In the News

SPRINGFIELD—In an effort to reduce property taxes in Illinois, State Representative Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) has filed six bills to provide necessary property tax relief for Illinois taxpayers and businesses. Rep. Ugaste’s legislation will allow taxpayers to consolidate government entities that are too expensive and to ease the high property tax burden weighing on residents in…

GENEVA – State Representative Dan Ugaste (R- 65) today called for the immediate halt to the automatic voter registration processing system used by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White’s office until lawmakers can be assured that only eligible citizens are being registered. “One vote has decided more than a few elections in Illinois, and among…

GENEVA – State Representative Dan Ugaste (R-65) has been formally endorsed by the Associated Firefighters Of Illinois (AFFI). The support from the AFFI was announced last week by AFFI Legislative Committee members Chuck Sullivan (AFFI President), Eddy Crews (AFFI Northern District Legislative Representative) and Rich Martin (AFFI Southern District Legislative Representative). “As a former part-time volunteer firefighter in a…

CHICAGO—State Representative Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) stood alongside his House Republican colleagues today to demand further action on the legislature’s property tax reform efforts.  The Property Tax Relief Task Force was created this spring through SB1932, but failed to meet required deadlines on producing both short and long term solutions for property tax relief. As a…

In the wake of recent news reports and criminal probes, many people are asking questions about the current state of Illinois’ lobbyist law. Current law allows well-connected insiders to solicit campaign contributions with a barely-concealed promise that news of the contribution will be told to someone who can do the giver a big favor.  In…

ST. CHARLES—As legislative session concluded yesterday in the House of Representatives, two ethics reform bills were pushed through by the Democratic caucus. State Representative Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) released the following statement: “Yesterday we had a chance to pass true ethics reform measures.  Yet, the Democrats in our chamber refused to call any of the ethics…

SPRINGFIELD—A pension reform effort recently passed in the Illinois House of Representatives to consolidate downstate police and fire pensions.  The legislation, Senate Bill 1300, was recommended by the bipartisan Pension Consolidation Feasibility Task Force, which found that consolidated assets would increase investment returns and decrease the cost of managing the funds. State Representative Dan Ugaste…

SPRINGFIELD—State Representative Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) is supporting legislation to strengthen Illinois’ ethics laws.  Ugaste joins a group of House Republican lawmakers in advocating for larger ethics reform efforts in response to the various issues brought to light by a federal investigation—including the recent arrest of State Representative Louis Arroyo (D-Chicago). With the second portion of…

SPRINGFIELD — State Representative Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) recently filed legislation to repeal the automatic legislator pay increase.  The bill, HB3910, would phase out and end the General Assembly cost-of-living pay adjustments on or after July 1, 2020. In 1980 the General Assembly enacted a law that automatically authorizes a cost-of-living increase to the pay of…

Illinois state Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) is sponsoring a bill that targets flavored additives in electronic cigarettes and other vaping products, arguing that the growing industry should undergo the same scrutiny as tobacco did in years past. “It seems that e-vaping has evaded much of the scrutiny that other types of smoking have gone through,”…