By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – As Gov. JB Pritzker gives his State of the State and budget message today, Illinois House Republicans do not want him to forget the state’s shortcomings.

“We have an acute shortage of child care workers in many parts of our state,” said State Rep. Jackie Haas (R-Bourbonnais). “The cost of living in Illinois continues to climb. And teacher and medical professional recruitment and retention is difficult. On top of this, we’re experiencing an unacceptable rise in crime in our communities that threaten our loved ones and our peace of mind.”

“Covid-19 changed everything for our kids, as you well know,” said State Rep. Dave Severin (R-Benton). “We learned that tragically; the government imposed shutdowns that badly harmed our students’ reading, math, and science development.”

House Minority Leader Tony McCombie (R-Savanna), announcing House GOP working groups for areas as diverse as literacy and the economy, has said she is willing to work with supermajority Democrats, answering House Speaker Chris Welch’s (D-Hillside) “Yes we can” with “Yes we will.”

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]