These responses were submitted by Democrat Jill Blair, who faces state Rep. Keith Sommer, a Republican. The questionnaire was prepared by GLT in partnership with the League of Women Voters of McLean County. See more candidate responses.
Do you support moving Illinois to a progressive/graduated income tax? Why or why not?
Yes. When the flat tax was written into the state constitution in 1970, the typical CEO made just 20 times the salary of the average worker. Today, that difference has widened to over 300 times the average worker's salary. Our current system disproportionately burdens the middle and working class. By implementing a graduated income tax, we'd be better positioned to fund essential services without relying so heavily on property taxes. A graduated income tax could add up to $2 billion of revenue for the state each year. Contrary to popular belief, our state spending per person is actually lower than 47 other states. We can't expect to solve our fiscal issues through cuts alone, and a graduated income tax is a common-sense solution for generating revenue.
Do you think there should be term limits for lawmakers, legislative leaders, or statewide officers?
I do not believe in term limits for lawmakers. Voters should have the power to re-elect lawmakers they are happy with. Term limits could have the unintended consequence of putting too much power in the hands of lobbyists who are able to spend entire careers in Springfield with legislators turning over more frequently. That said, I do believe incumbency is a problem. This can be addressed by 1) forming a non-partisan commission to handle redistricting, 2) making sure the process for getting on the ballot is the same for independent, third party and major party candidates, and 3) implementing campaign finance reform so that incumbents are not able to stuff their campaign coffers based on name recognition, thus discouraging challengers from entering the race.
I do, however, believe in term limits for leadership positions like Speaker of the House, Senate President and Governor.
What changes would you support to stabilize Illinois’ pension systems?
We need to do at least three things to address the pension shortfall:
1) We must revise the amortization schedule that was passed in 1995. The plan, which was supported by both parties, effectively put the pensions on a credit card, requiring the state to make the equivalent of a minimum payment in the years immediately after the plan's passage and ramping up larger and larger payments as the years went by. This was an unrealistic plan at the time, and, predictably, the state failed to keep up with the ramped-up payment schedule. We must instead plan for level to slightly decreasing payments over the next several decades—paying more now to avoid large shortfalls and unrealistically high payments in the future.
2) We need to revise actuarial tables that miscalculated how much the systems would be paying out in benefits. And we should be checking and adjusting the tables on a regular basis going forward.
3) We need to adjust assumptions about investment returns in the future.
Only about 1 percent of our current pension shortfall can be attributed to salary and benefit increases. While we need to hold the line on pension spiking and eliminate double-dipping, we will accomplish much more through 1-3 above rather than through cutting benefits.
Illinois’ higher education system is bleeding students to other states. How would you make Illinois’ public universities and colleges more competitive and financially stable?
First, we must vow that we will never go without a state budget again. The instability and uncertainty caused by the budget impasse were disastrous for our higher education institutions. Colleges and universities cut staff and programs, students lost their MAP grants, and still other education professionals saw the writing on the wall and chose to leave Illinois institutions because they couldn't rely on having a job in the long term. You can't blame students for looking elsewhere for a more stable educational experience.
Second, we need to consider developing a funding formula for universities. Again, when institutions have a reasonable idea of what to expect from the state from year to year, they can ensure the stability of their programs and plan for future growth. For the last decade or so, our institutions have been managing through one crisis after another, just trying to hold things together instead of developing a plan based on a vision for their future.
Do you support legalizing recreational adult use of marijuana? Why or why not?
Yes, I am open to the careful and intentional legalization of recreational cannabis. Studies have shown that it's less addictive than alcohol or tobacco, and our past history with the prohibition of alcohol showed that prohibition can have unintended consequences. If legalization of recreational cannabis is pursued, we'll need to carefully plan regulations around its manufacture and sale. For example, there should be limits on the maximum amount of THC allowed per cigarette or edible and the amount that could be sold to a single purchaser. We need strict penalties for those who sell to underage purchasers or those who drive under the influence.
We also must not ignore the impact our current laws have on communities of color. The possession and use of recreational cannabis have effectively been legal for white people for as long as most can remember. Black and brown users of cannabis are more likely to be stopped by law enforcement, more likely to be charged and more likely to be jailed. Legalization would eliminate this disparity and free up law enforcement to focus on more dangerous crimes.
Illinois has many infrastructure needs. Do you support another comprehensive capital bill at this time? If so, how would you pay for it?
Yes, we need to discuss a comprehensive capital bill. We haven't had one since 2010 and our infrastructure—not just roads and bridges but also the expansion of broadband internet access—needs dire attention. Of course, we need to bring in added revenue to pay for the work, and, for that reason, I don't know that we could pass a well-reasoned capital bill in 2019. However, if we can work on a progressive income tax and the potential legalization of recreational cannabis in 2019, that would allow us to plan accordingly for 2020 and beyond.
Do you think Illinois’ business climate is adequately “friendly”? Do you think the state needs to make any changes to encourage businesses to move or expand in Illinois?
I think the best way to encourage business growth would be to work toward stability of our economy—that is, ensure we have a responsible budget passed every year—and to re-invest in education and infrastructure. The most important aspect of encouraging economic activity is ensuring a strong workforce, which we cannot do at our current rate of support for higher education.
I'd also like to see a stronger focus on encouraging entrepreneurship and growth of small and local businesses. The slashing of corporate taxes and other so-called incentives to attract big name businesses from out of state are not always in the best interest of long-term growth and economic stability. We shouldn't be mortgaging the future of our state for immediate, short-term "wins."
