Kendall County Times

State Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) is fed up with the condition of Illinois' finances, so he's come up with a nine-point plan to get the state's checkbook back on the right track.

Batinick addressed his ideas in a Facebook post on July 20.

"Illinois is a special place to so many people in our state and across the nation," he wrote in the post. "We are a great state with a rich history and terrific communities. Yet we are in poor shape with our state finances, inhibiting us from thriving financially. This is why I outlined a blueprint to get our state fiscally back on track called The Batinick Blueprint."

According to Batinick's website, his plan includes reforms to property taxes, education, and pensions, increasing state business, modernizing government, business climate balance, health care transparency, recall amendments, and variable income tax.

"The Batinick Blueprint is a way we can address our fiscal problems as a state, take the steps to fix these problems, and move forward towards a future of growth," Batinick wrote on his website. "We need to clarify where needed, reduce and remove burdensome regulations, and make the necessary adjustments to move our state in the right direction."

Batinick added he looks forward to future talks about his ideas and the policies that could result from the plan. 

"Let's work together by following the blueprint," he wrote.

As of three years ago, Illinois had the fourth highest outstanding government debt in the country, according to Statista. Illinois' debt stood at $165.1 billion.  Only California, New York, and Texas have higher debt. 

Statista noted 44 states and Washington, D.C. have outstanding debts under $100 billion. 

Governments with large debts and deficits run the risk of only adding to the inflation issue, according to Forbes. Inflation functions on an additional tax on consumers, while also giving investors the sense of uncertainty which leads to slower economic growth.