Redux of Jack Franks’ Tax Freeze Bill Passes House, Failure Again Predicted in Senate

First to the headline above.

When he was State Representative Jack Franks passed a property tax freeze bill.  At the time I predicted that the Senate would not follow suit.  It was just a “headline bill.”  (See “A Property Tax Freeze Headline Bill.”)

The bill, of course, did not pass the Senate.

From the Illinois News Network:

Illinois House OKs property tax relief bill that critics say shifts costs, is too watered down

By Dan McCaleb | Illinois News Network

The Illinois House approved a two-year property tax relief measure Wednesday that critics say is too watered down with exemptions and actually would serve as a cost shift to businesses and others.

Steve Reick speaks during the debate on the property tax freeze bill. Photo Credit BlueRoomStream.

Illinois Rep. Michelle Mussman, D-Schaumburg, introduced Senate Bill 851, which implement a two-year freeze on property taxes in Cook and the collar counties.

Downstate voters also can choose a two-year freeze if they approve it by referendum.

School districts on the state’s financial watch list, including Chicago Public Schools and 65 other districts statewide, would be exempt from the freeze. Levy increases for pension and other local debt also would be exempt.

Mussman’s legislation also would increase the individual homestead exemption to $10,000 and the senior citizens exemption to $8,000.

Acknowledging that critics would prefer a longer-term freeze, Mussman said her measure is a good start.

“I would say a two-year freeze is a good way to introduce this topic,” she said.

“This is an attempt to compromise with the governor. … You asked for reform. This is a method of reform.”

Illinoisans pay the second highest property taxes in the country, and Gov. Bruce Rauner has made property tax relief a vital part of his Turnaround Agenda.

Rep. Steve Reick, R-Woodstock, said the measure is more of a cost shift because of the increased homestead and senior citizens exemptions.

“If what you do is freeze taxes for certain people, you’re going to swtich the tax liability over to others,” Reick said.

The amount of money local units of government collect “isn’t going to go down, it’s just going get shifted over to businesses and renters and people like that.”

Reick said Mussman’s legislation was the wrong way to help overly burdened property owners.

“We do it through reform, we don’t do it through gimmicks like freezes that only last for two years,” he said.

Peter Breen

Rep. Peter Breen, R-Lombard, said Wednesday’s vote was political theater to impress voters.

“It’s all being done apparently for re-election tricks because there’s no chance this will actually be acted upon in the Illinois Senate,” Breen said.

“I’ll be supporting it but, boy, I’ll be skeptical and cynical just as I started the day.”

Jeanne Ives

Rep. Jeanne Ives, R-Wheaton, said the legislation doesn’t do anything to address government spending that drives up the property tax burden statewide.

“It is a political pandering piece of garbage,” Ives said.

“It does not do anything about the cost drivers that drive up property taxes.”

The House voted 75-32, with one member voting present. It now goes to the Illinois Senate.

Dan McCaleb is news director of Illinois News Network and the digital hub ILNews.org. He welcomes your comments. Contact Dan at dmccaleb@ilnews.org.


Comments

Redux of Jack Franks’ Tax Freeze Bill Passes House, Failure Again Predicted in Senate — 22 Comments

  1. Rep. Michelle Mussman, D-Schaumburg, introduced the bill for one reason.

    To try and placate the voters after passing the income tax increase.

    If the Dems really want to placate voters they need to reduce spending across the board so they can lower taxes.

  2. **they need to reduce spending across the board so they can lower taxes.**

    Specifics please. What specifically should they cut?

  3. I wish other Republicans in State legislation had the style and candid demeanor of Ms. Ives.

    She is the only bright spot in Illinois politics right now.

    My hope is her brand of conservatism and fight takes hold with other dulled members in office.

    The more I read about this lady and read her message, the greater fan I become.

  4. The only reason Alabama can’t think of anything to cut is because his game is find out what someone else wants to cut and then attack.

    State workers in Illinois are highly compensated, when including retirement benefits and adjusted for cost of living.

    The AFSCME State collective bargaining agreement expired in June 2015 and we still don’t have a successor agreement.

    That’s the Illinois way.

    The state has hiked all sorts of pay, benefits, and spending over the decades while pensions and retiree healthcare were underfunded, and that included pensions and retiree healthcare.

    The state can hike but when it comes time to cut, gee, can’t find anything to cut.

  5. **The only reason Alabama can’t think of anything to cut is because his game is find out what someone else wants to cut and then attack.**

    Nice straw man. I can think of things to cut, but I’m not the one arbitrarily calling for random cuts without any specifics.

    When people say we can lower taxes by cutting tspending, they rarely, if ever, include anything specific on what should be cut.

    Hell – each of Bruce Rauner’s proposed budgets have been drastically out of balance because he couldn’t find enough to cut.

  6. Name some suggested cuts.

    Do not recall ever seeing a suggested cut from you.

  7. Bruce Rauner proposed lots of cuts and has negotiated some reigned in collective bargaining agreements as has been published.

