Illinois State Senator Republican Jason Barickman who represents the 53rd District was unchallenged in the Republican Primary on June 28 and is unchallenged in the general election on November 8. Barickman assumed office in 2013.
Currently the Senator is focused on lowering gas prices for Illinoisans. He states on his web site, “Gas prices are out of control and the government should not be capitalizing from this crisis at your expense. If you agree that legislators should immediately return to Springfield to address the record high gas prices and provide real relief at the pump, sign the petition below.
You can sign Barickman’s petition.
The Senator appeared on The Morning Buzz with Cat Peterson on July the 14th and Cat asked him what his thoughts were on Governor JB Pritzker’s call for a special session on abortion after the Dobbs versus Jackson Women’s Health Organization U. S. Supreme Court decision was announced.
Barickman responded, “When the Roe v. Wade decision was announced Governor Pritzker quickly went out to the microphone and said I am going to put everyone back in Springfield and we are going to change the laws on abortions in Illinois. The reality is Illinois already has in place some laws that are the most favorable to abortions in the country.”
The Senator continued, “And so the topic is whether or not Illinois would change its law to require Illinois tax payers to pay for people who live out of state to come here and have an abortion. That is a really controversial issue. Even Democrats I think have pushed back on Pritzker on this issue. So I don’t anticipate significant changes in Illinois resulting from this.”
The new 53rd District can basically be described as a rectangle that starts at a point in Peru and runs east to Morris then south to Paxton, thence west to Peoria and north back to Peru.
Barickman serves as Senate Republican Caucus Chair and serves as the floor leader for the Senate Republican Caucus. He is Minority Spokesperson on the Senate Executive Committee. He also serves on the Assignments Committee, Judiciary Committee, Labor Committee and the Energy and Public Utilities Committee.
Barickman first won election to represent state senate district 53 in the 2012 election. He defeated incumbent Shane Cultra in the Republican Primary and was unopposed in the general election. He did not face an opponent in either the 2016 or 2018 elections.
In May the Senator attended a dedication ceremony honoring Cpl. Robert D. Janssen, a soldier from Minonk who lost his life in Vietnam. Interstate 39 around Minonk has now been officially dedicated as the “Cpl. Robert D. Janssen Memorial Highway.
At that ceremony Barickman said, “It’s important that we remember the brave sacrifices of those who have given their lives in defense of our country. Cpl. Janssen is a hero and I hope this dedication will help to keep his memory alive.”
Also in May Senator Barickman hosted his Spring Youth Advisory Council. At that event he stated, “Every year I get inspired by the fact that these are some of the future leaders of our communities, our state and our country. And I encourage them to act upon that.”
Barickman continued, “But if you listen to them today, they are very mature. Their ideas are very well thought out. They are super informed. You can tell that they are not thinking of issues on a first impression. They do their homework. That should give us all hope.”
Senator Barickman was reared on his family’s farm in Livingston County and he graduated from Woodland High School. He learned the value of hard work and the importance of leaving a place better than he found it. He is a veteran who served in the Illinois Army National Guard as a member of the infantry.
Barickman attended Illinois State University where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science. After graduation Jason worked in the telecommunications and technology industries. Currently, he is a partner at Fairlawn Capital, a real estate company.
The Senator focuses on education reform initiatives and was involved in addressing education funding disparities across the state. He believes that all children should have access to a high-quality education.
Another of Barickman’s pillars is supporting initiatives that attract new economic opportunities in Illinois. Conversely, he also strives to remove government-imposed constraints on economic growth.
Senator Barickman can be reached by phone in his Bloomington office at 309-661-2788 or his Springfield office at 217-782-6597. He can also be reached by email at jason@jasonbarickman.org.
