Prairie State Wire

Illinois House candidate Peter Breen (R-Lombard) is all in on the effort to save local small businesses from the ongoing ravages of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I fully support efforts by my Republican colleagues to look for more pro-business assistance, especially for all the small businesses that are so heavily being impacted,” Breen told the Prairie State Wire. “We also need to be looking at every regulation and evaluating if we can loosen up the guidelines for any of them.”

Breen added he stands in solidatory with GOP lawmakers Dan Caulkins (Decatur), Darren Bailey (Xenia), Chris Miller (Oakland), Blaine Wilhour (Beecher City), Brad Halbrook (Shelbyville) and John Cabello (Machesney Park), all of whom recently voiced their concerns to Gov. J.B. Pritzker in a letter where they called on him to freeze the state’s unemployment insurance rate and the state minimum wage for the foreseeable future in hopes of giving more businesses a chance to rebound from the crisis.

“People being unemployed as a result of the virus should not be used against small business owners as a way of driving up unemployment rates,” added Breen, now running against incumbent state Rep. Terra Costa Howard (D-Glen Ellyn) in the 48th District. “It should be clear to everyone that the rates we pay are already high enough.”

Breen argues the minimum wage increase is something a large sector of the business community has always been opposed to, with that opposition now growing exponentially giving all that’s happening.

“After we get clear of this virus, I hope that every politician in Illinois finally understands how vital the business community is to this state, especially the small business sector,” he added. “Prior to the coronavirus scandal, it seemed like many politicians in our state merely saw businesses as just another pot to tap. Private industry and small business are the people now saving our state. I desperately hope after this has passed us that Illinois politician’s take a more positive view of the job creators."