Wednesday afternoon, Governor Bruce Rauner gave his first State of the State address in front of a joint session of the General Assembly and local lawmakers are reacting to some of the things they heard.
For Sen. Chapin Rose, Sen. Dan Brady, Rep. Bill Brady and Rep. Bill Mitchell, they were pleased to hear "substance" from the State of the State speech. Sen. Rose says for too long, previous leaders have given an all is well assessment, when he notes, not all is well.
[audio:2615speechreact1.mp3] [/audio]
For Sen. Rose, everyone who has left the state is of great concern, and he is pleased with the proposals Gov. Rauner is proposing to bring jobs back to Illinois.
[audio:2615speechreact2.mp3] [/audio]
Rep. Mitchell shares the sentiments of Sen. Rose. He explains his area, which is primarily the Decatur area, has been hit hard by job loss and companies leaving the state in the last decade. He feels a sense of optimism about improving the Illinois jobs climate.
[audio:2615speechreact3.mp3] [/audio]
Overall, Rep. Brady felt as though the Governor's address was an on point of where the State is at financially. He was pleased to hear the Governor address safer prisons and increasing education funding but questions where the funding for that will come from.
[audio:2615speechreact4.mp3] [/audio]
Like Sen. Rose, Sen. Dan Brady feels there was substance to the Governor's speech. He points to Gov. Rauner's plans for education, jobs, and safety in the prison systems as the positive highlights from the Governor's address.
[audio:2615speechreact5.mp3] [/audio]
All four lawmakers say they look forward to hearing what Governor Rauner has to say in his Budget Address on February 18.
