Welcome!
I’m State Representative Jack D. Franks, and I want to welcome you to my Web site. I represent the 63rd District of the state of Illinois, which includes the North and Western part of McHenry County.
Since I took office more than a decade ago, the support of you, my constituents, has been invaluable. Together, we have accomplished much. From shining a bright light on corruption and government wrongdoing to voicing insightful ideas for smarter spending, your input has helped make a difference in how your government is run. But, there is still much to be done.
I am fighting to return control of state government to you, the people. We still need serious budget and ethics reforms in Illinois, and we must find a way for government to more efficiently function. In my next term, I will continue fighting for the things you and I both believe in: zero-based budgeting, government transparency, government accountability and more.
It is a privilege to represent the people of McHenry County in the General Assembly, and with your support I hope to keep fighting for your best interests. In this site, you will find information on policy issues, upcoming events and recent news. You can also follow me on Facebook and send us an email. Please let me know your ideas on how we can get Illinois back on track. Democracy works best when citizens participate in the process. I promise I hear you.
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LATEST NEWS
Bill stripping mass-transit boards of pensions heads to governor
May 16, 2013 - Northwest Herald
A bill stripping pension and insurance benefits from future appointees to Chicago-area mass-transit boards is on its way to Gov. Pat Quinn’s desk. House Bill 140, filed by state Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo, takes pension and insurance benefits away from future members of the boards of the Regional Transportation Authority, Metra, Pace and the Chicago Transit Authority. It will not affect current appointees, but their pensions will stop accruing and their insurance will cease if they are reappointed after their terms expire... READ MORE
Lawmakers Seek EDGE Credit Limit
May 13, 2013 - Alton Daily News
he question of how much cities and states should do to attract and retain companies is always a good one, and some lawmakers are concerned Illinois is looking foolish too often. An Illinois House hearing examined the tool known as the EDGE (Economic Development for a Growing Economy) credit, as State Rep. Jack Franks (D-Marengo) has sponsored a bill to put limits on its use. “In 2011, it appears the (Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity) gave... READ MORE
Private manager may miss
state lottery profit goals
for 2nd year
May 11, 2013 - Chicago Tribune
The company hired to run the Illinois Lottery after years of flagging sales is on track to fall short of promised revenue goals for the second straight year — this time by about $180 million, according to a Tribune review of the firm's performance through April. "I am not pleased with the fact that the private manager is not going to meet its profit goals," Illinois Lottery Superintendent Michael Jones said. "I don't think the Lottery or Northstar is pleased at all." Last year, Northstar Lottery Group promised to bring in net revenue... READ MORE
Illinois considers extending
tax break to small businesses
May 10, 2013 - Chicago Tribune
Legislators are considering a bill that would expand the scope of the state's main economic development program to small businesses. House Bill 1336 calls for eliminating a requirement that companies make a capital investment in the state of at least $1 million or $5 million, depending on their size. The bill also caps the amount of tax credits awarded to companies at $100 million a year and creates a nine-member board to oversee the deals, with members appointed by the governor and approved by the... READ MORE
House panel strengthens child-abduction prosecution
May 1, 2013 - The State Journal-Register
Prosecutors can use a person’s past attempts of child abduction as evidence during trial under a proposal passed by a House Judiciary panel Wednesday. Past acts are typically not permitted as evidence in child-abduction cases even though repeated attempts are often precursor crimes to sexual assault of a child, said Mary Boland, sex crime specialist for the Cook County state’s attorney’s office. This evidence could be critical in showing a person’s tendency to repeat these acts, Boland said... READ MORE
Increase to tax break for seniors passes in Ill.
