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Full Name: Steven Reick
What office are you seeking? State Representative
What offices, if any, have you previously held? None prior to being elected in 2016.
City: Woodstock
Occupation: State Representative
Education: Bachelor of Science, Accountancy (University of Illinois)
Juris Doctor (University of Georgia)
Master of Accountancy/Tax (University of Georgia)
Campaign Website: ilikereick.com
What are the top issues facing your district and what would you like to do to address those issues?
Property tax reform
General tax reform
Child welfare and reform of DCFS
If COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths rise again, what mitigations, if any, should the state pursue?
Like it or not, the Covid virus has become endemic. Mitigations should only be considered if there is undue strain put upon our health care system, which was the original justification for the mitigations we saw in 2020. We lost sight of that when Pritzker figured out that it was easier to govern by disaster declaration and executive order than by engaging in the normal business of working with the General Assembly.
In light of Michael Madigan’s indictment, what steps should the legislature take to address corruption and ethics concerns in the state?
Elect more Republicans, because we’ve been the ones proposing strong ethics measures in the General Assembly. Democrats like things just the way they are.
If there was one bill that you could get through the legislature next year, what would it be?
Since the death of A.J. Freund, I’ve been working to reform DCFS and make it an agency more accountable to local authority and control (See: H.B. 634). DCFS is irretrievably broken, and too many children have been put at risk as a result. You can read more on how I would do that by clicking here.
If there was one recently passed law you could repeal, what would it be?
### H.B. 3653, the so-called “Safe-T” act, which is a “criminal justice bill” passed at 4:00 a.m. with no law enforcement involvement of public input.
Do you support term limits? If yes, why and what would they look like? And if no, why not?
I don’t support term limits, because to do so puts the General Assembly at greater risk of being controlled by lobbyists and permanent staff. Democracy is a participatory activity, and citizens have a duty to play their part by keeping an eye on their representatives and getting involved in the process.
Inflation across the country has greatly impacted the price of gasoline, food and other supplies. What should the legislature do to address these issues?
The Illinois legislature can’t do anything to address inflation, and anything it tries to do is nothing more than election-year posturing. Inflation is defined as too much money chasing too few goods. The only tools government has to contain inflation are monetary (controlling the money supply) and setting interest rates on government bonds, both of which are controlled at the Federal level. The current inflation is due in large part to Covid disruptions to the supply chain, primarily from China, coupled with a massive infusion of money in the form of Covid relief. Inflation was inevitable.
Taxes are a top concern of Illinois voters. What do you think the underlying issues are and how would you propose addressing them?
Do we need tax reform? Absolutely. We need a global review of our entire tax structure with an eye toward creating a tax system that moves in the direction of our economy, which requires us to look at not only income taxes, but all sources of revenue: sales taxes, motor fuel taxes, user fees and property taxes. That doesn’t mean raising rates across the board, but looking at changing the mix, broadening bases and thus encouraging economic development, which is the real solution to our problem.
What are three things the state legislature could do to promote better fiscal responsibility within state government?
1. When the first $10 billion (and climbing) comes off the top of state revenue every year and goes directly toward paying the unfunded portion of our pension liability, it’s hard to talk about fiscal responsibility with a straight face. We need to admit to the fact that we’re never going to reach full funding of our pensions, and that we’ll be paying 25% or more of general revenue every year into perpetuity. Trying to get people to talk about this is next to impossible.
2. Stop negotiating budgets behind closed doors with no input from the minority party.
3. Have each appropriations committee (education, human services, etc.) submit its own budget for a vote by the full Legislature rather than have them all folded into a single, 3,000 page document which we are given no time to review.
How would you propose addressing the problems with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services?
I answered the question previously.
What can be done at a state level to address crime?
Start by repealing the so-called “Safe-T” act.
Did Joe Biden win the 2020 election?
I prefer to focus on the future and those things over which I have some measure of control.
What is your position on the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol?
The moment the first window was broken, it became a criminal act.
Illinois has seen significant revenue growth from marijuana sales and enhanced gambling. Are there other industries the state should consider to grow revenue?
See my previous answer on tax reform.