DeKalb Times

Following the passage of the Fiscal Year 2025 State Budget in the Illinois House of Representatives, State Representative Jeff Keicher (R-Sycamore) issued a statement addressing his concerns.

"Since before the Governor’s budget proposal in 2023, my Republican colleagues and I have been warning that our state would face a deficit as federal COVID relief funds ran out and all the new spending initiatives created by progressive Democrats and the Governor ran out of funding sources. Well, this budget lays bare that problem as Democrats are ramming more than a billion dollars in tax increases and cost shifts down taxpayers’ throats that will only stand to drive more Illinois families and job creators out of our state," Keicher stated.

He continued, "As I’ve said many times before, instead of creating new and costly programs to satisfy the never-ending spending demands of progressives, we should be focused on providing tax relief and shoring up funding for critical programs that support our most vulnerable citizens like seniors and the disabled."

Keicher highlighted the growth in state spending since he took office. "The state budget has ballooned from under $40 billion when I entered office to more than $53 billion – the largest budget in state history. We’ve seen a 33 percent increase in revenue since I entered the General Assembly, but it still hasn’t been enough to keep up with this insatiable need for spending. How is that still not enough?"

Addressing specific concerns about fund allocation, Keicher remarked, "On top of the tax increases, the Democrats are shifting fund reserves and taxes collected from outside the city of Chicago for their own pet projects. This budget takes video gaming tax dollars collected from other parts of the state for capital projects and sends it to Chicago for their infrastructure projects, leaving the rest of the state in the lurch again."

Concluding his statement, Keicher expressed dissatisfaction with what he views as recurring issues within state budgeting practices. "It’s another year, but unfortunately, this budget includes the same old gimmicks, tricks, and tax hikes that we’ve seen year after year. The citizens of Illinois deserve a better process and a better product from their government."

Rep. Keicher serves Illinois' 70th District, which includes portions of DeKalb, Kane, and McHenry Counties.