April 28, 2013 - Northwest Herald
Older homeowners will get a bigger tax break on their tax bills next year. The Illinois House and Senate overwhelming passed – with just two “no” votes in the House and none in the Senate – a bill that raises the senior citizen homestead exemption from $4,000 to $5,000. Gov. Pat Quinn signed the bill into law on Tuesday. The increase amounts to savings of about $100 for a senior citizen with a home valued at $200,000 in Crystal Lake. The change goes into effect immediately in Cook County, but for McHenry County and the rest of the state, the change affects... READ MORE
In Zero Sum Game, Rick Perry Courts Illinois Businesses
April 24, 2013 - In These Times
Texas Gov. Rick Perry rode into Chicago this week in an effort to lasso Illinois-based businesses and herd them to the Lone Star State. At a press conference on Monday, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel met the visit with derision. "I hope when he comes he remembers all three of his reasons," joked the mayor, referencing Perry's 2012 debate gaffe, in which the governor couldn't list the three government departments he was planning to axe. Indeed, the efforts by Perry, best known for his wildly unsuccessful 2012 presidential run, are... READ MORE
Our View: Taxpayers lose again
April 17, 2013 - Northwest Herald
It’s not surprising that House lawmakers defeated a bill aimed at preventing property-tax increases in years that property values are depressed. Approving it, after all, would mean doing something that benefits the taxpayers. And taxpayers are rarely a priority when Illinois lawmakers are making decisions... READ MORE
Franks helps seniors
April 17, 2013 - Northwest Herald
To the Editor: I am writing to express my appreciation of state Rep. Jack Franks’ efforts on behalf of McHenry County seniors. Last October, I sent a note to Franks on a copy of a bill I had paid to the State Police for failing to update the vehicle registration on my wife’s Toyota. I admitted that we had forgotten to renew it, but told Franks that I thought $125 was an excessive fine for a simple mistake. I suggested a maximum... READ MORE
Bills aimed at mass transit boards in House, Senate
April 16, 2013 - Northwest Herald
Bills aimed at reforming Chicago-area mass transit boards, and eliminating one outright, are working their way through the General Assembly. House Bill 140, which cleared last Friday on a 106-0 vote, seeks to strip health insurance and pension benefits from future appointees to the Regional Transportation Authority, Metra, Pace and the Chicago Transit Authority... READ MORE
Kadner: Springfield doesn’t like common-sense bills
April 15, 2013 - Southtown Star
Scott Reeder As the Transportation Security Administration agent rummaged through my suitcase, she picked up my tube of toothpaste, shook her head and said “no.” The tube went sailing into a wastebasket filled with bottles of suntan lotion, cans of shaving cream and other odds and ends that the TSA considers too dangerous to bring aboard a jetliner. The tube of Colgate was 7.8 ounces rather than the requisite maximum of 3.4 ounces... READ MORE
Schaumburg: The cost for more expensive electricity
April 13, 2013 - Northwest Herald
On March 21, the Illinois House passed a modest pension reform bill. No entity was happier than the state’s two electricity providers. While everybody was excited the House made a small step toward fixing its biggest problem – pensions – they forgot to notice the House also passed a measure on the same day that allows ComEd and Ameren to raise electricity rates over the next decade in exchange for installing a smart-grid... READ MORE
Ill. tax cap bill up for House vote
April 12, 2013 - Northwest Herald
House lawmakers soundly defeated a bill aimed at preventing property-tax increases in years that property values are depressed. The House voted Friday, 43-65, against House Bill 89, sponsored by state Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo. The bill sought to forbid governments subject to the tax cap from collecting inflationary increases in years their overall assessed value decreased, except by voter referendum... READ MORE
House wants to cut perks for CTA board, others
April 12 , 2013 - Chicago Tribune
SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois House passed legislation Friday aimed at eliminating lucrative health care and pension benefits enjoyed by political appointees, including the part-time members of transit boards who oversee city and suburban bus and train service. It was part of a day in which lawmakers took a series of votes that gave them a chance to pad their re-election resumes, a welcome opportunity given that the state's rotten finances and lagging economy haven't... READ MORE
Kadner: Springfield doesn’t like common-sense bills
April 12, 2013 - Southtown Star
There ought to be a law against your property tax bill increasing when the value of your home decreases. And why isn’t it illegal for elected officials to hold more than one office at the same time? State Rep. Jack Franks (D-Woodstock) has heard voters’ complaints and tried to pass legislation to address those issues. “I got 25 fewer votes on (the property tax bill) this year than I got last year when it passed the House and it was killed in the Senate,” Franks said. “I got my... READ MORE
Benefit cuts for RTA, Pace, Metra board members?
