The following is an Op-Ed written by Gov. Bruce Rauner to mark his first year in office that was published by the State Journal-Register:

One year ago, we were preparing to move into our new home here in Springfield.
We knew then the challenges facing us were daunting. Illinois has been in economic decline for many years. Families and small businesses have been suffering as a result of bad policies in state government.
While the nation produced nearly 12 million net new jobs since 2000, Illinois shed over 84,000 jobs. Our manufacturing sector was hardest hit, with 310,000 lost jobs. Without opportunities here, many left for other states.
For years, our politicians patched over our problems through budget games, deficit spending and kicking the can on pensions. Then, rather than fix the root causes of our problems, the politicians in charge raised taxes without instituting any reforms, severely damaging our economy and inflicting more hardships on hardworking families.
The Democrats’ massive tax hike in 2011 was a tragic failure. While the tax hike was in place, the state credit rating was downgraded five times, less than one-third of our bill backlog was paid off, state support for schools was cut, our unfunded pension liabilities increased by $28 billion, our economic growth was cut to almost half the national average and Illinois lost 300,000 residents.
To any outsider, it was obvious that we needed a fundamental transformation. So we proposed legislation to restore faith in state government by enacting term limits and redistricting reform; grow careers and incomes by enacting job-creating economic reforms; reform state pensions; and deliver lasting property tax relief by empowering the people of Illinois to control local government costs and eliminating unfunded mandates.
Our proposed legislation could generate billions in new tax revenue through higher growth, save billions of unnecessary government spending, raise wages through better job opportunities, reduce the cost of living for our families, and put more money in schools and social services rather than government bureaucracy.
Unfortunately, Democratic leaders have so far refused to vote on any of our legislation. They want to hold onto the false belief that Illinois can right itself without changing the fundamental underpinnings of state government.
While Democrats stall, our administration has continued to work hard for you.
Over the last 12 months, we:
* Assembled a super team of high-talent, high-integrity executives to lead our state agencies.
* Ensured record state funding for schools.
* Eliminated the $1.6 billion deficit inherited from the previous administration.
* Agreed to innovative new collective bargaining agreements with most state government unions, instituting merit pay for the most productive employees.
* Eliminated over half a billion in state spending through department action.
* Took action at the DHFS that will net state taxpayers $250 million, improving redetermination and rightsizing the entities providing care coordination.
* DCFS is being transformed, producing better outcomes for children while saving taxpayer money by moving more children from shelters to foster homes.
* Reformed the EDGE program to eliminate “special” deals and only provide credits for capital investment and job creation.
* Signed landmark public safety legislation.
* Banned the revolving door of executive branch employees to lobbying positions.
* Led negotiations that produced significant unemployment insurance reform by strengthening misconduct provisions, avoiding a $470 million tax increase and $300 million benefit reduction and better protecting Social Security-eligible workers.
* Implemented fraud reduction efforts that prevented $188 million in improper unemployment insurance claims.
* Returned $30 million to employers for unemployment insurance overcharges by the previous administration.
* Began to upgrade and modernize our state government IT infrastructure.
* Began the process to sell the Thompson Center, saving taxpayers $ hundreds of millions.
While these are important steps in the right direction, the process of laying the foundation for a brighter future for you and your children is nowhere near complete. That can only be achieved when everyone with political power in Illinois is ready to face reality and reform our state government so it works for you again.