Illinois Senate
Chris Lauzen was first elected to the Illinois State Senate in 1992. He joined a group of newly elected conservative State Senators called the "Fab Five",including Dave Syverson,Steve Rauschenberger,Patrick O'Malley,and Peter Fitzgerald. [5] Throughout his political career,Lauzen has been a supporter of Christian views of marriage and stands against gun control and is pro-life. [6]
Lauzen served on several committees,including the Property Tax Reform Committee,Appropriations I,II,and III,and the Revenue Committee,where he was the ranking Republican spokesman. [7] In recognition of his work on these committees,Lauzen was honored by the Illinois Chamber of Commerce with the "Champion of Free Enterprise" award and the NFIB with the "Guardian of Small Business" award. [8]
Lauzen sponsored a large tax reduction for employers and a property tax assessment freeze for homeowners over 65 years old with income less than $35,000. He worked to reduce property taxes on VFW and American Legion veterans' posts by 85% and placed a cap on future increases. Lauzen also started "Illinois Porkbusters," which sought to cut $5,000,000 in wasteful spending each year from the state budget. [9]
Lauzen helped secure over $48,000,000 for school construction grants,sponsored education license plates for future teachers' scholarships,and was the only senator to speak against and vote "No" on providing 2/3 tuition discounts to illegal immigrants at public universities. [10]
Lauzen launched a Prescription Medication Pilot Program that saved participants an average of 50% on the cost of prescription medication. [11] He was also the original lead sponsor of the Breast Cancer Research voluntary check-off on the state personal income tax return.
While in the state senate,Lauzen also sponsored a ban on partial birth abortion and supported term limits for State Legislators. [12]
Kane County board chairman
Lauzen managed the County during the second year of a freeze on the property tax levy for the county, Forest Preserve, and the Fox Valley Park District. [16] In March 2013, he also led members of the Kane County Board to a unanimous decision to refinance a large number of county bonds. [17] Lauzen has been involved in the Longmeadow Parkway Bridge Corridor, a proposed project to build a bridge in northern Kane County over the Fox River. [18]
In 2018, Lauzen raised questions regarding possible insider payments from the executive director of the Upper Illinois Valley River Development Authority to companies he owns. The authority is one of 10 regional development authority bodies in Illinois. Its executive director is Andrew Hamilton and he is the head of 8 of the 10 bodies, including the Upper Illinois Valley agency that includes Kane County. The Illinois Policy Institute (IPI) had published two reports that focus on over $2 million that IPI says has gone to Hamilton and companies he is affiliated with. Lauzen questioned the liaison to the authority but did not receive satisfactory answers, according to him, and called for a closer investigation. According to the Daily Herald, "The institute [IPI] found Hamilton operates a related private business that has resulted in $2 million in pay and reimbursements since 2010. That total includes an average of about $241,227 in annual pay and reimbursements to Hamilton from the eight authorities combined during the past eight years. It also includes $151,078 paid to one of Hamilton's side businesses, Opportunity Alliance." [19]
