Bailey Campaigns for Something to be Done About Illinois Gasoline Prices

(KYLEE JULIUS SPEAKS WEDNESDAY MORNING IN FRONT OF JACK FLASH ALONG KELLER DRIVE IN EFFINGHAM. IN BACK ARE ST. REP. BLAINE WILHOUR, ST. SEN. AND CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR DARREN BAILEY, AND ST. REP. ADAM NIEMERG)

Kylee Julius said she, her husband Jon, and their three active boys live three miles outside of town. That's means a seven-mile roundtrip every time they shop, go to church, or bring their sons in for ball practice.

That's a lot of miles over the course of a week, and a lot of money to pay for the fuel to power their vehicle.

Kylee also operates a small business that utilizes a trailer and that eats up fuel. It combines to place a burden on their pocketbook, and she would like something done to address the problem of high fuel prices.

Julius was the leadoff speaker when State Senator and candidate for governor Darren Bailey held a press conference in Effingham Wednesday morning to take Governor Pritzker and the General Assembly and its leadership to task for a lack of action on the matter.

Bailey called for a permanent rollback of the gas tax. Failing that, the General Assembly should "eliminate the sales tax motor fuel." 

State Representatives Blaine Wilhour and Adam Niemerg were also in attendance. Niemerg reminded that he has introduced House Bill 5732 to to suspend all gas taxes for the next four months. He said the suspension would mean a 44-cent-a-gallon rollback 

Wilhour said the local legislators reminded that when the gas tax was enacted in 2019 that such an occurrence as the escalation in gas prices could result.

Bailey said gas prices are "devastating families in Illinois" and Governor Pritzker "had an opportunity to do what's right and remove or suspend the tax" but instead decided to freeze the increase in the tax. He reminded that the average price for gasoline on Tuesday in Illinois was $5.45 a gallon. 

When asked following the press conference what's going to turn the Republican primary for governor in this last three weeks of campaigning, Bailey said it has already turned and that the momentum for his campaign is building.