Senator Dave Syverson

State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford) today welcomed Gov. Pat Quinn’s decision to sign the capital construction bill on Monday. The announcement came during a Thursday meeting between downstate lawmakers and the Governor in Springfield.

“This is very good news for the people and economy of Winnebago County,” Syverson said. “I am proud to say this plan will bring a record amount of construction work – more than $400 million – to the Rockford area. For the last six years, I have been working on getting a capital plan signed into law, and to ensure our area got its fair share of construction projects. This plan accomplishes that, and more.”

In all, the proposed plan would fund about 60 projects in the Rockford area valued at more than $400 million. In addition to funding local road and bridge projects, the plan also includes money for a new classroom building at Rock Valley College and additional grant projects for school maintenance, parks and museums, mass transportation, community colleges and universities.

Numerous road projects critical to Winnebago County infrastructure and development are also part of the plan, including construction work on Illinois Route 173, North and South Main Street, West State Street and the Morgan Street bridge.

SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Illinois Senate on Saturday pushed through the largest tax hike in state history, despite opposition from State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford), all Republican lawmakers and a handful of Democrats.

The $7 billion tax hike, contained in House Bill 174, would raise the income tax rate from 3 percent to 5 percent – a 67 percent increase. It also imposes 39 new taxes on a wide range of services, including dry cleaning, bowling, pet grooming, amusement parks admissions, oil changes, and movie theaters.

“This tax hike will devastate working families who are already struggling to survive the economic slump,” Syverson said. “Not only will they face higher income taxes, but many of their everyday activities will also cost more. We should be doing more to help families and taxpayers, rather than slapping them with draconian tax hikes.”

Syverson noted the tax hike vote came without any prior spending cuts or fiscal reforms. As a member of the Senate’s Deficit Reform Committee, Syverson looked at various ways to cut spending and reform the state budget, ranging from Medicaid reforms to government cost-savings.

“Citizens are rightly outraged by this proposed tax hike,” Syverson said. “Instead of cutting spending and reforming the state budget, just as families across Illinois have been forced to do, they are hinging this budget on new taxes. That’s unfair and an affront to the hard working people of the state.”

While the Illinois House has yet to act on the measure, Syverson noted that the major budget proposals being pushed by the chamber’s leadership also rely on tax hikes rather than fiscal reforms.

“Six years ago, I warned the state’s pattern of overspending would lead to a day of reckoning,” Syverson said. “Well, that day is finally here and instead of stepping up and making the hard fiscal choices that need to be made, the majority wants to hand taxpayers a $7 billion bill.”

SPRINGFIELD, IL – State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford) says state-line courts could get some extra help in expediting cases, under a measure passed by the Illinois Senate.

Senate Bill 1938, co-sponsored by Syverson, adds an associate judge to the 17th Circuit Judicial Court, which oversees cases in Winnebago and Boone counties.

Syverson said the legislation will help move cases forward and get defendants through the judicial system more quickly, giving relief to overloaded local courts and the county jail system.

“With the increased pressure on courts locally, there is clearly a need for additional assistance,” Syverson said. “This legislation provides for an extra judge for the Rockford area, and will give critical relief to a judicial system swamped by cases.”

The request for the additional judge came from Winnebago County Board Chairman Scott Christiansen who, Syverson noted, helped make the case for the legislation.

“The Chairman was enormously helpful in getting this legislation passed,” Syverson said. “By providing lawmakers the number of cases facing Rockford courts, he made it clear just how much pressure our local judicial system is under. He also implemented crucial reforms demonstrating that the County has already been doing everything it can to cut the backlog.”

The legislation, having passed both Houses, now heads to the Governor.

The Rockford area would fare well under a statewide capital construction plan being developed by state lawmakers, according to State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford).

The Rockford Senator said many key state-line priorities would be funded under the proposal, which is in its final stages of discussions. Among the projects expected to be funded under the plan are reconstruction work on Illinois Route 173, North and South Main Street, West State Street and the Morgan Street bridge.

Further details of the plan are expected to be released in the next 24 to 48 hours.

“After six years of hard work and negotiation, we are finally on the verge of getting a comprehensive construction plan that will address many of the key infrastructure priorities of the Rockford area,” Syverson said. “This proposal will do more than repair our aging roads and bridges – it will also provide a jump-start to our economy and create tens of thousands of high quality jobs at a time they are desperately needed.”

In all, the proposed plan would fund about 60 projects in the Rockford area valued at more than $200 million. In addition to funding local road and bridge projects, the plan also includes money for a new classroom building at Rock Valley College and additional grant projects for school maintenance, parks and museums, mass transportation, community colleges and universities.