April 12, 2013 - Daily Herald
SPRINGFIELD — Members of the Chicago-area transit boards wouldn't get health care or pension benefits under a plan approved by the Illinois House Friday. Current members of the Regional Transit Authority, Pace, Metra and Chicago Transit Authority boards would get to keep benefits they've already earned. But future members wouldn't be eligible for benefits... READ MORE
Voters can’t try to eliminate DuPage forest board salaries
April 12, 2013 - Daily Herald
SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois House today rejected a plan to give voters the option to eliminate the salaries for members of the DuPage County Forest Preserve District board. In an unusually heated debate, state Rep. Deborah Conroy, an Elmhurst Democrat, argued that times are tough and lawmakers who just Thursday voted to cut the state's lieutenant governor's job shouldn't have a problem doing the same for the local board. "This is money that can be saved for... READ MORE
Quinn wants local control on concealed carry gun law
April 9 , 2013 - Chicago Tribune
Gov. Pat Quinn said today that cities and towns across Illinois should have the power to impose their own restrictions on any legislation lawmakers end up approving to allow citizens to carry guns in public. Quinn's comments come as lawmakers face a June 9 deadline to craft a concealed carry bill after a federal appeals court ruled in December that Illinois' longtime ban was unconstitutional. The Democratic governor has long been opposed to letting people carry handguns outside the home, but said the state must begrudgingly comply with the court's order. But Quinn... READ MORE
Jack Franks for Lt. Gov? State rep looking at statewide run -- undecided on gay marriage
April 8, 2013 - Chicago Sun-Times
State Rep. Jack Franks (D-Marengo) confirmed Tuesday that he is setting his sights on a run for higher office, possibly for Lieutenant Governor. "I'm certainly looking at statewide opportunities," Franks told the Chicago Sun-Times today. "I certainly am not interested in running for Lt. Governor with our current governor, I can tell you that." Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon announced in February that she would not run with Pat Quinn in 2014 because she had her eye on another statewide... READ MORE
County rep to stay on RTA for bill battle
April 6, 2013 - Northwest Herald
WOODSTOCK – A legislative effort to do away with the Regional Transportation Authority is putting McHenry County’s appointment of its representative on hold. McHenry County Board Chairwoman Tina Hill said Friday that she would allow representative Al Jourdan to stay on, despite the fact that his term expired Monday, while he and the county fight a state bill aimed at merging the RTA with the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning... READ MORE
Illinois hits a sorry milestone
March 25, 2013 - Crain's Chicago Business
Sometime this month, Illinois probably exceeded $100 billion in pension debt, a sorry milestone in the state's long slog to fiscal hell. Illinois would be only the second state to reach the 12-digit mark. But California, the previous epic fail, has a much larger tax base and is on the mend. Pension statistics tend to make eyes glaze over, and the $100 billion moment is an unofficial, back-of-the-envelope calculation. But it's an undeniably big and potentially symbolic number as state legislators wrestle with the shortfall in money owed to current and future retired teachers, judges... READ MORE
Franks, Althoff to host Listening Tour stop
March 24, 2013 - Northwest Herald
WOODSTOCK – State Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo, will host another stop on his 2013 Listening Tour of the 63rd District on April 6 at Sullivan’s Foods in Harvard. The event will be held in conjunction with state Sen. Pam Althoff, R-McHenry. It will run from 10 to 11 a.m. at Sullivan’s Foods, 1299 S. Division St... READ MORE
Tax cap reform advances again
March 23, 2013 - Northwest Herald
An effort to limit local government’s power to tax when property values decline again is heading for a vote in the Illinois House. House Bill 89, filed by state Rep. Jack Franks, forbids governments under the tax cap from collecting an automatic increase if their overall assessed value declines, except by voter referendum. It passed the House Revenue and Finance Committee on a 10-0 vote Thursday... READ MORE
