2024 Election Questionnaire: Laurie Parman, Illinois House District 66

Full Name:

Laurie Parman

What office are you seeking?

State Representative of District 66.

What is your political party?

Republican

What is your current age?

Occupation and Employer:

Retired teacher

What offices, if any, have you previously held?

I have not previously held office.

City:

Sleepy Hollow

Campaign Website:

laurieparman.com

Education:

I have achieved the following Degrees: Bachelor of Applied Science, Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and Doctorate in Educational Leadership.

Community Involvement:

I am a volunteer Educational Consultant for: Individuals who are struggling with issues relating to educational red tape and Private School Start up consulting.

Marital Status/Immediate Family:

I have been married to my husband Greg for 45 years. We have five adult children. One is deceased. We have 11 grandchildren.

Why are you running for office?

I have eleven grandchildren, and at some point post-Covid lockdowns, I began to wonder what kind of world I was leaving to my grandchildren. I have a scholarly background and a disposition toward public service. When the calls began to come in asking me to run for this office, I decided based on the good I could do for my own grandchildren and for families in the state of Illinois to run for the Illinois House of Representatives.

Will you honor the results of the November election, including the presidential race?

Yes, of course, pending all legal redress of legitimate grievances of election irregularities.

How would you assess the SAFE-T Act? Are there any changes/adjustments that you would like to see made?

I would say that the SAFE-T Act makes it harder for police to do their jobs in the following ways:

- It allows anonymous complaints against ocers and eliminates the requirement to sign a sworn affidavit.

- The SAFE-T Act requires increases in reporting on the use of force by police, while restricting a police officer’s justified use of force.

- Loosens mandatory minimum sentences

- Pretrial, no cash bail makes it easier for defendants to flee, thus making the streets less safe for citizens

- Detention can only be imposed if there is a specific person for whom the detainee poses a threat. This provision is very short sighted. Said detainee could very possibly pose a threat to members of the general public.

In all, the SAFE-T Act seems to make life better for those who break the law, while making life less safe for the public. I would seek to clarify/x elements of the items I have mentioned above.

What policies would you support to ease the burden on Illinois taxpayers? Please be specific

I believe that a good start to easing the tax burden for Illinois retired citizens would be to make a no-tax policy on social security. This would begin to ease the burden on retirees.

I believe that a strong business climate will make living in Illinois more affordable for citizens. Illinois has lost too many business in the last few years to states offering a better business climate. This leaves Illinois tax payers holding the proverbial bag.

Illinois legislators should stop placing legislation on business owners that raise the cost of doing business. These costs; such as Paid Leave for all Workers Act, and raises in the minimus wage ultimately get passed on to consumers. Eventually, business owners have no creative ways left to recoup their losses for the burdens placed on them by lawmakers, and they shutter businesses or move to states with better laws.

The Chicago area has been a destination for migrants, often with no housing options when they get here. What would you do in Springfield to help migrants when they appear, and to help local communities prepare when groups show up unannounced?

The questions for me are: Why is the State of Illinois allowing a flood of migrants to come into our state? Why is the State of Illinois a Sanctuary State? People are coming here from all over the globe to get free things, when Illinoisans are suffering? Why is the State of Illinois giving billions to make these migrants comfortable at the expense of Illinois taxpayers? This is wrong. I don’t see many public officials asking the questions I just asked. Many citizens I have talked with in the past year about this are looking for someone in government to look out for them for a change. This is wrong, and I will seek answers and solutions on behalf of the working, taxpaying citizens of Illinois. That’s a good start.

What programs are you in favor of that could make home-buying more affordable for first-time homebuyers?

I have for a very long time been a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. I have built homes in District 66 and in other states. This organization presents an excellent opportunity for future home owners to invest their “Sweat Equity” in their own dream of owning a home. For too long in Illinois, we have made the answer to every problem LET’S THROW MONEY AT THIS PROBLEM. It is time to find ways such as Habitat for Humanity that restore dignity to people and give them solid ways to gain pride from building their own future. I would be in favor of giving funds to organizations that do this.

The last census showed that Illinois is losing population, and that rural areas are were hit harder than urban areas. Is that a cause for concern and, if so, what can you do from Springfield to ensure rural communities don’t disappear?

If rural areas are being hit harder and we are losing this population in those areas, it is because it is becoming increasingly difficult for farmers to make a profit. We need to look there first. If we don’t take care of helping farmers with issues of soil erosion, contamination of water sources, labor shortages and the price of fertilizer, we will lose farms and farmers.

Should Illinois impose a state parks fee that is earmarked for maintenance of those facilities? If so, how should it be implemented?

Yes, I believe that those who use the parks should help maintain them by facility fees. The best way would be park entrance fees.

With hospitals closing and/or downsizing in northern Illinois, what can be done to ensure rural residents have access to quality health care?

‘Hospitals that are closing’, should be the focus of this question, rather than rural hospitals closing. The hospitals are not closing because they are in rural areas. They are closing because with the coming of hospital cooperatives, care is becoming less efficient to administer and the quality of care has suffered. We need to take a closer look at what actually is causing hospitals anywhere to close, and begin to study and address those issues.

Do you support Karina’s Bill, which aims to strengthen enforcement of the removal of firearms from those with orders of protection against them? More broadly, are Illinois laws too strict – or not strict enough – when it comes to gun rights and gun control and what changes would you advocate for?

No I do not support this bill. It is somewhat easy get an order of protection. To attach the removal of a rearm to something that is relatively easy to get is an infringement on the Second Amendment. If the person used the weapon unlawfully they should be subject to the laws surrounding that crime.

Should Metra, Pace and the CTA be combined into one agency? What should be done to address the fiscal cliff facing the public transit agencies?

Creating a larger bureaucracy seldom solves problems. I believe the closer a human is to the problem the easier the problem will be to solve. However, there should be interagency oversight.

In your capacity as a private citizen, have you or any business entity in which you have a ownership stake received a federal PPP loan? If so, what was the amount and is it repaid, forgiven or still outstanding?

No PPP loans were given to us.