Illinois Valley Times

State Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon) wants to know for whom Democrats have earmarked at least a billion dollars in capital projects as part of the new $42 billion budget they recently approved.

“These are federal funds, funded by people who pay federal taxes,” Demmer said. “Each of us in every district in Illinois have constituents who pay federal taxes whose tax dollars have been collected and sent back to the states for equitable use. My question would have been, when you were making those capital requests and after you had visited the redistricting map room, did those capital requests come for your new districts or for your old districts?”

In an eleventh-hour session, the House recently approved the measure by a 72-44 vote, paving the way for it to move on to the Senate for further consideration. A budget implementation bill also passed by a 73-44 vote.

Demmer argues all the uneven spending is just one of the many problems that come from politicians being able to pick their own voters in Illinois based on the way redistricting maps are now drawn.

“You can now make that pleasant phone call to say, 'good news, mayor, I've drawn you into my district and I have a little cash to give as well,'” he said. “I would also like to point out that in the Department of Commerce economic opportunity there are 46 new grants ranging between $50,000 and $2.6 million. In the department of Human Services, 76 new grants ranging between $50,000 and $1 million.

Demmer said it’s all just more of the business-as-usual way Springfield always seems to work.

“Mr. Speaker, we’ve talked many times in this chamber about it being a new day. The only new day is going to happen in five minutes when the clock strikes midnight because what we're seeing on this floor, the same dark old days that we've struggled under for years,” he said. “This is not appropriate; this is not the way things should be handled. We all know that. Let's give transparency a chance. The only change that happens here is change that we make happen.”