Weekly News from Leader McCombie

AFFORDABILITY

House Republicans Propose Six-Month Suspension of Sales Tax on Gasoline

Deputy Leader Ryan Spain and State Representative Regan Deering held a press conference Wednesday to discuss the affordability issues plaguing Illinois due to Democrat policies and offered their solutions to provide Illinois families relief.

The Representatives' focus was on targeting taxes and fees that the state can control, like the gas tax. Illinois' gas tax ranks second highest in the nation, being increased to 48.3 cents last July.

In an effort to provide desperately needed relief to Illinoisans, I sponsored Rep. Spain's bill, HB 5738. The bill provides sales tax relief in the form of a six-month temporary gas sales tax holiday from July 1, 2026, to December 31, 2026. Spain says it is the right thing to do for both consumers and the state's economy.

"After JB Pritzker and Democrats raided Downstate road funds for transit, Downstate taxpayers deserve relief," said Deputy House Republican Leader Ryan Spain. "Downstate has seen systemic disinvestment in our road and bridge infrastructure over the past several decades, but this taking escalated in a significant way when Democrats raided downstate road funds by seizing sales taxes on motor fuel and all market interest gained on unspent road funds to bail out mismanaged Chicago-area mass transit systems."

The Representatives emphasized that with the summer months coming, this is the least the state can do to deliver much needed relief to residents.

In case you missed it, share your feedback with me on my Affordability Survey. Take a minute to share your input on a series of questions, from pending tax proposals to potential rising costs that impact the cost of living in Illinois.

Democrats Again Blame Washington for Illinois' Fiscal Failures

In an interview with Politico, House Speaker Chris Welch once again tried to blame Washington for Illinois' fiscal failures instead of taking responsibility for the Democrat policies that have made our state's outlook worse.

If Speaker Welch wants to know why Illinois is facing budget trouble, he doesn't need to look any further than his and his own party's voting records in Springfield. Governor Pritzker has proposed yet another record-setting state budget at $56 billion, after signing a $55 billion budget last year that included more than $700 million in new taxes and fees.

And when the state had an opportunity last year to show restraint, Democrats chose politics over priorities. Speaker Welch helped direct $40 million to his former high school. While Democrat pork projects ran wild, not a single dollar went to Republican districts.

Now, according to Politico, Speaker Welch says Democrats want to focus on lowering the cost of living, including "gas, groceries, rent, mortgages," and are reviewing legislation that "helps bring costs down."

That is welcome news, because House Republicans have already introduced real proposals to do exactly that. Representative Ryan Spain has filed HB 5738 to suspend the state sales tax on gas and HB 1383 to implement "No Tax on Tips" in Illinois. If Democrats are serious about lowering costs, those bills should be at the top of their list.

The problem is that while Republicans are offering solutions to Illinois' affordability crisis, Democrats keep making things worse.

Just look at the record of Governor Pritzker and House Democrats:

• Illinois residents are paying an average of $1,434 more per person in taxes than before Governor Pritzker took office.
• Since 2019, Illinois state government has taken in $18 billion more from taxpayers, a 51% increase that far outpaces inflation.
• Governor Pritzker has enacted at least 49 tax and fee hikes since taking office.
• In 2019, Gov. Pritzker doubled the gas tax and added automatic annual inflation adjustments.
• Just this past fall, Democrats raised tolls, opened the door to a new RTA sales tax hike to bail out mass transit, and passed an $8 billion energy rate hike for green energy giveaways.

As Democrats continue pointing fingers, House Republicans will continue advancing real solutions to lower costs and make life more affordable for the people of Illinois.

Earlier this year, I called out the Governor's continued blame game, releasing the following statement: "For Governor Pritzker, this budget is about blame. It is clear the Governor is more focused on his presidential ambitions than delivering for Illinois families. He emphasized that everything is "too d*mn expensive," while proposing higher taxes, more spending, and expanded government. There's nothing affordable about this budget proposal."

JOBS

Unemployment rate rose to 4.9% in January

The Illinois unemployment rate rose from 4.7% to 4.9% in January 2026, signaling a continuing challenge for many Illinois residents looking for jobs. The Illinois jobless rate of 4.9% continued to be significantly higher than the national U.S. employment rate. The nationwide January 2026 unemployment rate was 4.3%, with many states doing better at net job creation than Illinois. For example, the most-recently-reported unemployment rate in Indiana was 3.5%.

The number of payroll jobs reported by Illinois employers increased in January 2026 by 18,000 jobs, with 6,166,800 nonfarm jobs reported. Cyclical areas that have shown weakness in recent months reported unexpected strength in January, with construction jobs up 13,500 and manufacturing up 8,400. However, the number of men and women who reported themselves as being unemployed also rose sharply, up to 318,700 in January 2026.

PUBLIC CORRUPTION

Madigan's high-powered appeals team urges 7th Circuit to overturn speaker's conviction

An attorney for ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan argued to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday that the former Democratic power broker's conviction on bribery and other corruption charges should be overturned.

The appellate case rests on arguments that Madigan did not agree to specific "official action" in exchange for electric utility Commonwealth Edison hiring political allies over a period of eight years, nor did he have "corrupt intent."

Madigan has been in a West Virginia federal prison for nearly six months, though family and friends showed up to Thursday's arguments.

Read more from Capitol News Illinois.

REVENUE

CGFA reports on March revenue numbers

The Commission on Budget Forecasting and Accountability (CGFA) has reported on Illinois general-revenue numbers for March 2026. The month-to-month and year-over-year pictures continued to be positive in March, based on growing revenue numbers from personal income tax payments and public utility taxes. Overall March 2026 general funds revenue numbers were up by $233 million, or 4.8%, from the year-earlier general funds revenue number.

Continued overperformance in the final three months of the fiscal year could lead to an FY26 surplus. However, any positive news about State revenues may well be used as excuses to spend more. In addition, the Democrat majority could use optimistic revenue numbers to help balance the approaching FY27 budget, covering spending in the fiscal year that begins on July 1, 2026. Short-term cash flow numbers could be used as "cover" for various budget gimmicks that the majority party has relied upon over the past several years.

CGFA continued to warn Illinois lawmakers about the State's growing structural deficit. For example, one of the State's existing expense lines is its commitment to help pay for health care for more than 380,000 State employees and retirees. This healthcare cost is expected to be about $4,237.7 million in FY26. Similar levels of care and billings are expected to be provided in FY27. Because of continuing high levels of healthcare cost inflation (particularly for pharmaceuticals), CGFA projects this basket of expenses will total $4,654.8 million in FY27. This 9.8% increase in FY27 state employee/retiree healthcare costs over the same costs in FY26 indicates a structured expense package that is growing much faster than the 4.8% revenue increase posted in March.

UPCOMING EVENTS