Dear Friends,

Lawmakers made progress this spring on a number of issues, but more can – and must – be done.

We passed education reform that addresses teacher tenure, and makes it easier to reward excellent teachers and to let go of bad teachers.

We passed workers’ compensation initiatives that could save businesses a half-billion dollars. I voted for the initiatives because they seemed to be a first step toward a system that protects employees in a cost-effective way for employers. The initiatives were signed into law June 28.

We must continue to improve the workers’ compensation system. This year’s legislation helps, but does so at the expense of the medical and healthcare provider communities. We also want to address “causation” by requiring a connection between the workplace and the injury or illness for which an employee is being compensated.

We were successful in blocking a multi-billion dollar borrowing proposal. And every Senate Republican lawmaker voted “no” against the 67 percent tax increase in Janaury, and against the unbalanced budget sent to the Governor at the end of May.

Our reasons were simple. The budget lacks the spending cuts needed to address the state’s deficit. This budget makes the state’s fiscal problems worse and could ensure that the “temporary” 67 percent income tax increase becomes permanent.

In contrast, Senate Republicans offered an alternative fiscal plan this spring to eliminate the deficit and roll back the tax hike. We offered a menu of possible reductions that totaled more than $6.7 billion. We detailed a comprehensive, 30-point jobs recovery proposal to reverse the state’s disastrous business climate and foster an environment that encourages job creation and retention.

Looking ahead, we must still address Illinois’ massive pension liability. This has been one of my top priorities for many years. Standard & Poor’s says Illinois has the worst-funded pensions of any state in the nation. The average funded ratio of all states’ plans is 75 percent, while Illinois is at 50 percent.

Please contact me if you have questions or need more information about these or any other issues. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Bill Brady