(Appeared July 17, 2008)

Illinois House Republicans are saying the right things on what the state must do to honor its commitments to the public to be ethically and fiscally responsible in managing tax dollars and providing services.

The question is if a public that is disgusted with the state of affairs in Springfield will warm to these reforms. And, in turn, to the state Republicans proposing them. In that regard, there is not an item on the Republicans’ agenda that the public should have trouble embracing.

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Creating Jobs While Repairing And Rebuilding Illinois

• Approve a comprehensive capital program that will reinvigorate Illinois’ economy, create 700,000 new jobs and rebuild and repair Illinois’ crumbling roads, unsafe bridges and overcrowded schools and hospitals.

Demanding Fiscal Responsibility And A True Balanced Budget

• Prohibit unpaid obligations of the State from being transferred from one fiscal year to the next, thereby ensuring a true “balanced budget”.

• Require the State to establish a single, updated, searchable database website accessible to the public at no cost that includes each entity that receives Illinois funding.

• Provide ‘sunshine” to the budgeting process by requiring defined, minimum time periods a budget bill must be made available for inspection and scrutiny by legislators, the public and the media.

Delivering Real Property Tax Relief

• Increasing the homestead exemption and doubling the property tax rebate for all taxpayers.

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