Two-thirds of races on April ballot unchallenged
March 23, 2013 - The State Journal-Register
As voters head to the polls across the state for the April 9 elections, they will find that for many offices, the result is a foregone conclusion. That’s because for many elective positions in Illinois — the state with the most local units of government in the nation — there is no competition on the ballot. There are no statewide figures, but a GateHouse Media review of eight counties at various locations in the state... READ MORE
Give Franks credit
March 19, 2013 - Northwest Herald
To the Editor: After reading your editorial, “Everything Else Can Wait,” and Kevin Craver’s article, “Illinois legislators’ hands are not idle,” in March 10’s edition, I was shocked by the revelations of time wasted on peripheral matters in our state House during a time of extraordinary fiscal chaos... READ MORE
Illinois lost millions on lottery privatization, lawmaker says
March 18, 2013 - Illinois Watchdog
SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois lottery, one lawmaker says, has filled the state with losers. State Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo, says a $20 million fine for Illinois’ private lottery manager, Northstar Lottery Group, amounts to pennies when compared to what the state gave away. “We’re still not getting the kind of return that we could have if we would have just kept this in-house,” Franks said Monday... READ MORE
McCaleb: Endorsements often bring welcome criticism
March 17, 2013 - Northwest Herald
Ultimately, voters need to make their own informed decisions. In this election, we will be selecting local leaders who have the most immediate impact on our lives. Whether it’s for municipal government, school board or township government, these elected officials will decide how to spend our tax money. It’s a shame that the consolidated municipal election usually has the lightest voter turnout of all elections. But that’s been the case. If you disagree with one or more of our endorsements, please feel free to weigh... READ MORE
Erickson: Fraud, abuse hotline seems to be working
March 17, 2012 - Pantagraph
It’s been just over a year since Illinois launched a new way for citizens to report instances of fraud and abuse in state government. And, according to the folks who run the hotline dedicated to unearthing corruption in state government, the program has yielded 65 reports since it went online in January 2012. A spokesman for Illinois Auditor General William Holland’s office said the fraud hotline has received 36 tips over the phone, while the remaining reports came in via online forms or through other means such as the... READ MORE
Schools’ future as polling places in question
March 12, 2013 - Kane County Chronicle
GENEVA – Public and private schools might be removed as polling places for the 2014 election cycle, if an amendment to a bill in the Illinois House of Representatives is successful. The measure would amend the state election code and change the requirement that school districts have to make public buildings available as polling places on election days Cunningham said Kane County has 17 schools that are polling places, seven of which were open for a recent primary election. He said a police officer with a squad... READ MORE
Franks: Don't delay, act on pensions
March 12, 2013 - Northwest Herald
SPRINGFIELD – State Rep. Jack Franks (D-Marengo) blasted Gov. Pat Quinn’s continued inaction on calling a special session of the state legislature to hash out a solution to Illinois’ fiscal crisis that passes constitutional muster and ensures the long-term fiscal stability of the pension systems. Today, Franks rose on the House floor to highlight the costs of the Governor’s inadequate response to the crisis. “In the twelve days since I proposed convening a special session, we have accumulated $204 million more debt to finance a pension system that we all know is unsustainable,” Franks said... READ MORE
Pols: Remove Polling Places From Schools
March 8, 2013 - SW News Herald
Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka, state Rep. Jack Franks (D-63rd) and state Sen. Tim Bivins (R-45th) joined the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and other law enforcement leaders on Tuesday in calling for legislation that would remove polling places from public and private schools. Planned legislation amends the state Election Code... READ MORE
