Rep. Sandack Applauds House Democrats for Responding to Pressure to Block COLAs

Calling the House Democrats’ belated decision to stop their deceptive pay raise “better late than never,” State Representative Ron Sandack (R-Downers Grove) on Tuesday applauded his colleagues for doing the right thing with regard to their pay during the current budget impasse.

“For weeks now, the House Republicans have tried to bring our HB4225 to the floor so that lawmakers could reject the automatic pay hike that Democrats snuck into their partisan fiscal year 2015 budget,” said Sandack. “On three separate occasions leading Democrats have blocked our bill and have refused to allow a discussion of the propriety of a pay raise amid this budget crisis. Now, due to mounting pressure from constituents who are appalled that their legislators would consider taking a pay raise, those same lawmakers are now scurrying for cover, because today Speaker Madigan brought forth his own bill that is almost identical to what we proposed back in May.”

Madigan’s HB576, a bill that originally had nothing to do with legislative pay, was stripped and amended, heard in committee and brought to the floor for a discussion and vote over the course of just a few hours on Tuesday. “Today’s amendment allowed legislators to roll back the legislative raises that Madigan snuck through in last year’s budget,” Sandack continued. “While this vote could have and should have taken place several weeks ago through our HB4225, I was pleased to see that only one Democrat voted against the measure today.”

The bill will be brought to the Senate floor on August 4, which marks the next day that the Senate will be in session, and if passed it will be forwarded to Governor Rauner for his signature.

“It is encouraging to see that Illinoisans are paying attention to the shenanigans that are going on in Springfield,” said Sandack. “Constituents let their Democrat lawmakers know they got their hands caught in the cookie jar have demanded they reverse the inappropriate raises they gave themselves.”

To watch Sandack’s floor comments on today’s amendment and vote, click here.