Lake County Gazette

Illinois state Rep. David McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills) recently filed legislation to stop $180 million in appropriations from going toward the Obama Presidential Center.

McSweeney filed House Bill 5934 on July 23, which would repeal appropriations included in the state budget for infrastructure improvements needed for construction of the center in Chicago's South Side. The Illinois bipartisan spending budget has been under heavy scrutiny and was not fully available until hours before it was passed by lawmakers on May 31 and approved by Gov. Bruce Rauner.

"For HB 5934, the purpose of the bill is to repeal the recent appropriation for infrastructure costs associated with the Obama Presidential Center,” McSweeney told the Lake County Gazette. “The Obama Center should be completely privately funded."

Illinois State Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton)

The $38.5 billion state spending budget contains $200 million set aside for the Obama Center, according to the Illinois News Network. McSweeney does not think that taxpayers should have to cover the cost of the center, particularly Illinois taxpayers not in Chicago and surrounding areas.

McSweeney believes that the Road Fund to the Department of Transportation for a grant to the Chicago Department of Transportation for infrastructure improvements contained in the budget should not be used for the Obama Center and insists the money would be better spent elsewhere.

The controversy around the Obama Center construction stems from its funding. It was originally supposed to be funded by private donations and now it has made its way into the state budget.

Two days after McSweeney filed the house bill on July 23, Reps. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) and John Cabello (R-Machesney Park) were added as chief co-sponsors to the bill.

"I'm happy that Reps. Ives and Cabello are my chief co-sponsors,” McSweeney said.

McSweeney was originally one of two lawmakers to vote against the budget at the end of May. It passed 56-2.