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Full Name:
Maura Hirschauer
What office are you seeking?
Illinois State Representative for House District 49
What is your political party?
Democrat
What is your current age?
46
Occupation and Employer:
Illinois State Representative
What offices, if any, have you previously held?
Representative for Illinois House District 49 (current)
City:
Campaign Website:
Education:
Bachelor of Arts in English from Colby College, Waterville, ME.
Community Involvement:
English as a second language teacher to adults through the CERN Womens’ Club
Executive Board member of Batavia Mothers’ Club Foundation
Founding member of Kane and Kendall County Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense America
Girl Scout troop leader
Marital Status/Immediate Family:
Married with 3 children
Why are you running for office?
I am running for office because as a mom of three children, I’ve seen how important it is to support our young and working families. As a teacher, I know the importance of a high quality education that supports our children and gives them a better chance of success. As an involved community member, I care deeply about the issues of the 49th District and the constituents I currently serve in the role. I am working to create a safer, healthier and more hopeful future for our constituents. I am proud of my work in the statehouse thus far on many wide-spread issues. I’ve addressed affordability, healthcare access, gun violence, women’s health issues and more. There is more work to be done and I look forward to the opportunity to continue my fight to create a better Illinois for us all.
Will you honor the results of the November election, including the presidential race?
Yes.
How would you assess the SAFE-T Act? Are there any changes/adjustments that you would like to see made?
Fostering and maintaining safe communities is important for the health and well being of all Illinoisans. I am committed to delivering on policies that will keep our communities here in the 49th district safe.
We have seen that the changes made in SAFE-T Act are working. Dangerous people are being held and kept off the streets. I was involved in the discussions that went into very important tweaks to the Pre-Trial Fairness Act. I worked with our local State’s Attorneys to bring their concerns to the table, and I believe that many of their concerns were addressed.
Our policies are continually evolving. I am committed to working with stakeholders—our police, prosecutors, judges and advocates—to enhance recent reforms to reflect what is best and safest for Illinois. Additionally, I have delivered budgets that directed millions of dollars in new funding, equipment, and crime-solving resources to law enforcement. I will continue to work on policies that meet our shared goal of safe spaces for everyone to thrive.
I believe in a ‘smart on crime’ approach which prioritizes funding for law enforcement and a fair justice system that works to keep dangerous people off our streets. It is essential that we identify the root cause of crime and do our best to deliver resources to impacted communities and the police as they navigate issues.
What policies would you support to ease the burden on Illinois taxpayers? Please be specific
In this most recent budget passed in May, I voted to eliminate the grocery tax which will save every Illinois taxpayer money. I recognize the struggle it is to put food on the table, and I’m proud we’re making necessities more affordable for our working families. I also supported a state child tax credit, which will directly help our young families and provide some relief for necessities during a period that can be hard to shoulder.
I will continue to work and improve on the evidence-based education funding formula, which has already taken some of the burden of education costs off of taxpayers, saving them money on their property taxes. I support a child tax credit, to create an easier transition for young families and provide some relief for necessities during a period that can be hard to shoulder. I am also proud to have voted to create an Early Childhood Education department at the state level to ensure that early childhood education, which is the root of economic prosperity, is affordable and accessible. There is always more work to be done, and I’m excited to keep working in Springfield to deliver results to our communities.
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?
While I strongly disagree with Gov Abbot’s decision to spend taxpayer dollars on a chaotic and unsympathetic busing program, it is true that the influx of migrants to Illinois ultimately stems from urgent issues at our border. Solutions to these complex problems do not lie with the state of Illinois—it is time for our federal government to take action on meaningful immigration reform.
Responding to this issue is a challenge requiring the state to balance humanitarian needs with resource management. Immediate assistance focusing on shelter, healthcare and other basic needs should be (and is being) provided through a state-coordinated effort with local governments, nonprofits and religious organizations.
Through smart budgeting, we can meet the need at our doorstep and continue to support programs that help all Illinoisans thrive. However, our state resources are precious and we cannot shoulder this burden alone. We need federal support for sustainable, long-term solutions.
What programs are you in favor of that could make home-buying more affordable for first-time homebuyers?
Buying a home is a great opportunity and tool for families to plant roots, build generational wealth and strengthen our communities. Families in our communities deserve the opportunity to buy a home, and we’ve been working hard in Illinois to support them in that endeavor.
Currently, the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) offers up to $10,000 for down payment assistance for individuals, families, veterans and others to help kickstart their dream of buying a home. The program is open to both first-time and repeat homebuyers, and offers a needs-based tier system to address individual needs. This program is a fantastic resource to our communities and we must continue to support this program in the legislature and spread the word about it in our communities.
The path to home ownership doesn’t just end with buying a home—down payments, inspections and closing costs are just one piece of housing affordability. IHDA also offers affordable mortgage programs, and other loan assistance to support first-time home buyers and home ownership. This programs ensures that families can get support after they’ve purchased a home, so their budgets can be more sustainable and they can feel comfortable planting roots in a community. Programs like these are important to ensuring that everyone, no matter their zip code, has options of support in their homeownership journey.
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?
