Springfield, IL… Citing Governor Quinn’s lack of leadership in his State of the State Address today, State Representative Suzanne “Suzie” Bassi (R-Palatine) said she is angry about the governor’s lack of direction for the new legislative year.

“This is unacceptable! The people of this state deserve more. The Governor failed to address the serious problems facing Illinois today – the financial crisis, $6 billion of unpaid bills and the unemployment rate near 11 percent. It was nothing but a stump campaign speech,” said Bassi. “I was looking for some leadership and strong ideas on how to get out of this mess, instead he focused on last year’s legislation and side-stepped all of the questions that we need answers to.”

The Governor’s speech was about patting Pat Quinn on the back. Little has changed since Rod Blagojevich was impeached, said Bassi.

“The sad reality is that not much has changed since Blagojevich’s impeachment. Our budget and unemployment situation have gotten worse and Democrats continue to spend money the state does not have while pushing businesses out of Illinois. People are hurting and we need to put them back to work, not increase the state’s income tax on working families and employers,” she said.

Citing the need for fiscal reform, Bassi said she will continue to fight Governor Quinn and the Democrats plan to raise taxes and push for legislation that changes the budgetary process.

Palatine, IL…In an effort to bring transparency to the state’s finances, Governor Quinn recently signed into law key transparency reform legislation supported by State Representative Suzie Bassi.

“Widespread government corruption has been the norm for far too long. I applaud the Governor for signing this bill that will make Illinois government more honest and transparent,” said Bassi Continue reading »

Dear Friend,

At long last we have a state budget! The House and Senate came to an agreement Wednesday night on a state budget for the new fiscal year which began July 1. Governor Quinn immediately signed the budget that restores funding to most social services and ensures the continuation of critical state programs for the entire fiscal year. 

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Dear Neighbor,

The last week of session was riddled with its usual drama as the budget and other important legislation was voted on in the final minutes.

The House and Senate without Republican approval passed a budget by the May 31 deadline to keep the state operating in the upcoming months. Even though that budget passed by the Legislature, the Governor has refused to sign it into law. Therefore, the state’s top leaders met in the past two weeks to work out a deal. I expect to be back in Springfield later this summer to tackle this issue.

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Palatine, IL … Senior citizens are invited to dance to the top hits of the 40s, 50s and 60s during a Heart Healthy Sock Hop, sponsored by State Representative Suzie Bassi, from 3 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 24, at the Palatine Township Senior Center, 505 S. Quentin Road, Palatine. Continue reading »

Ethics E-Newsletter

Dear Friend,

As session quickly draws to a close, I am happy to report that the General Assembly made some great strides this past week. In the wake of the Illinois Reform Committee’s release of 46 governmental reform proposals, the Senate and House last week passed four bills aimed at creating transparency. I personally co-sponsored three out of the four reforms: Compensation Review Board, procurement and ethics and lobbyist reforms. These bills are a good start at creating a more transparent government, however, there is still more work that needs to be done.   Continue reading »

May E-newsletter

With one governor behind bars and another one indicted, it’s clear that we need to strengthen our ethics standards and demand greater accountability from public officials. Rumor around the state house is that we may vote on a reform package next week.

Immediately after the Illinois Reform Commission issued their final 100-day report on April 28, I joined with my House Republican colleagues in calling for a committee of the whole hearing in the Illinois House so that all legislators could have an opportunity to hear testimony directly from the Reform Commission members themselves on what specific proposals they recommend to clean-up state government. Continue reading »

Dear Editor,

I commend the Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board for shedding some light on the state and congressional redistricting map process in a recent editorial “Legislature’s Challenge: Fix Bizarre Redistricting.”

As the Sun-Times pointed out, the redistricting process, which occurs every 10 years, is completely partisan, depending on which party wins the flip of a coin. The districts are carefully drawn based on how an area historically votes, therefore favoring one party over another.

For the last six years my Republican colleagues and I have sponsored 12 resolutions that would reform the redistricting process. Continue reading »

Dear Neighbor,

As your state representative of the 54th District, I am always looking for a means to reach out to you with news of what is going on in Springfield. I am happy to report that I am starting a new service in sending out a monthly electronic newsletter, The Bassi Beacon.

With the leadership changes and budget crisis this year, I thought it was now more important than ever to give you personal updates from Springfield.

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Palatine, IL … As college tuition continues to rise, parents are encouraged to learn about Illinois 529 plans that will ease the burden of paying for college through a seminar sponsored by State Representative Suzanne “Suzie” Bassi (R-Palatine).

“As the cost of college continues to dramatically increase, Illinois families are looking to get ahead in saving for their child’s higher education. Both College Illinois and Bright Start offer great saving opportunities for all income levels. I urge all families to look into both programs and see what works best for them,” said Bassi.

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