West Central Reporter

Deputy House Republican Leader Norine Hammond (R-Macomb) has recently been named chief budgeteer by caucus leader Tony McCombie (R-Savanna), and Hammond pledged to create a budget that benefits everyone.

"Beyond my role as Deputy leader for the House Republicans, I am honored to have been named a few days ago as chief budgeteer for our caucus by our leader Tony McCombie," she said in a statement issued Jan. 27 on her website. "As a long-time member of the Higher Education Appropriations Committee, I have a strong record of working across the aisle, as we've done in the past to increase funding for our universities and community colleges, aid in helping to address the teacher shortage in the state of Illinois and in creating a fairly funded K through 12 education budget." 

Hammond has advocated for reform and cost-cutting measures throughout her tenure, the release stated.

"I will work tirelessly to ensure that the budget benefits all the citizens of Illinois and ensures their needs and concerns will be considered in the budgeting process," Hammond said. "The reforms which we will be advocating for in the coming weeks include: adopting a revenue estimate and budget based on that revenue estimate; holding real meaningful budget hearings, which respect minority voices and provides for public input and transparency; requiring balanced budgets.

"That's our goal; restoring quarterly bipartisan briefings by the administration to the bipartisan legislative budget oversight commission," Hammond said. "These briefings were eliminated last spring after then-Rep. Tom Demmer, and I asked some tough questions about how the administration was spending COVID relief dollars from the federal government; respecting voters' decisions to overwhelmingly reject the graduated income tax hike; give taxpayers real tax reform; eliminate the franchise tax on employers; property tax relief for families and businesses; reduce the harmful impacts of the estate tax on our family farms; and finally returning access income tax collections to the taxpayers instead of sweeping it to be used to fund things like politicians pay hikes. I could not be prouder than to lead this budget team."

Hammond was first elected to the Illinois House in 2010, the website stated, serving on the Consumer Protection and Human Services committees. Hammond lives in Emmet Township.

Rep. Amy Elik (R-Alton) was also named deputy budgeteer, the release added. She previously served on the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability and other financial committees.