While Syverson says the plan isn’t perfect, he believes it’s a positive step for both the Rockford economy and local taxpayers.

“Under this plan, our area will see its key infrastructure needs addressed without job-killing income tax hikes and gas tax increases,” Syverson said. “That’s a win-win for the people of Winnebago County.”

The total proposed statewide construction plan amounts to about $30 billion, when federal stimulus dollars and the state’s five-year road plan are figured in.

SPRINGFIELD, IL – A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers is urging the General Assembly to pass critical assistance for struggling manufacturers. On Tuesday, State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford) joined Republican and Democratic legislators from around Illinois in calling for the restoration of $2 million in funds for the Illinois Manufacturing Extension Center (IMEC), a non-profit organization that helps manufacturers contain costs, improve efficiency and create quality jobs.

“The manufacturers in my district are responding to today’s challenges by reinvesting in their people, processes and products to regain a competitive advantage,” said Syverson, a member of the bipartisan Manufacturing Caucus. “But many also need help to be successful. As legislators, one of our jobs is to help create the conditions necessary for businesses and citizens to succeed. I can’t think of a better way to do that than by supporting an organization that is helping manufacturers to become more efficient and competitive.”

Syverson noted that companies assisted by IMEC achieve productivity gains four times greater than firms that don’t receive similar help. Independent studies have also shown that every dollar the state invests in IMEC generates an additional four dollars in tax revenue for Illinois.

IMEC had been funded every year by the General Assembly since 1996, until last year, when $2 million in funding was vetoed by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

“We strongly feel that was a mistake,” Syverson said. “Funding IMEC will help manufacturers and help our state’s economy when we need it most. In addition, this is an organization that more than pays for itself, with the state getting back four dollars for every dollar invested.”

Joining Syverson in calling for the restoration of the IMEC funding are Senators A.J. Wilhelmi (D-Joliet), Larry Bomke (R-Springfield), Deanna Demuzio (D-Carlinville), Dave Koehler (D-Peoria), and Dave Luechtefeld (R-Okawville), and Representatives Frank Mautino (D-Spring Valley), Raymond Poe (R-Springfield), Pat Verschoore (D-Milan), David Leitch (R-Peoria) and Rich Brauer (R-Springfield).

State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford) expressed his support on Monday for efforts by local residents to stage a tea party to protest high taxes and out-of-control government spending.

The Rockford tea party is being held on Tuesday, April 14 behind the Rockford Public Library on Wyman Street.

Government spending and taxation has gotten out-of-control, Syverson said. The voters have to get engaged in their government, otherwise they will lose more and more control and face a government broken and bankrupt by the poor fiscal policies we’ve seen both on the state and federal levels.

Syverson pointed to the 1773 Boston Tea Party as inspiration for the tea parties being staged across the country.

Two hundred thirty-six years ago, a handful of men dumped tea into Boston Harbor to protest the punishing tax policies of the British Crown, Syverson said. That one act by patriots set in motion a chain of events that birthed our great nation. The first American tea party helped create our nation, and maybe this second American tea party can help spark a revival to save it for the next generation.

Just like our Founding Fathers, we should be concerned about the way our government is behaving and spending. And taxpayers should be angry at the unwillingness of government politicians to even listen to what taxpayers concerns are.

But it’s crucial for us, as taxpayers, to also be responsible. Taxpayers owe it to themselves and their families to learn who their elected officials are, and how they voted on key issues. Keeping politicians accountable is the only way we are going to get our country out of our current fiscal mess and bring government back to the people.

For more information on the Rockford tea party, residents can contact David Hale at 779-348-5426 or email rockfordteaparty@gmail.com.

Seeking to bring fiscal discipline back to state government, Senate Republican lawmakers today unveiled a report detailing more than $21 billion in potential cost-savings during the next five years.

At a State Capitol press conference, State Senators Dave Syverson (R-Rockford), Matt Murphy (R-Palatine), Carole Pankau (R-Itasca) other Republican lawmakers on Deficit Reduction highlighted proposals to cut waste and overspending in the state budget that could yield $3.4 billion in the first year alone.

For several weeks, lawmakers serving on the Senate Committee on Deficit Reduction heard testimony from budget experts who discussed measures that could save billions of dollars a year. The Republican fiscal report discloses many of those proposals, including cost-savings within state government, Medicaid and pension reforms, and limiting education mandates.
A full copy of the report can be found on the Senate Republican’s Web site: www.senategop.state.il.us.

The Senate Republican members of the committee set out to answer three basic questions during the course of testimony: How did Illinois get here? How do we get Illinois out of this mess? How do we avoid Illinois ever being in this situation again?

