SPRINGFIELD – State Representative Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) voted no on a last minute, late Friday night pay raise for legislators that was tucked into a massive spending bill on Friday. Windhorst says the nearly 17% pay raise for lawmakers and constitutional officers and their staffs underscores how out-of-touch politicians are with the struggles of middle class Illinoisans.
“It’s becoming a pattern,” Windhorst said. “Late on a Friday night, when no one is paying attention, supermajority Democrats passed a massive pay increase for Illinois politicians. Inflation is at a 40-year high, energy costs are crippling family budgets, and working people are falling behind. I voted no on raising politician pay. The Democrats that approved this increase have proven time and again they are not in step with the plight of ordinary working people that are trying to feed themselves and their families and meet their most basic needs. I urge Governor Pritzker to exercise his veto authority to curb the excesses of the supermajority. A pay increase for politicians is totally and completely inappropriate.”