State Representatives Mike Coffey and Brad Fritts provided an update on May 29 about ongoing activities at the Capitol as the legislative session nears adjournment. The representatives said that progress has been slow, with Coffey questioning whether Democratic lawmakers are considering raising taxes again.
“I’ve got my good friend here, Representative Brad Fritts here all week and not much is going on. It’s been slow. It’s been very slow and then the other thing is are the Democrats once again going to raise taxes?” Coffey said. He continued, “Do you think they’ve got the message yet? Do you think they know we can’t raise taxes on the people of Illinois anymore? We’re told that they were doing polls about all this within their own caucus. It’s unbelievable. Once again, when people can’t afford basic things such as gas, groceries, utilities, and whatnot, here we are talking about raising taxes again.”
Fritts echoed these concerns: “Here we are talking about adding yet again more potential tax increases.” He also referenced property tax bills recently received by his constituents: “Illinois is truly a place that’s becoming unaffordable to live. My constituents just received their property tax bills in the mail this week. Mike, I’m sure you can talk about it Springfield, but even in my communities. You know, I heard about somebody who had a property tax increase as high as 111 percent, which is absolutely ridiculous. And it’s policies that come out of this building, pushed onto local units of government, which are making them have to raise property taxes.”
Coffey added that legislators spend each day demonstrating opposition to new tax hikes: “We do spend every single day demonstrating that we cannot raise taxes on the families in Illinois.” Fritts said affordability remains a priority for both lawmakers: “And so, we’re going to continue to work hard to be here to make sure that affordability is the number one issue that we continue to focus on so that you and your family can live prosperously here within the state of Illinois.”
Coffey concluded with a statement outlining his position: “Illinois families deserve an honest government that works to create a better future through strong public policy. I will stand firm in demanding a truly balanced budget without tax hikes or shady budget tricks and work to make Illinois a place where people can afford to live, work, and raise a family.”
Coffey was elected in 2023 as a Republican representative for Illinois’ 95th House District after replacing Tim Butler, according to RepMikeCoffey.com.