“We strongly believe fiscal reform is key to getting Illinois out of its current budget crisis,” said Murphy, the Committee’s Republican Spokesman. “We didn’t get here because taxpayers were taxed too little – we’re facing a multi-billion dollar deficit because Rod Blagojevich and his legislative allies spent and borrowed too much. These fiscal reform proposals, if implemented, can save taxpayers billions of dollars a year and bring us closer to a balanced budget.”
Syverson said the changes will take some time but are necessary.

“The fiscal crisis we’re facing didn’t occur overnight, it happened after six years of overspending and fiscal mismanagement,” Syverson said. “Solving the crisis won’t happen overnight either. However, by implementing some of the recommendations in this report, we can start Illinois down the road of responsible government once again without increasing the tax burden on taxpayers.”

The Republican lawmakers’ savings and reform report is in contrast to recent Democrat budget proposals, which hinge on more than $4 billion in tax hikes on personal income and the Illinois economy, which already ranks 46th in the nation in terms of job growth.

“Illinois needs to create jobs, not new taxes,” Murphy said. “Reducing our budget deficit through fiscal discipline will reduce the need for tax hikes, and will put Illinois on a path to turn back the policies of the Blagojevich Administration that have harmed our economy and racked up the budget deficits we’re currently faced with.”

The Republican fiscal report identifies at least $21 billion in savings during a five-year period. It includes:

• Medicaid global waiver ($435 million in one year, $2.9 billion over five years)

• Medicaid acute care ($130 million in one year, $865 million over five years)

• Medicaid rebalancing long-term care ($110 million in one year, $730 million over five years)

• Medicaid pharmacy cost containment ($110 million in one year, $730 million over five years)

• Developmental disabilities shared living ($75 million in one year, $500 million over five years)

• Medicaid determination of eligibility ($120 million in one year, $800 million over five years)

• Improved vendor management techniques ($300 million in one year, $2 billion over five years)

• State Employee Group Insurance retiree healthcare changes ($1.1 billion in one year, $6.7 billion over five years)

• Purchasing and contracting reforms to greater utilize information technology and improve vendor management ($400 million in one year, $2.2 billion over five years)

• Higher contributions from State? pension members ($350 million in one year, $1.9 billion over five years)

• Reduce/cap funds to local governments ($250 million in one year, $1.25 billion over five years)

The report also identified other areas that could also result in cost-savings, though dollar amounts are unspecified:

• Raising the cap on charter schools

• Limiting new mandates and repealing obsolete mandates on local school districts

• Managed care reforms

• Medicaid eligibility changes

• Pension benefit reforms for new hires

• Implement a statewide employment and promotion freeze

• Higher education reforms

• Supreme Court budget reforms

• Consolidation and elimination of unnecessary, redundant state programs

• Capital contracting and procurement reforms

Noting that many of the cost-savings measures are proposals that have seen support on both sides of the aisle, the Republican lawmakers say they stand ready to work with the Governor and Democrats to pass a budget that reins in the spending excesses of recent years.

“People have had enough of government spending beyond its means,” said Syverson “Across Illinois, families are tightening their belts and cutting their budgets to deal with the economic crisis. State government should follow their lead, and come up with a budget blueprint that ends the unrestrained spending we’ve seen in recent years.”

State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford) is disappointed a Senate committee charged with examining Illinois’ multi-billion dollar deficit failed to reach specific conclusions on how to bring the state’s fiscal situation under control.

Syverson, a member of the Senate’s bipartisan Committee on Deficit Reduction, said while the committee heard testimony from experts in other states who found ways to balance their state budgets without raising taxes, Democrats on the Illinois panel refused to endorse similar reforms in the Land of Lincoln.

“Following four weeks of testimony, I am more confident than ever we can get out of our fiscal crisis if government makes necessary changes, starting with spending cuts,” Syverson said. “While it will require some tough choices, we can get it done without the punishing new tax hikes being sought by the Governor and the Democratic leaders in the General Assembly.”

Next week, Syverson and other Republicans serving on the Committee on Deficit Reduction will unveil a roadmap of how to balance the state budget without increasing the burden on Illinois taxpayers.

“For six years, my Republican colleagues and I warned about the consequences of the ‘spend-and-borrow’ policies of Rod Blagojevich and his Democratic allies,” Syverson said. “We warned state government couldn’t continue spending at the rate it was going, and we predicted a budget disaster would result. Well, that disaster is finally here, and the only way we’re going to fix it is by targeting the overspending that got us into this mess.”

State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford) said the budget proposed by Gov. Pat Quinn rehashes many of the same failed policies of the Blagojevich administration – policies that led to the fiscal crisis Illinois now faces.

