual exploitation, financial gain, and illegal business practices, and we have to do everything in our power to keep them off our streets,” said Rep. Tipsword, who also serves as Chief Deputy at the Woodford County Sheriff’s Office. “Human trafficking represents a massive public safety issue, and victims can be lured by violence, manipulation, romance, and false financial promises.”
Tipsword spoke about an incident near his district earlier this year, when the Illinois State Police arrested six men for human trafficking crimes in Bloomington. These crimes included commercial sex acts, solicitation to meet a child, and grooming. It took a very large and coordinated effort to handle these arrests, with the local police, the county sheriff’s office, the Illinois State Police, the Department of Children and Family Services, the State’s Attorney’s Office and others all involved.
“Law enforcement will continue to face challenges going forward, and with the internet and social media, the pathways for predators to lure women, children and other vulnerable populations are numerous,” continued Tipsword.”
Tipsword and House Republican members will continue to back efforts to put a stop to human trafficking and move their bills through the legislative process.
IMMIGRATION
- House Republicans Fight to End Costly Sanctuary State Policies, Stop Illegal Immigration
Assistant Republican Leader C.D. Davidsmeyer, along with State Reps. Mike Coffey and Paul Jacobs, held a Capitol news conference this week to denounce Illinois’ costly and dangerous “Sanctuary State” policy. The House Republican lawmakers highlighted their legislative package focused on stopping Illegal immigration in Illinois.
Under the Biden Administration’s Open Border policy, the United States and the State of Illinois were unable to keep up with the flood of migrants coming into the country. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, Illinois is home to the fifth most foreign nationals in the country, with at least 530,000 illegal immigrants residing across the state.
“The surge of illegal immigrants into Illinois has led to a string of horrific crimes, endangered public safety, and has blown a huge hole in our already-strained budget,” Rep. Davidsmeyer said.
Representative Davidsmeyer is sponsoring legislation (HB 1317) to repeal the Illinois TRUST Act, a misguided law that prohibits law enforcement agencies from working with federal authorities to detain and deport illegal immigrants. Davidsmeyer’s bill would end Illinois’ failed sanctuary state policy.
“The truth is the Democrats’ sanctuary state policy has cost Illinois taxpayers billions of dollars and made our communities less safe,” Davidsmeyer said. “And the Democrats’ giveaways to illegal immigrants are incentives for them to come to Illinois. If you build it, they will come. And they did.”
On Governor Pritzker’s watch, the State has spent $2.2 billion in taxpayer funds on healthcare benefits for immigrant adults. In total, over $3 billion have been spent on services for migrants and illegal immigrants, while services for our most vulnerable citizens remain chronically underfunded and underserved.
Davidsmeyer has filed House Bill 1456 to end the massively expensive HBIA/HBIS program.
“With an estimated $1.2 billion budget deficit, we simply cannot afford this budget buster anymore,” Davidsmeyer added.
Rep. Mike Coffey filed House Bill 3241 to allow Illinois counties the opportunity to opt out of complying with the provisions within the TRUST Act by adopting resolutions. The bill gives individual counties the right to set standards that are best suited for their residents and businesses.
“Last year, I visited the border to see our border problem firsthand and listen directly from the Border Patrol agents, agencies, and nonprofits handling the thousands of migrants flooding into Eagle Pass, Texas. I heard from officials from poor counties on the southern border without the funds or resources to pay for the influx of migrants and from organizations helping families navigate the aftermath of human trafficking and drugs.”
Rep. Jacobs also made his case to stop illegal immigration and stop the billions of dollars of drain on the state budget. Jacobs believes repealing the Illinois TRUST Act is the first step to begin solving the problem. He has also filed legislation (HB 1345) to repeal the TRUST Act
“The TRUST Act prohibits local law enforcement in Illinois from participating in immigration enforcement,” explained Rep. Jacobs. “We have a responsibility to require that immigrants come to our country the lawful way, and to keep our citizens and communities safe from the gangs, drugs, and crime that have so badly harmed so many people across our state and country.”
- Three-year CGFA budget forecast. The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (CGFA) has looked at the State’s long-term trends to get a medium-term forecast of Illinois’ economic prospects.
The new CGFA report, “Three-Year Budget Forecast: FY26 – FY28,” generates a relatively cautious, and to some extent pessimistic, look at Illinois’ medium-term prospects. Working with professional economic forecasters, CGFA looked at State spending growth patterns and revenue projections for FY26, FY27, and FY28. This is a three-year period that will continue from the summer of 2025 until June 30, 2028.
The three-year CGFA budget forecast makes clear that the State of Illinois’ “structural deficit,” the pattern of locked-in spending that exceeds available general fund revenues, not only dominates the State’s fiscal picture in FY25 but can be extended to continue through FY26. The results of their findings are set forth in a table on page 14 of the March 2025 report. Based on the accounting principles adopted by CGFA and its economic advisors, in FY25 Illinois general funds tax revenues will fall $277 million short of the anticipated FY25 general funds spending mandated by the General Assembly and Gov. Pritzker in the FY25 State budget.
Furthermore, CGFA sees this structural deficit as worsening over time. Over the past 20 years, State spending has increased at an average annual rate of 4.1%. However, current State tax revenue trends show a growth rate in State revenues coming in that is well below 4.1%/year. As a result of State revenues falling further and further short of expected State spending over this three-year period, the CGFA three-year projection sees Illinois’ “structural deficit” rising dramatically in FY26, FY27, and FY28. All these numbers are CGFA projections set forth in the chart on page 14 of the March 2025 report:
Projected FY25 deficit $ 277 million
Projected FY26 deficit $1,877 million
Projected FY27 deficit $3,199 million
Projected FY28 deficit $4,323 million
The CGFA report does not claim that Illinois’ fiscal status is doomed. Dramatic action, taken right now, could balance the budget. Restricting the growth in State general funds spending to a nearly flat growth rate of 1.2%, in line with austerity policies routinely imposed in the private sector when cash flows are falling short, could produce a genuinely balanced budget as soon as FY27. This alternative 1.2% chart, also published by CGFA, represents a viable path forward.:
Projected FY25 deficit $ 277 million
Projected FY26 deficit $ 320 million
Projected FY27 deficit $ 2 million
Projected FY28 surplus $ 599 million
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
- McCombie Says, “Enough is Enough! Let’s Get to Work for Illinois.” The Illinois House Committee Deadline for bill action was Friday, March 21. At the deadline, 643 House bills had been passed out of committee. Unfortunately, only 64 of the 643 bills advanced through the committee process were Republican-sponsored bills. House Republicans make up one-third of the Illinois House of Representatives, yet only 10% of the bills advanced were Republican bills.
For weeks, the Democratic supermajority has wasted time on the House floor throwing tantrums against President Donald Trump’s actions to “Make America Great Again.” Illinois Democrats have called Trump and Republicans in general Nazis and fascists. Democrats have decried Republican efforts to make life more affordable for everyday Americans, to secure our borders, and to cut wasteful government spending.
As the Democrats continued their verbal assaults on President Trump this week, House Republican Leader Tony McCombie took to the floor Thursday and said, “Enough is Enough! Let’s Get to Work for Illinois.”