Local lawmakers – again – pan Quinn budget address
March 7, 2013 - Northwest Herald
“The most difficult budget Illinois has ever faced,” according to Gov. Pat Quinn, is likely “dead on arrival in the House,” according to a local state representative. McHenry County’s representatives in the General Assembly, as in previous years, did not have a high opinion of the $35.6 billion budget proposal for 2014 that Quinn unveiled Wednesday afternoon... READ MORE
Our View: Support for alternate bonds bill
March 6, 2013 - Northwest Herald
When it comes to finances in Illinois, you can’t be too careful. We’re not, after all, a state known for its fiscal management. Having regulations in place to ensure taxpayer dollars are used well is smart. Which is why we applaud an effort by state Reps. David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, and Jack Franks, D-Marengo, to tighten the local debt reform act as it relates to alternate... READ MORE
Topinka Wants to Remove Polling Places from Schools
March 6, 2013 - WSIL 3
JACKSON COUNTY -- The Illinois comptroller says schools are no place for voting, but county clerks across our region often rely on those buildings to house election precincts.Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka proposed a law this week banning schools from being used as polling places. She has the backing of several state legislators and police. Topinka says it's a common... READ MORE
Some In Illinois Want Polling Places Out Of Schools
March 6, 2013 - CBS2 Chicago
SPRINGFIELD, IL (IRN) - You can’t be too safe, say the people who want to take polling places out of Illinois schools. While there’s no Election Day incident similar to Sandy Hook or Columbine, “Schools are sanctuaries for our children, and they are supposed to be, by design, a safe place,” says Illinois State Rep. Jack Franks (D-Marengo). Allowing the general public... READ MORE
IL lawmakers want voters out of school
March 5, 2013 - Illinois Watchdog
SPRINGFIELD — This might be the last election where voters in Illinois go to a school to cast a vote. A handful of Illinois lawmakers and Illinois police leaders want to stop using schools as polling places, saying it is just not safe anymore. “I just know in my heart of hearts, that if we continue to allow this, some day we are going to have a version of Sandy Hook,” said... READ MORE
Lawmaker Wants To Stop Using Schools As Polling Places
March 5, 2013 - CBS2 Chicago
CHICAGO (CBS) – A state lawmaker wants Illinois to stop using schools as polling places on Election Day, but the idea doesn’t sit well with local election authorities. WBBM Newsradio’s Steve Miller reports hundreds of schools in Illinois are used as polling places, but state Rep. Jack Franks (D-Marengo) has introduced legislation to put a stop... READ MORE
Rockford school might not be a polling place for long
March 5, 2013 - WREX 13 Rockford
SPRINGFIELD (WREX) - After a gunman opened fire and killed 26 people in a Connecticut elementary school administrators were given a harsh reminder that some aspects of safety are out of their control. Illinois lawmakers are trying to keep a little bit of that control by changing up Election Day. A bill currently being introduced in the General Assembly could change your local polling place if it's a K-12 school."On Election Day... READ MORE
District 225 reserves on the decline
March 5, 2013 - Chicago Tribune
Glenbrook High School District 225 is projecting a dip in its fund balance over the next five years that could slip below the amount the district likes to maintain. The current fund balance — or the reserve — is at about 65 percent of what the district's operating budget will be next year. But the reserve could plunge to about 18 percent of the operating budget by 2018, officials... READ MORE
With proposed bill, reps take on alternate revenue bond ‘abuse’
March 4, 2013 - Northwest Herald
A bipartisan bill introduced in Springfield by local legislators is taking aim at alternate revenue bond “abuses,” but some local leaders and bond experts fear it would add another level of bureaucratic red tape and stall what they see as a relatively everyday procedure. House Bill 983 was introduced last month by state Rep. David McSweeney, R-Lake Barrington, with support from Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo... READ MORE
Local reps pan pension hearing
March 2, 2013 - Daily Herald
