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Jillian Rose Bernas: Candidate Profile

56th State House District (Republican)

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Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioQA Bio City: SchaumburgWebsite: www.votejillian.comTwitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: 56th State House District Age: 34Family: Proud daughter of Robert and Patricia Bernas and sister of Rob BernasOccupation: International Relations ManagerEducation: B.A. Spanish/Secondary Education - Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, IN Master of Education/English as a New Language Certification- University of Notre Dame Master of Public Policy - University of Chicago/University of Chile Board Leadership Certification - University of ChicagoCivic involvement: Schaumburg Township District Library Trustee, Township of Schaumburg Mental Health Committee Associate Member, ESL Instructor Church of the Holy Spirit, Schaumburg/Hoffman Estates Rotary Club MemberElected offices held: Schaumburg Township District Library TrusteeQuestions Answers What needs to be done structurally to make the legislature more effective? Will you vote for your current legislative leader? What is your position on term limits in general and specifically for legislative leaders? Do you support the ongoing drive for a constitutional amendment on redistricting? What will you do to promote implementation of any changes you recommend?Power has accumulated in the hands of elite politicians. The system these career politicians created guarantees their power, so substantive changes are necessary to make our legislature more effective. I support the following; redistricting, term limits, new leadership and legislative pay linked to performance. We need to take redistricting out of the hands of politicians. Current district maps guarantee a certain outcome which makes for less compromise in Springfield. My opponent supports a group that is blocking a bipartisan independent maps amendment from the ballot this November. If we cannot get redistricting, then we need term limits. I support term limits. My opponent says she is for term limits, however, this is a political game that she plays knowing Speaker Madigan would never permit this legislation to be voted on in both chambers. Therefore, we need new leadership that will fulfill the will of the people of Illinois who want redistricting reform and term limits. The House Speakership is voted on by 158 legislators and is not decided by Illinois voters. As I walk door-to-door, I hear my constituents. They do not want Speaker Madigan in charge anymore. I will vote for new leadership in the House, and Michael Madigan will not receive my vote. I call on my opponent to listen to her community and to pledge not to vote for him.Finally, I think that tying legislative pay to performance and fulfillment of their constitutional responsibilities would incentivize the legislature to work on a balanced budget.Would you vote for an increase in state income taxes or sales taxes? Would you vote for new taxes, such as on services? What is your position on a graduated income tax?In 2011, House and Senate Democrats levied the highest tax increase in state history with the promise to pay down a backlog of bills. This vote took in $31 billion in additional revenue. During that time, our pension liabilities grew, our credit rating was downgraded, and $127 million was added to our debt. Democrat leadership, backed by my opponent, does not have the right to again request more money.We cannot continue to pass along the cost of poor policy decisions to families and businesses, as was done in 2011, and expect better outcomes. Only by reforming our failing systems can we provide the economic growth that leads to an improved quality of life for families, better opportunities for job seekers, and fully funded core government services for our neighbors. The aforementioned growth, which we urgently need to overcome our fiscal crisis, will not be found in a graduated income tax. According to the Illinois Department of Revenue, this tax would result in the loss of 20,000 jobs, an additional net loss of 43,000 people added to the current net loss of 100,000 people per year, and a loss of $1.9 billion over the next four years. There is little evidence to show that we can balance the budget and manage our $111 billion in pension liabilities by just raising taxes. I want to work on real change that comes with disrupting the status quo and making innovative policies for today and for the future before even considering additional taxes.What changes, if any, do you support in education and education funding in Illinois? Please be specific.As a former teacher, I believe that all families should have access to an education that is equitable, effective and strives for excellence. Unfortunately, we have school systems in our state where politicians, administrators and special interests have too much control, parents have too little, and their children get lost in the mix.The politicians in charge, including my opponent, have done nothing to improve broken school systems and continue to support these failed systems because special interests fund their campaigns. Instead these same politicians regularly express interest in playing with the education funding formula at the state level to reassess the resources dedicated to our school districts. Proposed changes could mean our schools lose close to $1,000 per student per year in state funds. It would be very difficult for families in my district to absorb the impact of this shock to our funding, and the biggest frustration is that money from well-managed school districts would be siphoned to fund school districts where administrators have mismanaged resources. It is time to stop passing around more money to bureaucrats who mismanage resources intended for our children. I am running for office because I think it is time to put children before bureaucrats and expand educational opportunities for students, especially those in failing schools.On Illinois' budget, specifically, where do you believe cuts need to be made?Similar to the consideration of tax increases, I would not consider making cuts to programs until important reforms have been made. Currently, 50 cents of every dollar the state takes in is already committed to the pension and Medicaid systems. This means that there is less and less money every day to spend on core government services, like education and programs that serve our most vulnerable citizens. Therefore, I would like to explore reforms in three areas; pension reform, Medicaid reform and procurement reform. Currently, 25% of our budget is committed to the pension system, compared to most states that spend 5%, and our unfunded pension liability is the largest in the nation, $111 billion and growing. We are not going to be able to provide for the pensions by just taxing, borrowing, investing or cutting. Reforms to the pension system are a needed piece of the puzzle because, if left unreformed and underfunded, the pension system will consume the state budget.We also need to evaluate government delivery of Medicaid and look at ways to reduce the waste found in the system. This system should be a safety net for those who truly need it, but enrollment is up 135% since 2000, and currently one quarter of the state's population is enrolled. This cost makes up another 25% of the budget. Finally, we can do a better job of reducing the cost of delivering government to the people through reforms in the procurement code.What approach do you support toward fixing the public pension systems?A promising course of action is legislation that moves all public employees into self-managed plans for future work, while respecting already earned benefits. This gives our workers the power to manage their own futures.Career politicians have set up unsustainable pension systems in exchange for votes, bargaining with our dollars while not making payments. This Ponzi scheme started unraveling and politicians, like my opponent, voted to change retiree benefits. This is wrong.A self-managed plan that maintains benefits already earned is fair and more likely to pass constitutional review since it focuses on changing future benefits yet to be earned.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Families and businesses in Illinois pay the highest property taxes in the country and the trend is continuing upwards. There is support for a property tax freeze among legislators. In fact, my opponent touts her vote on a property tax freeze. I also support a property tax freeze; however, because of my experience, I understand that this would be a challenge for local governments. You cannot support a property tax freeze without supporting reforms that would lessen the burden on our local governments. Therefore, I support a property tax freeze while also supporting reforms that would lower municipal costs.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Katy Garcia of Riccardo's Ristorante, a successful business women in our community who is very generous with her time and resources.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?My parents taught me through their actions that everyone is valuable.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would have continued to study Mathematics after two semesters of Calculus for a minor while in college. It's a valuable skill to have.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?I looked forward to Spanish class every day. I am able to meet so many more people in this world because of it.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Channel your talents to be of service to others and there you will find true happiness.