Illinois Valley Times

The concerns raised by a group of Republican lawmakers in a letter sent to Gov. J.B. Pritzker requesting that he take specific steps to help the economy fend off the impact of the coronavirus pandemic has a familiar ring to state Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Elmhurst).

“We’ve asked some of the same questions in our caucus,” Rezin told the Illinois Valley Times. “We have to be mindful that doing things like hiking the minimum wage at a time like this increases the cost of a number of other things.”

State representatives Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur), Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville), Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City), Darren Bailey (R-Xenia), Allen Skillicorn (R-East Dundee) and John Cabello (R-Machesney Park) comprise the team of GOP legislators recently signing off on a letter to Pritzker imploring him to enact freezes on the state’s unemployment insurance and minimum wage rates for at least the next year as a way of helping to stabilize the struggling economy and giving more small business owners a chance at survival.

“I know we’re still trying to get a read on things, but I agree with taking those kinds of measures,” Rezin added. “With these like the unemployment rate, we have to be concerned because we probably will see unprecedented claims filed over the next several months as we fight to get things back under control.”

While Rezin laments the spread of the disease has left the entire country on uncharted land, she’s hopeful that more will soon be known about it that will ultimately help in its end.

“We need all hands on deck and everyone pushing in the same direction to get us back to normal,” Rezin added. “It’s a long, hard battle and we’ve got to have a united front.”