Democratic nominee for Illinois House 38th District: Debbie Meyers-Martin

Complete coverage of the local and national primary and general election, including results, analysis and voter resources to keep Chicago voters informed.

Democrat Debbie Meyers-Martin is running unopposed in the 38th district of the Illinois House. Before the March primary, she appeared before the Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board. We asked her why she’s running:

The Chicago Sun-Times also sent the candidates seeking nominations for the Illinois House of Representatives a list of questions to find out their views on a range of important issues facing the state of Illinois. Meyers-Martin submitted the following answers to our questionnaire:

TOPIC: Top priorities

QUESTION: Please explain what your specific cause or causes will be. Please avoid a generic topic or issue in your answer.

ANSWER: As State Representative, I want to champion Economic Development in the 38th District. I want to reach out to the chambers to support existing small business while working with state agencies like The Department of Commerce and Economic Development and the Illinois Retailers Association to highlight the benefits of locating in the 38th District. Major boost to successful Economic Development in my district would address so many of the needs of the municipalities and therefore the residents of the 38th District.

Debbie Meyers-Martin

Running for: Illinois House of Representatives 38th district

Political/civic background: Former Mayor of Olympia Fields

Occupation: Community Affairs Marketing Specialist

Education: B.A. University of Illinois (Chicago)

Campaign website: citizensfordebie.com

TOPIC: Top district needs

QUESTION: Please list three district-specific needs that will be your priorities. This could be a project that is needed in your district, or a rule that needs to be changed, or some federal matter that has been ignored.

ANSWER: The three district-specific needs that will be my priority are: 1) addressing the issues associated with Public Safety Pension Funds. I do not want to diminish Public Safety Pensions in any way; however the escalating cost to local municipalities must be addressed. 2) Property Taxes for both residential and commercial properties are prohibitive to successful villages. In order to address this issue, educational funding must be part of the equation. I realize it is not an easy task, but we must begin to address it in a realistic way. 3) There is a great need for a south suburban Trauma Center. Anyone needing immediate emergency care related to the specialists in trauma care have to be transported to Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn. We all are aware, there are healthcare crises where time is crucial to the survival of the patient. Traveling extensive distances only lessen the chance of survival in those cases.

TOPIC: Pension debt

QUESTION: In 2017, Illinois’ unfunded pension liability ballooned to at least $130 billion. Do you support re-amortizing this debt? Please explain your answer. And what is your position on a constitutional amendment that would reduce the liability of the pension debt?

ANSWER: Yes, I support re-amortizing the unfunded pension liability debt from 30 years to 44 years. Under the 30 year plan, the required contributions are cost prohibitive. With the re-amortizing, would cost $35 million dollars less. This refinancing of the debt creates a flat annual payment instead of the escalating balloon payments we have now.

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TOPIC: Minimum wage

QUESTION: Cook County and Chicago are on their way to paying a $13 hourly minimum wage. Many suburbs in the county, however, have opted out of the wage increase. Should Illinois raise its minimum wage from $8.25 an hour? Please explain. And if you favor an increase in the state minimum wage, what should it be?

ANSWER: Illinois should raise its $8.25 minimum wage to a more sustainable livable wage. The Governor did suggest a plan for the state to move towards $10 minimum wage. That’s a good start but we must be flexible in looking at an even higher minimum wage in the future, more in line with Cook County and Chicago.

TOPIC: Marijuana

QUESTION: Should recreational marijuana be legalized in Illinois? Please explain.

ANSWER: I believe that is a decision that should be made by the citizens of Illinois by placing it on the ballot in a referendum process.

TOPIC: Casinos

QUESTION: Would you support more casinos in Illinois, including in Chicago. What about racinos? Please explain.

ANSWER: Yes to both proposals. Having a casino or a racino would stem the tide of dollars that are diverted to Northwest Indiana casinos. A casino would provide an economic boost to the south suburbs in particular by providing jobs and tax revenue to the region.

SUN-TIMES 2018 ILLINOIS VOTING GUIDE

TOPIC: Property tax freeze

QUESTION: A property tax freeze in Illinois has been proposed frequently since Gov. Bruce Rauner took office. What’s your position? If you favor a freeze, how many years should it last? Should the freeze exclude property tax increases to service the debt, make pension payments or cover the cost of public safety? Again, please explain.

ANSWER: A property tax freeze will not guarantee that property taxes will not rise. It only caps the amount of money a government body can ask of the property owners within its borders. Changes in the valuation of properties that make up the government’s tax base will assure that the property tax burden will change (rise) from year to year. No new tax money negatively affects the local schools. Property tax relief is a better strategy. What is required is a bold and meaningful restructuring of the way the state funds public education thereby reducing the over-reliance on property tax for school funding.

