(The Center Square) – Saying Illinois families are being forced to choose between heating or eating, Republican lawmakers are calling for action to address the skyrocketing cost of energy.
Downstate GOP members said many families and businesses are struggling to pay their power bills.
Citing energy rate increases that have almost doubled some families’ power bills since May 2022, state Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, said during a news conference Tuesday that the governor should take immediate steps to combat energy rate increases that will likely get worse in the near future.
“What is he going to do to help our constituents with their power bills, and I want to accentuate the fact that this only gets worse as more and more aggregation projects come offline. People are gonna go have their bills double all over downstate Illinois in the [Midcontinent Independent System Operator] region,” Rose said.
State Sen. Erica Harriss, R-Glen Carbon, and state Rep. Amy Elik, R-Alton, have introduced legislation that allocates $200 million in rebates to downstate families and businesses experiencing surges in their energy costs. The funds would be released from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
“These rebates already passed the General Assembly, but as of today no money has been appropriated to pay Illinois families,” Harriss said. “I introduced this legislation to right this wrong and make good on these rebates the people deserve.”
Another GOP proposal could create a power grid task force requiring the General Assembly to look at the impacts that energy policies are having on Illinois’ ability to produce the required amount of energy the state needs.
Harriss and Elik said they are hopeful for more assistance from the governor in his budget proposal on Wednesday, but will continue to work for immediate solutions, adding, “families can’t wait.”