Informally, high property taxes is the reason cited for those who have left the state, which is an issue every lawmaker across the state must confront. But we must take a birds eye approach to population loss and recognize the long-term context of this trend. Illinois has been losing population for decades, and frankly, there are certain factors that we can’t change such as our geography and weather. We absolutely need to address the policies that are within our control, like taxes and economic opportunity, but historical context and uncontrollable factors also play a vital role in this trend.
On the flip side, we should explore the reasons people are moving to Illinois. Our communities have high-quality public schools, access to large employers and great outdoor recreation. We need to continue to promote these resources such as creating more economic opportunities, encourage young families to take advantage of a high quality education and maintain and expand access to local natural resources for recreation.
Should Illinois impose a state parks fee that is earmarked for maintenance of those facilities? If so, how should it be implemented?
Illinois is one of seven states that doesn’t charge a fee for park maintenance. Illinois has been fiscally responsible since 2018, and I’m proud to have voted for several balanced budgets that have led to nine credit upgrades since 2021, which shows our commitment to fiscal responsibility. We can’t afford to take on more debt in the state budget if we want to stay on track. When exploring the idea of instituting fees, we must have an eye on affordability and access. It is important that we keep our beautiful state parks accessible for all Illinois residents. Any discussion of a state parks fee must ensure our parks remain clean, beautiful and accessible to all.
Regardless of instituting a fee, we need to remain committed to accountability. We need to make sure we know what maintenance is needed and where every dollar is being allocated. State parks are an excellent amenity, and are worth the investment, but only if the money we’re investing is properly spent. As the conversations continue, I remain committed to reviewing bills as they come across my desk, to ensure proposed solutions include what’s best for our constituents, district and state as a whole.
With hospitals closing and/or downsizing in northern Illinois, what can be done to ensure rural residents have access to quality health care?
Rural communities certainly have unique issues facing them; however, the issues in these rural healthcare spaces are ones that urban communities are facing as well. For-profit hospitals closing in underserved populations due to lower profit margins, overworked healthcare workers earning less than a livable wage and more.
The solutions to these issues and ensuring accessibility to residents need to start with the workforce. Healthcare workers like nurses and doctors are community heroes and work tirelessly to take care of our neighbors at their most vulnerable. We must ensure that their profession is dignified by paying them a living wage. We must foster and incentivize a growing healthcare workforce to prevent burnout, which often leads to high turnover and many skilled workers leaving the workforce.
Incentives should be prioritized for underserved communities, such as rural communities, which can come in the form of higher wages, more benefits or tax breaks. We need to expand access to telemedicine and preventative care, which can prevent expensive and far-away trips to hospitals for rural communities. We also need to ensure that we’re supporting all areas of healthcare—it’s not just hospitals that are vital to the health and well-being of these communities. Pharmacists, specialists and outpatient care must be coupled with these incentives and outreach strategies, or else we’re only solving one part of the problem.
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?
The intersection between intimate partner violence and gun violence is deadly for survivors and their families. I am a proud supporter, and the House sponsor, of Karina’s Bill. This bill was named for a mother, Karina Gonzalez, and her daughter, Daniela, who were murdered after Karina petitioned for and was granted an order of protection. Karina’s abuser was served the order of protection, but there was no mechanism in place to ensure his guns were confiscated.
Our state gun laws are failing survivors of domestic violence and their families. Risk of intimate-partner homicide increases 500 percent when abusers have access to a gun. When domestic violence survivors go to the courts for protection, we must ensure that protection works. It is negligent to leave the door open for violence when there is a straightforward solution that could save lives.
This bill also addresses gender-based violence, which is often overlooked in the criminal justice system and leaves women and other folks vulnerable to higher rates of violence. I am also the proud sponsor of a safe storage bill, which puts in place common-sense guidelines to properly store firearms to prevent unauthorized access. We see far too many instances of youth or at-risk individuals gaining access to guns simply because they’re within reach, unlocked and sometimes even loaded. Illinois has taken reasonable steps to prevent gun violence, but there’s more ways we can keep our communities safe while maintaining legal gun ownership.
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?
We acknowledge that the looming fiscal cliff is due to federal COVID relief funds running out and the lasting aftermath of the pandemic. We saw, and still experience, decreased ridership in the post-COVID era; however, this system has needed to be reevaluated for quite some time. We first must explore options to increase ridership, to increase revenue into the system. The solutions to that problem are both simple and deeply complex. To increase ridership, transit must be reliable, on-time and accessible to people and in all areas.
The tricky part is that to increase accessibility and reliability, we must avoid fare hikes and reduced service, which means that a combined agency may be the solution if we want the above to remain true. As we evaluate options to increase ridership and reimagine public transit, ethics must remain at the heart of the conversation. Fiscal accountability with the agency needs to be prioritized as charges to taxpayers should be transparent if they’re investing their economic resources into a system that is meant to serve them. Agencies must be accountable to people and justify costs, or changes in costs, appropriately.
Additionally, it is key that the suburban voice is heard as we move forward with negotiations. Public transportation in our suburban districts is important, and any solution for the CTA must work for suburban ridership.
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?
I have not received a PPP loan.
Have you ever been convicted of or charged with a crime?
No.