Lake County Gazette

With crisis all around them stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, Chris Bos argues it’s time Springfield lawmakers take a stand.

“We need to start showing our small business owners that we want them here,” Bos, running against incumbent Rep. Mary Edly-Allen (D-Libertyville) in the 51st District, told the Lake County Gazette. “A lot of them were in a crisis even before the pandemic, trying to deal with our incredibly high taxes, pending progressive tax and all the others. I think it’s critical that in the midst of all this uncertainty we give small business owners some hope.”

Bos argues a letter a group of GOP lawmakers recently sent to Gov. J.B. Pritzker calling on him to freeze the state’s unemployment and minimum wage rates for at least the next year to give the economy time to recover are steps in that direction.

The letter signed off on by state Reps. Dan Caulkins (Decatur), Darren Bailey (Xenia), Chris Miller (Oakland), Brad Halbrook (Shelbyville), Blaine Wilhour (Beecher City) and John Cabello (Machesney Park) also seeks to place a moratorium on property taxes with so many people now being forced to work from home.

“We need to make sure that unemployment rates are not jacked up even higher because of the season we’re in and we need to freeze wage hikes so small businesses have the opportunity to regain employees and make it back to capacity,” Bos added.

With the period for social distancing now extended by President Donald Trump and Gov. J.B. Pritzker until at least April 30, Bos said it’s past time lawmakers in Springfield earnestly start dealing with the issues that have long crippled the state.

“We need major reforms,” he said. “We’ve got to start talking about all the issues that have kept us as one of slowest growing economies in country, issues like pension reform, fair maps and lowering unemployment insurance rates.”