TOPIC: School funding

QUESTION: A revised school funding formula was approved this year by the Legislature and the governor, but a bipartisan commission has concluded that billions more dollars are needed to achieve sufficient and equitable funding. Should Illinois spend more on schools, and where would the money come from?

ANSWER: Yes, Illinois must spend more money on schools. It is an investment in the future of this state. I would have to study this situation in more detail; however I believe the appropriation that was recently created is a step in the right direction for addressing the school funding issue.

TOPIC: Opioids

QUESTION: How can the Legislature best address the problem of opioid abuse and addiction? Please cite specific laws you have supported or would support.

ANSWER: The Legislature will only succeed in addressing the problem of opioid abuse and addiction if they engage multiple stakeholders to create systems that prevent people from dependency, including medical, legislation, behavioral education and legal. Additionally, there must be guidelines for prescribing opioids which would mitigate some of the abuse. I support Congress’s Comprehensive Addiction & Recovery Act which equips law enforcement, healthcare and community organizations with the tools to battle opioid abuse.

TOPIC: Guns

QUESTION: Do you support a state ban on gun silencers? Please explain.

ANSWER: I am considering the state ban on gun silencers.

QUESTION: Should all gun dealers in Illinois be licensed by the state? Please explain.

ANSWER: Yes, all gun dealers in Illinois should be licensed by the state. I believe this gives authorities more oversight of the sale of guns in this state. This is absolutely crucial to the transparency of gun sales.

QUESTION: Should family members be empowered to petition courts for the temporary removal of guns from emotionally or mentally disturbed people who may be a danger to themselves or others? Please explain.

ANSWER: Yes, family members should be able to petition the courts for temporary removal of guns from emotionally or mentally disturbed family members. This will enhance the ability to monitor and prevent, in a small way, guns from being in the hands of unstable and disturbed people.

TOPIC: Medicaid

QUESTION: What would you do to ensure the long-term viability of the state’s Medicaid program? Do you support continued Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act? Should the state continue on a path toward managed care for Medicaid beneficiaries? Should everyone be permitted to buy into Medicaid?

ANSWER: In order to ensure the long-term viability of the state’s Medicaid program, we must direct energy to the prevention of fraud. There should be enhanced Provider screening; a public/private data sharing; and enhanced detection and prevention of abuse as just a few measures that should be employed.

I do support the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Affordable Care was designed to expand Medicaid eligibility and it stipulates that the Federal Government will cover full cost of Medicaid expansion. A failure to participate in that expansion will create millions of the poor remaining without insurance which in the end cists the state more.

Yes, the state should continue on a path of managed care because that will bring more fiscal predictability, reduce the number of plans and reduce administrative complexities.

Medicaid is an excellent insurance and could be the future of health policy in the country. If everyone was allowed to buy into Medicaid, it may defray costs for the middle class. As Medicaid enrollment expands, the program’s purchase power grows fiving more incentives to providers to participate.

TOPIC: College student exodus

QUESTION: Illinois is one of the largest exporters of college students in the country. What would you do to encourage the best and brightest young people in Illinois to attend college here at home? Does Illinois have too many state universities, as some have argued?

In order to encourage more students to remain in the state for college, we must provide some incentives that rewards Illinois for choosing colleges in the state, like the reduced cost for in state residents, or innovative curriculums. Tuition costs have soared due to low student demand, and that has created an increased competitive existence among state universities, thereby giving the appearance that Illinois may have too many universities based on the number of employee layoffs, reduced library services, etc that have occurred due to low student demand.

TOPIC: Gov. Rauner

QUESTION: Please list three of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s principles, or decisions he has made, with which you agree. Also please list three of the governor’s principles, or decisions he has made, with which you disagree.

ANSWER: I agree with the Governor’s proposal for the state to be more competitive in increasing jobs and growing the economy. Secondly, his proposal to reform frivolous lawsuits (lawsuit reform). I like the fact that the Governor wants to make it more difficult to venue shop for cases. Finally, he wants to restore Jury composition.

I don’t agree with his attempts to undermine the Union structure in the state of Illinois such as tampering with collective bargaining and the Prevailing Wage legislation. I don’t agree with the proposed reduction of the Local Government Distributive Fund or the Motor Fuel Tax for local governments. Finally, I believe the proposed Property Tax Freeze could be detrimental to local school districts and affect the way municipalities can incentivize business to locate in their towns.