Illinois Valley Times

Recapping Gov. Bruce Rauner’s State of the State address in Springfield, state Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) recently summarized the governor’s main points, underscoring what she surmised to be an overall positive, realistic tone.

"All of us -- Republicans, Democrats and everyone in between -- have a moral obligation to work together to bring change,” Rauner said during his address, according to the Chicago Tribune. “We, together, can return Illinois to a place of hope, opportunity and prosperity."

Strides in education funding, criminal justice reforms, state-level administration and infrastructure highlighted the successes which Rezin recapped after the governor’s speech.

“The governor … was optimistic about his accomplishments in the past two years but he also recognizes that we have more challenges to come,” stated Rezin, observing that while Rauner took time to recapitulate his achievements, he also reiterated the need for continued efforts to bring Illinois to a point of greater stability.

Among Rauner’s positive testimony was what Rezin referred to as a “record” increase in education funding — with capital increased by $750 million, she said.

Rezin, who sat on the education funding commission, stated that the governor recognizes that it is a starting point, but also that the administration needs to identify additional sources of revenue in the near future.

“It’s a great first step,” she said. “The governor also talked about … improving ethical standards for state employees. We passed legislation that enacted criminal justice reforms, specifically addressing mental health, which is really important — not only to downstate suburban (areas) but to Chicago and Cook County. Every state’s attorney, every sheriff will tell you that there are mental health issues that are not being addressed.”

Rezin cited the governor’s reference to transportation projects — specifically, expansion plans for Interstate 90 and Interstate 57 as well as streamlining government services, which she stressed as important.

“We’re moving some of our departments that are still dealing with paper applications to online applications … so that people [applying] for licenses … can do it easily and efficiently online and get an answer very quickly,” she noted. “But most importantly, the governor talked about the importance of forming a relationship with companies — because they’re doing the heavy lifting with us in order to get us out of this budget crisis.”

Rezin explained that Rauner recognizes that businesses will invest in the state, create jobs and ultimately help restore some equilibrium to the state’s fiscal health.

“He also talked about the challenges we have ahead: balancing our budget (and) doing more to bring companies here by creating a competitive environment,” she said. “There’s one takeaway that I remember … we cannot be a compassionate state until we’re competitive. Businesses need to be our partners in the challenges that we face.”

Rauner presented his portrait of the last two years in a presentation evidencing a spirit of collaboration, despite the state’s ongoing partisanship-related struggles in Springfield.

“With great challenge comes great opportunity,” the Chicago Sun-Times quoted Rauner as saying. “By working together, we can overcome any obstacle. We have the best people and best location of any state in America. Through bipartisan cooperation, Illinois can once again be the economic engine of the Midwest and the home of innovation and prosperity for everyone.”

The governor concluded his speech on a note of encouragement, thanking his colleagues for their efforts and urging constituents to stay the course.

“Thank you for working so hard to try to come together on a bipartisan basis to find a compromise, to get a truly balanced budget with changes to the system to help job creators and protect taxpayers,” Rauner said, according to the Sun-Times. “Please don’t give up. Please keep working. Please keep trying. The people of Illinois need you to succeed.”

Initially appointed to the chamber in 2010, Rezin has a background in running a family-owned business. She has served on numerous legislative committees including transportation, education, energy and utilities and financial institutions.