Kane County Reporter

State Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) joined several other GOP General Assembly members in seeking reforms to the way Illinois operates.

Ugaste has been tasked to look after the state's business climate and workers. 

“I am proud that Leader (Tony) McCombie has asked me to serve on working groups to increase opportunity in Illinois, as well as improve public safety,” Ugaste said in a press conference. “I will be leading the re-igniting Illinois Strong Economy Working Group. Since arriving in Springfield, I talked about the need to make Illinois a pro-growth state while protecting our workers, as well as looking out for our citizens.” 

He underlined the need to ascertain and apply the state's strengths.  

“During lame duck session, I spoke on the House floor about the need to expand opportunity in Illinois using long-term sustainable reforms. We can apply our strengths that Leader McCombie mentioned: geography, workforce, our resources to bring creators and opportunities home here to Illinois. But we can only do so if we address the glaring issues that are facing families and job creators in this state: sky-high property taxes, endless regulation, and other costs that are just far too high in our state. Illinois has a lot going for it. It truly does. Naturally, as well as things that have been done over the years to make this a quality place, make it the transportation hub of the nation and we can solve our problems.”

Editorialist George Will last year reported Illinois’s pension crisis is unsolvable given the current political climate in the state. “The unfunded liabilities of state-managed pension systems are $313 billion, which is around 30 percent of Illinois’ gross domestic product,” Will wrote in The Wahington Post. “Even sustained brisk economic growth would not solve the pension crisis under current law. And current law makes such growth impossible.”

Illinois property tax burden has risen by 76 percent since 1990 and has grown by more than three times of that of median household incomes, according to Illinois Policy. The state’s property tax rate is the second highest in the nation after New Jersey.

Ugaste was speaking on behalf of a united GOP plan to address structural deficits in Illinois. The implications of the plans are varied. "The economic agenda includes establishing worker protections while using the state’s resources and Midwest location to make the state attractive to job creators,” Troy E. Taylor wrote for Shaw Local. “Helping families would be achieved by making Illinois attractive as a place to move to.” He also noted, “The literacy agenda says the state must address learning loss, improve learning literacy and restore students so they are competitive in the modern workplace.” Taylor added that “The policing agenda aims to make neighborhoods safe, protect law-abiding citizens and respect law enforcement.”