“For all of his criticisms of Rod Blagojevich’s fiscal and economic policies, Gov. Quinn today unveiled a budget that continues down that same path,” Syverson said. “In some ways, this budget is ‘Blagojevich on steroids’ and will make things even worse for Illinois taxpayers and families.”

Syverson said, like Blagojevich, Quinn was proposing numerous tax increases that would harm the Illinois economy by driving jobs and businesses out-of-state at a time Illinois is struggling economically. Illinois ranks 46th in the nation in job growth, and has lost 175,000 jobs in the last year alone.

“This budget contains the largest tax hike in Illinois history, dwarfing the tax increases of the Blagojevich era,” Syverson said. “Individuals and employers would see their income taxes rise 50 percent. Other tax credits aimed at keeping manufacturers in Illinois would be eliminated. None of the policies unveiled by the governor would keep businesses and jobs in Illinois, in fact the opposite would be true.”

Syverson said the governor’s proposal to raise corporate taxes to more than 7 percent, added to the corporate replacement tax, will push business taxes to 10 percent, one of the highest in the nation.

“In the governor’s plan, he proposes eliminating the manufacturing purchase credit, and the research and development credit,” Syverson said. “He is also looking to add a software tax for business, as well. I don’t know how you add new manufacturing jobs when you hit them this hard.”

Another proposal advanced by Quinn that is reminiscent of the Blagojevich era, Syverson says, is a plan to raid $3.2 billion from the pension system – the largest shorting of pension funds in state history. The previous record was held by former Gov. Blagojevich, who shorted the state pension systems by $2.3 billion in Fiscal Year 2006-2007. Quinn also supports various changes to the pension system aimed at saving tax dollars over the long-term.

“While I applaud the governor’s move to reform pensions, and the proposed plan is a step in the right direction, the reforms are not passed yet,” Syverson said. “In addition, all major pension watchdog groups, including the Civic Federation, the Center for Tax and Budget, and the Taxpayers Federation, say no savings will be realized for 15 to 20 years so it would be irresponsible to sweep any projected future savings now.”

The Rockford senator also expressed concern the budget plan leaves untouched the major new spending initiatives of the Blagojevich era, which contributed to the state’s current fiscal shortfall.

“Medicaid is swallowing up a larger and larger portion of the state’s budget, but the governor’s plan does nothing to address this,” Syverson said. “Gov. Quinn left Rod Blagojevich’s Medicaid programs untouched – programs that increased new spending by billions of dollars at a time we simply couldn’t afford them.”

Syverson also cast doubt on the governor’s claims the budget deficit stands at $11 billion, which many budget experts feel is an inflated number to justify the tax hikes contained in the Quinn budget blueprint.

“We have yet to see documentation on how the governor came up with that number,” Syverson said. “To get to an $11 billion deficit figure, you have to look at the fiscal crisis over a two year period, and not take into account any federal stimulus help. There’s no question we’re facing a massive fiscal shortfall in Illinois, but it’s not as bad as the governor claims.

“But even if we use the $11 billion figure, we will have $9 billion coming from the federal stimulus help, which leaves a $2 billion budget hole. When you figure in the $3.2 billion in pension raids, that totally eliminates the deficit without any tax hikes. I sincerely believe the deficit can be addressed without tax increases – if the state has the courage to make serious cuts to the Blagojevich-backed programs that led to our current shortfall.”

Stark differences are emerging among members of a bipartisan panel charged with tackling Illinois’ growing budget deficit, says State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford).

Syverson serves on the Senate’s Committee on Deficit Reduction, which has begun proceedings to come up with recommendations on balancing the state’s budget. The senator noted that, for the most part, Republicans called in witnesses who took a broader macro approach urging government reform and spending cuts, while Democrats called on witnesses who uniformly supported massive tax hikes as the only alternative.

“It’s good that we’re getting feedback from a wide variety of opinions,” Syverson said. “However, it’s pretty clear that the two parties are coming at this problem from two different angles. The Republican members of the committee strongly believe Illinois has a spending problem, and that we must do more to reduce government growth and curb spending. The Democrats seem to believe we have a revenue problem, and are much more receptive to raising income and sales taxes to pay down the deficit.”

Syverson noted that witnesses called by Democrats supported numerous tax hikes, including a 66 percent increase in income taxes, and expanding the state’s sales tax to include taxes on services and higher gas taxes.

“The goal of this committee was suppose to involve looking at every line in the state budget to see how government could be more efficient and cost-effective. I am very concerned slapping consumers with such drastic tax hikes will have a devastating effect on our struggling families,” Syverson said. “If anyone should tighten their belts and rein in their spending, it’s the Governor and state lawmakers. Overspending is what got Illinois into its current fiscal crisis, and cutting spending is what will get us out of it.”

The committee is expected to unveil its recommendations following Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget address next week.