    The Democrats and unions would not agree to more, in particular, AFSCME.

    One of the reasons the state and many other units of government have budget difficulties is due to all the various hikes over the decades while pensions and retiree healthcare was already underfunded.

    This along with other games has resulted in massive taxpayer interest and interest IOUs to the pension fund, to compensate for lost investment returns.

    The state budget is now structurally unbalanced.

    25% of the

  8. The Illinois Policy Institute has published several articles on specific cuts.

  9. #1 – pensions – we’ve covered this. There is very little that can be done to save money here. You’ve yet to propose any constitutional changes to pensions that would actually make a real dent in the budget.

    #2 – Rauner’s cuts – its true that he proposed cuts. I never said otherwise. Stop arguing straw men. But he didn’t propose anywhere close to enough cuts to avoid a tax increase. And many of the proposed cuts weren’t real.

    You’ve stated a problem.

    You do this well.

    But you almost never state real solutions, and you definitely never state real solutions on the state budget.

  10. The pensions have to be changed one way or another, through Federal or State legislation, unless the taxpayers want to pay ridiculous pension interest payments instead of funding more worthwhile causes.

    The Illinois Pension Scam is one of the greatest abuses of taxpayer funds this country has ever known.

    Madigoons do not explain the scam.

    Madigoons are focused on the next election, unions, and government monopolies.

    Read the first chapter of Bill Zettler’s book to see just one way the
    Illinois House and Senate and past Governors indebted the taxpayers through legislative pension benefit hikes, while the pensions were already funded.

    Will not find that narrative coming from Michael Madigan or CapitolFax.

    They just expect taxpayers to lower their standard of living to fund overly generous pensions that are due primarily to a flawed sentence added to the state constitution on December 15, 1970.

    Any Federal or State solution for reversing the pension sentence will be attacked.

    Should be a lot of fun to see how that shakes out.

    +++++++

    No suggested cuts from Alabama?

    Typical Madigoon.

    Does everyone know the Madigoon assigned to their State House district for the 2018 elections?

    They are working to get House Democrats elected, as they do every two years.

    +++++++

    Have posted lots of information about the Illinois Policy Institute proposals for state budgets in the past.

    Have commented on plenty of state legislation, as well as local issues.

    Some of that includes solutions.

    +++++++

    Have provided lots of information on this blog.

    Some of that provides taxpayers things to think about regarding Madigoon promoted candidates and policy.

    So here we are.

    Lets pay attention in the upcoming election to things House Democrats propose cutting to save taxpayers money.

  11. Oh, look. Mark resorts to calling me names. *eyeroll*

    I’m not one the one saying “CUT TAXES, CUT SPENDING!”

    So I’m not obligated to pay out specific cuts that I’m not asking for.

    But, if you want a real place to start, I’d start spending less on nursing homes and more on home and community based services (home care, adult day care, etc).

    And you’ve still yet to put forward any real, concrete, and constitutional pension chnages that will save the state money.

    And do me a favor – show your work.

    And don’t forget to include whether or not the state would have to start contributing to social security and what happens to current pension obligations.

  12. Democrat state political operative proposes to spend less on nursing homes and more on home and community based services (home care, adult day care, etc.)

    Where are the specifics?

    ++++++++

    Have talked endlessly about how the pensions are scam.

    No surprise the state political operative is against pension reform as he contributed to the pension system.

    +++++++++

    Any idiot can charge a credit card, benefit from the charge, not explain the charge, not fully disclose the cost of the charge, not clearly disclose the interest, and ask someone else to pay the bill.

    What has the Democrat state political operate done to explain that massive scam?

    “#1 – pensions- we’ve covered this.

    There is very little that can be done to save money here.

    You’ve yet to propose any constitutional changes to pensions that would actually make a real dent in the budget.”

    ++++++++

    That is the Democrat party line.

    Just pay the bill.

    +++++++++

    There is a sucker born every minute.

  13. Most of what you write is gibberish… but this one is especially so:

    **No surprise the state political operative is against pension reform as he contributed to the pension system.**

    WTF are you talking about?

    I don’t and won’t receive a state pension.

    I don’t and haven’t contributed to the pension system.

    Valiant effort though. *eyeroll*

    Also.

    I’m still waiting for that pension reform proposal of yours.

  14. Alabama?

    No one understands Rainmain Mark’s statistical gibberish.

    He’s on some kind of mission.

    Just leave him alone and he won’t bark at you.

  15. The state political operative claims he has never been a state political operative?

  16. Mark – what are you talking about?

    I am a political operative.

    That is true.

    I’ve never denied otherwise, at all.

    And I have never worked for the State of IL, and do not and will not receive a public pension.

    This isn’t hard to understand.

    At least for most people.

  17. Just pointing out that when Mark is called out on lies… he once again goes silent. #shocking

  18. **Crickets**

    Mark, you directly lied about me.

    And when you’re called out on it, you go silent.

    Why is that?

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