Rauner Primary Challenger Vows Work Comp Reform

Wednesday, February 14, 2018 | 0

State Rep. Jeanne Ives, who is challenging fellow Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner in the gubernatorial primary March 20, vowed during a campaign stop in Decatur on Monday to reform workers’ compensation and lower costs for employers.

Rep. Jeanne Ives

The Wheaton lawmaker said she would push for lower taxes on businesses and residents after the state personal income tax increased last summer from 3.75% to 4.95% to shore up the state budget, the Herald & Review reported.

Ives criticized Rauner for not fulfilling promises to create more jobs in Illinois, which in December dropped from the nation’s fifth-most populous state to sixth, losing ground to Pennsylvania, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Illinois is tied with Oklahoma for the nation’s seventh-highest premiums, at $2.23 per $100 of payroll.

Rauner last summer vetoed Democratic-sponsored legislation that would have regulated insurer profits and rates. House Bill 2525 also would have required the creation of an evidence-based drug formulary and a Medicare-based fee schedule.