Illinois Senate GOP hope Pritzker supports solutions for soaring utility bills

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Illinois Senate Republicans are calling on Gov. JB Pritzker to address rising energy costs during his State of the State speech Wednesday afternoon. Downstate GOP members said many families and businesses are struggling to get by because they can't pay their power bills.

"What is he going to to do to help our constituents with their power bills? And I want to accentuate the fact that this only gets worse," Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) said Tuesday. "As more and more aggregation contracts come offline, people are gonna go have their bills double all over downstate Illinois in the MISO region."

Rose said the General Assembly should pass a bill to provide $200 million in rebates to Ameren Illinois customers. State lawmakers approved a plan during the January lame-duck session to provide $170 in relief for the average family in the MISO region. However, Rose and other Senate Republicans stressed that lawmakers did not appropriate funding for the relief effort.

Sen. Erica Harriss (R-Glen Carbon) is the lead sponsor of a bill to allocate $200 million from the state's general revenue fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) to ensure customers receive help.

"While I recognize this rebate won't be enough to conquer the long-term energy increases, it's something we can do right now, today, to bring immediate relief," Harriss said. "I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will join me in supporting this legislation and working for more comprehensive solutions to solve this energy crisis."

Another GOP proposal could create a power grid task force to look into the impacts laws have on the state's ability to produce enough energy for families and businesses. Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) said she hopes Pritzker's budget proposal includes long-term solutions to lower the cost for power and address the increased need for energy capacity and supply.

"We have to start addressing this issue right now," Tracy said. "They forget that we need a grid right now that's reliable and can provide the energy goals that people need right now and quit driving up these rates."

Republicans noted that they are more than willing to talk with their Democratic colleagues about moving to renewable energy. However, they said all Illinoisans deserve to have power for their homes and businesses without suffering from higher prices. Rep. Dave Severin (R-Benton) argued that Democratic policies like the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act have hurt working families.

"Any further increases in electricity rates will only further the suffering of people that are already experiencing financial difficulty," Severin said. "Let's be equitable statewide - top to bottom."

Aside from solutions for energy costs, Senate Republicans said they would like to see Pritzker propose significant investments for people with developmental disabilities. The caucus said Illinois is currently $300 million below the suggested investment level to have enough director support professionals for adults with developmental disabilities.

Rose said he would also like to see stronger investments in rural downstate hospitals and nursing homes.

"There are going to be opportunities to find common ground with the governor," Rose said. "But if they're going to go out there and just spend it all on this new stuff, I think you're going to have a real problem. But I'm not going to speak for anybody else."