State Representative Joe Sosnowski, R-Rockford, has been appointed Republican Spokesperson on the Revenue and Finance Committee for the 2023-2025 legislative term, a leadership position that plays a decisive role in legislative debates on state spending and budget priorities.
“As Spokesperson, I will be a voice for Illinois families and taxpayers on holding the Pritzker Administration accountable, voting against tax increases and requiring an honestly balanced budget,” Sosnowski said. “Our new House Republican leadership team has put forward a simple, yet bold agenda for Illinois’ budget priorities and the need to respect the will of the voters who decisively rejected the Democrats’ Graduated Income Tax amendment just over two years ago.”
House Republicans’ primary budget reform ideas announced this week include:
- Adopting a revenue estimate and budget based off that revenue estimate.
- Holding REAL, meaningful budget hearings which respect minority voices and provides for public input and transparency.
- Requiring Balanced Budgets.
- Restoring quarterly bipartisan briefings by the Governor’s administration to the bipartisan Legislative Budget Oversight Commission. These briefings were eliminated last spring after Republicans asked tough questions about how the administration was spending COVID relief funds.
- Respecting the voters’ decision to overwhelmingly reject the Graduated Income Tax Hike.
- Give taxpayers REAL Tax Reform – eliminate the franchise tax on employers, property tax relief for families and businesses, and reducing the harmful impacts of the estate tax on family farms.
- Finally, returning excess income tax collections to taxpayers instead of sweeping it to be used to fund things like politician pay raises.
Representative Sosnowski has also been appointed to the 12-member bipartisan, bicameral Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (CGFA). CGFA provides the General Assembly with research and objective information regarding state and national economies, revenue projections and operations of Illinois government.
In addition to the aforementioned assignments, Representative Sosnowski has been appointed to serve on the Cities and Villages Committee, the Counties and Townships Committee, and the Elementary & Secondary Education: Administration, Licensing & Charter School Committee.