NW Illinois News

Illinois House Republican Leader Tony McCombie has issued statements on several key issues affecting Illinois residents, including criminal law, redistricting, energy costs, and property taxes.

In response to the recent arrest of Jose Luis Mendoza-Gonzalez by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in connection with the death of Antioch resident Megan Bos, McCombie criticized the SAFE-T Act. She stated: “The tragic death of Megan Bos is every parent’s nightmare—and it was preventable. An illegal immigrant, accused of hiding her body in a storage container, was released under the SAFE-T Act. Let that sink in. Illinois Democrats made this possible by stripping judges of their discretion and tying the hands of law enforcement. Megan didn’t get justice from our laws—she got discarded. If it weren’t for ICE, this man would still be walking free. That should outrage every Illinoisan. We need to repeal the SAFE-T Act before more innocent lives are lost to politics and failed policies.”

Mendoza-Gonzalez, a Mexican national living in the U.S. illegally, faced charges including concealing a death and abuse of a corpse but was released without cash bail under current Illinois law.

On redistricting issues, Governor JB Pritzker commented on potential mid-decade congressional map changes as a response to actions taken by states like Texas. Pritzker said: “We have to see what they decide to do about Texas… I think we ought to play by the rules,” while also noting that “counterbalance” might be necessary and stating: “I think cheating the way the president wants to is improper. We all ought to stand up against it. People ought to be outraged.”

McCombie responded: “It’s rich that the Governor now claims to support playing by the rules—after he enthusiastically signed into law the most gerrymandered maps in the nation. When it was convenient, he promised to reject partisan maps in favor of fair representation. Illinois Republicans remain committed to fairness and transparency.”

Addressing a roundtable event held with Texas lawmakers and Governor Pritzker regarding gerrymandering concerns, McCombie added: “Today, Democrats from Texas are in Chicago for a roundtable with JB Pritzker to complain about ‘Republican gerrymandering’—yet they’re sitting with the guy who signed one of the most extreme gerrymandered maps in the country. A map so bad, it was challenged by the NAACP and MALDEF and ranked worst in America. Apparently, they don’t think gerrymandering is wrong, they just want to be as good at it as Illinois’ own Governor.

“While they’re virtue-signaling about healthcare and food assistance, let’s be clear on the facts:

“This roundtable isn’t about justice—it’s about political theater.”

In energy news, PJM Interconnection announced an increase in capacity prices for electricity distributors throughout its grid area—from $269.92 per megawatt-day up to $329.17 per megawatt-day—which will affect customer bills starting summer 2026 after increases already implemented for summer 2025 bills as well.

Accordingly, McCombie said: “Illinois families are facing higher electric bills because of reckless energy policy coming out of Springfield. Shutting down reliable energy sources has driven up capacity costs and made us dependent instead of energy independent. We need an all-of-the-above strategy that puts affordability and reliability first.”

Customers served by other grid operators such as MISO—which covers central and southern Illinois—are experiencing similar or higher price increases; MISO's current capacity price stands at $666.50 per megawatt-day.

Regarding state tax burdens on residents, recent data shows Illinois homeowners paid an average effective property tax rate of 1.83% during 2023—the highest rate nationwide—with an average annual payment of $4,584 on a median-priced home valued at $250,500.

McCombie commented: “Since my first term, Democrats have launched one property tax task force after another—with zero results. Meanwhile, Illinois now ranks worst in the nation for property taxes. To make matters worse, they just cut $50 million from the budget that was supposed to help those struggling to pay. Illinoisans are being taxed out of their homes while Democrats keep holding press conferences instead of taking action.”

McCombie began representing Illinois' 89th House District after being elected as a Republican in 2023.

Additionally, McCombie highlighted upcoming community events across her district's seven county fairs with planned appearances at local venues through early August.