By Illlinois Radio Network
SPRINGFIELD – State policymakers are looking at ways to help stem Illinois’ population loss.
U.S. Census data shows Illinois led the nation in the past decade in terms of population decline, losing nearly 160,000 in just six years.
Treasurer Michael Frerichs understands people want security and a plan to stabilize the state’s finances moving forward.
“In the Treasurer’s office we’re looking for ways to grow our economy, to create opportunities,” Frerichs said. “If people have good jobs here, they want to stay. It’s clear that we have high property taxes and we should do something about that, but people should also be aware that Illinois has had population decline and we’ve lost congressman ever since the 1920s.”
Because of Illinois population decline, demographers have projected the state will lose at least one seat in Congress in the next reapportionment after the 2020 Census.
Frerichs said the state’s cold winters don’t help make Illinois a more attractive destination.
State Sen. Neil Anderson, R-Andalusia, said it was clear that Illinois policies have hindered job growth. As for his Democratic colleagues, he said: “behind closed doors a lot of them understand it, but other places I think they just bury their heads in the sand and hope that it all goes away.”
“It’s not going away,” Anderson said. “The only thing that’s going away is people.“
Comptroller Susana Mendoza said taxes aren’t the only issue.
“So there’s a lot that we can do,” Mendoza said. “I don’t think it’s all about taxes. I think the quality of life and the ability to have good schools and give people who are graduating from our colleges an incentive to stay in Illinois with good-paying jobs. Those are all part of the equation. It’s not like one thing will solve this issue.”
State Sen. Jason Plummer, R-Edwardsville, agreed that taxes were not the only area where Illinois was an outlier.
“There’s a litany of them,” Plummer said. “Tort reform, workers’ compensation reform, tax rates, tax structures, until we really address those issues we’re not going to fix the state of Illinois.
Lawmakers return to Springfield for the spring legislative session next week.
Illinois Network can be reached at [email protected].