McHenry County’s representatives in the Illinois House did not have high praise for Thursday’s attempt at moving pension reform forward. Republicans joined their GOP colleagues in not voting for House Speaker Michael Madigan’s soundly defeated proposals, calling the exercise political gamesmanship... READ MORE
'Pension cuts fail badly in test votes in Illinois House
March 1, 2013 - Daily Herald
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois House Republicans Thursday refused to participate in test votes on severe public pension cuts and Democrats rejected the proposals harshly. Two proposals by House Speaker Michael Madigan to slash retired teachers' and state workers' yearly cost of living pension hikes were defeated by 2-66 and 5-62 votes. Another to raise the retirement age for teachers and state workers... READ MORE
Illinois House Votes Down Madigan Pension Changes
March 1, 2013 - Northwest Herald
A hearing Thursday on the Illinois House floor intended to gauge lawmakers' support for potential pension reforms turned into a tense squabble between Democrats and Republicans, a sign of the escalating frustration at the lack of compromise on the state's most pressing financial problem. House Speaker Michael Madigan called the hearing to get legislators to openly debate and vote on four divisive proposals that could affect some of the state's retirement... READ MORE
Proposal: Focus only on pensions
March 1, 2013 - Illinois Homepage
SPRINGFIELD -- After three years of work on pension reform with no result, one lawmaker is calling for a change in the process. Rep. Jack Franks (D-Woodstock) proposed a full-time committee of the whole devoted to finding a solution to the state's pension crisis. It would require the full house to put all other business aside and only debate pensions until there is... READ MORE
Illinois House to debate harsh pension reform measures
Feb 28, 2013 - Reuters
The Illinois House of Representatives on Thursday was scheduled to debate harsh pension reform measures aimed at restoring the financial health of the nation's worst-funded state pension systems. Powerful House Speaker Michael Madigan scheduled the debate on proposals that would demand bigger pension contributions from workers and raise the retirement age. He also proposed... READ MORE
Illinois Legislators Want Property Tax Freeze
February 27, 2013 - Chicago Magazine
Deal Estate Housing Bulletin Illinois Legislators Want Property Tax Freeze Posted February 27, 2013, at 9:35 a.m. By Dennis Rodkin Illinois lawmakers are dogpiling on a situation that seems paradoxical: property taxes going up when home values are down. As a result, they have introduced five different pieces of legislation calling for property tax freezes. Although not identical, the different measures—House Bills 89, 95, 1499, and 1521 and Senate Bill 1308—all have roughly the same goal: to prohibit school districts, park boards, municipalities, and other taxing bodies from increasing... READ MORE
DCEO is Illinois' piggy bank
February 22, 2013 - Chicago Tribune
Illinois may be broke, but it sure finds money when it wants to. Just ask United Neighborhood Organization, a charter schools operator that has pulled down $98 million in state grants (as discussed in the companion editorial). The windfall for UNO has been flowing through the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, a state agency with a sketchy track record of monitoring where taxpayer money... READ MORE
The Legislature's 'nickel-and-dime crud'
February 18, 2013 - Crain's Chicago Business
When you're in a hole, the first rule is to stop digging. It's a lesson still lost on many Illinois lawmakers. Earlier this month, the General Assembly took a pork-barrel approach to a must-pass bill to fix some immediate, well-defined problems with the state's legal spending authority for the current year. While the net impact on the state budget wasn't huge, the process rankled many Republicans and even some Democrats... READ MORE
Illinois corporate tax credits swelled to $161 million 2011
February 17, 2013 - Chicago Tribune
When lawmakers raised taxes on Illinois residents and businesses, they also increased corporate income tax breaks for a select group of companies. In 2011, businesses were eligible to claim about $161 million in tax credits — double from the prior year — mostly because of the increase to 5 percent from 3 percent in the state's personal income tax rate... READ MORE