Years served: 2004 - Present
Committee assignments: Committee of the Whole; Local Government (Minority Spokesperson); Agriculture and Conservation; Consumer Protection; Human Services; State Government & Veterans Affairs; Transportation; Trans Subcommittee Special Issues; Subcommittee Medicaid & Provider Rate Ref; Subcommittee on Fertilizers & Chemicals; Subcommittee on Red Light Cameras; Subcommittee on Special Issues.
TAXES AND SPENDING
Dahl voted to raise sales taxes and fees.
Dahl voted for HB255 significantly raising the sales tax on a number of grocery related items including beverages, candy, and health and beauty aids. Taxes on beer, wine and other alcohol were also hiked. HB255 also triples the driver’s license fee. Further, this bill legalizes video gambling for bars and taverns. You can call that a “voluntary” tax if you want - but it still represents a big tax hike. Those bars and taverns don’t just hand over a big cut of their gambling machine proceeds to the state out of the goodness of their hearts. It’s a tax that gets the state its share of the machines’ take. (2009)
Dahl voted for the Democrats’ pork-bloated FY2008 $59 BILLION budget.
Dahl’s vote for HB3866 demonstrates inability as a legislator to seriously address Illinois’ chronic fiscal crisis that’s attributable to out-of-control spending, an antiquated pension system, and government corruption. (2007)
Dahl did not vote against allowing the Mayor of Chicago to DOUBLE the telephone tax.
Dahl was in attendance when the vote was taken but did not cast a vote for or against, refusing to take a principled stand. SB0837 would give Mayor Richard Daley the ability to raise the telephone tax from $1.25 to $2.50 per month for all customers. (2007)
Dahl voted against electric rate relief.
In January 2007, a 10-year electric rate-freeze expired, exposing thousands of Illinois residents to huge increases in their electric bills. SB1592 provided $1 billion in rate relief to Illinois consumers. More importantly, the law establishes an independent Illinois Power Agency that will be responsible for planning and purchasing electricity at the lowest possible price for consumers. (2007)
Dahl voted against reducing the taxpayers’ burden to the state pension fund by $1.1 BILLION.
According to National Taxpayers United of Illinois, SB0027 limited end-of-career salary hikes for government school teachers and other government employees to 6% instead of the usual 20%. Such a reform would reduce state taxpayers’ contribution to state retirement funds by over $1.1 billion yearly. (2005)
EDUCATION
Dahl voted to exempt teachers, principals and school superintendents from FOIA disclosure.
At the urging of the teachers’ unions and just months after approving what was billed as a sweeping reform of the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, Dahl voted for SB315. The bill exempts from FOIA disclosure of performance evaluations for teachers, principals and school superintendents. Also supporting SB315 was the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 which seeks the same exemption for all public employees who receive performance evaluations. (2010)
Dahl voted to increase education spending by nearly $600 million.
Dahl’s vote for HB3866 proves he is incapable and unwilling to address the public education-spending crisis in Illinois. Instead of leading with bold reforms, Dahl follows the Democrats’ dishonest argument that blames school failures on “not enough money.” (2007)
Dahl voted for a $45 million taxpayer-funded experiment - Universal Preschool.
According to National Taxpayers United of Illinois, SB1497 will once again prove that “universal preschool” schemes yield benefits that simply do not justify the costs involved. (2006)
GAMBLING
Dahl voted for a massive expansion of gambling.
Dahl voted for HB255 - a massive expansion of gambling in Illinois. HB255 legalizes video gambling for bars and taverns, and permits Internet Lottery on computers and cell phones. Video gambling machines are often called the “crack cocaine” of gambling because of the speed of play and the rapid onset of addiction. (2009)
Dahl voted to legalize video gambling in bars across Illinois.
HB1124 would have legalized gambling on video game “contests” of two or more in bars, restaurants, bowling alleys, and other venues. (2007)
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
Dahl voted to force state and local governments to recognize “consular identification cards” issued by foreign governments.
SB1623 forces state and local governments to recognize the consular identification cards issued by foreign governments and commonly used by illegal Mexican immigrants. (2005)
REFORM (or the lack thereof)
Dahl voted to exempt teachers, principals and school superintendents from FOIA disclosure.
At the urging of the teachers’ unions and just months after approving what was billed as a sweeping reform of the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, Dahl voted for SB315. The bill exempts from FOIA disclosure of performance evaluations for teachers, principals and school superintendents. Also supporting SB315 was the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 which seeks the same exemption for all public employees who receive performance evaluations. (2010)
Dahl voted against a common sense reform that would once again allow ALL Republicans to directly elect the senior leadership of their own Illinois Republican Party.
Dahl voted against SB600 on April 2, 2009 on the floor of the Senate. Fortunately the reform bill still passed overwhelmingly by a vote of 44 to 13. By voting “no” on SB600, Dahl sided with a small faction of selfish, entrenched officials who fear being accountable to Republicans at the ballot box. In voting “no” on SB600, Dahl declared that Republicans are unworthy of the same right to vote that every Illinois Democrat already enjoys in their state party. (2009)
Dahl voted to water down ethics reform law.
Dahl voted to exempt transportation projects from the new ethics law (SB761). Despite the awesome demands of riding around on a High Horse every day since Rod Blagojevich’s arrest lecturing about the need to reform Illinois’ culture of corruption - state lawmakers still somehow found time to gut their own brand new “landmark” ethics reform law. This of course would be the same ethics reform law these same lawmakers hailed as “a big step forward.” (2009)
Dahl voted to make it more difficult for write-in candidate to get on the ballot.
SB662 changed the deadline for filing to be a write-in candidate to 61 days before an election. The purpose for this change is purely for incumbent protection. (2007)
Dahl did nothing to help cleanse the Illinois Republican Party of the tainted National Committeeman Bob Kjellander.
Bob Kjellander could have been removed and replaced with an honest leader a lot earlier, if only Republican “leaders” like Dahl were serious about reform. Dahl never joined the rank-and-file and more serious officials who overwhelmingly called for Kjellander’s immediate ouster. It’s only because Dahl and a tiny handful of other old guard faces refuse to unify on reform that even this simplest of clean-ups remain difficult to accomplish.
END
TWITTER
