McHenry, IL. – The dust on the 2020 spring legislative is beginning to settle, giving the public a clearer picture of what did or did not happen this spring. The following is a statement by State Senator Craig Wilcox (R-McHenry) pertaining to one part of the new state budget, which passed during the final hours of session: legislative pay raises.
“Making news these days are unanswered questions about whether or not the General Assembly granted itself a cost of living pay raise in the recently-approved $43 billion state budget. The real issue is that the Legislature had an opportunity to do away with speculation and political arguments, and deal with the question of pay hikes – for one of the highest-paid state legislative positions in the United States – once and for all.
I introduced legislation (Senate Bill 3607) to permanently end automatic cost of living adjustment (COLA) pay raises. The measure was introduced February 14 of this year, so there was plenty of time to settle the issue respecting both our positions and the taxpayers of Illinois. Unfortunately, the measure was never allowed to be publicly debated.”
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