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Amy Grant: Candidate Profile

42nd District Representative (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: WheatonWebsite: www.electamygrant.comTwitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: 42nd District Representative Age: 62Family: husbands and two childrenOccupation: dupage county boardEducation: BS U. of PittsburghCivic involvement: Dupage Pads Dupage Historical Museum Arts Dupage Foundation Marianjoy AuxillaryElected offices held: dupage county board dist. 4Questions 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 for legislative leaders specifically?I think that this is problem. Legislators need to engage in enough bipartisan participation with one another in general. I believe that there are plenty of areas of agreement that should not be bogged down by areas of deep divide. An example of this occurred this past summer when there was a bipartisan agreement to Fund Public Schools. As it is the GOP is in the minority, so change cannot come about by our side alone. I would support Leader Durkin. He has been willing to work for meaningful solutions to problems for example School Funding. I would support 6 years for Legislative Leaders.On budgeting, what should be done to ensure that the state does not again go through a period of time without a budget in place? What will you do as a legislator to help ensure that the spending priorities you espouse during your campaign are reflected in the budget?Ultimately, it was the Legislature that insisted on the budget that finally was passed. While it wasn't the best budget we could have achieved, it was the impetus of the General Assembly that forced the process of putting a budget in place. This experience needs to be a learning one. We were in worse financial shape without a budget and there was no advantage for anyone in this situation. This entire experience needs to be one the Legislature has learned from in the sense that we were in worse financial shape without a budget the damaged occurred to many agencies and state residents because of the lack of a budget, the time wasted in arriving at one was very much a waste of time. If you want your spending priorities in a budget, go to hearings early in the committee process. Advocate honestly and sincerely for your priorities. There isn't enough money available for things that aren't vital in Illinois.Should the legislature approve ballot initiatives either for a constitutional amendment on legislative redistricting or one on term limits? If so, how would you recommend the issues be structure? If not, why not?Those are two issues that any voting resident of the state should have the opportunity to decide what makes sense to them. The notion of legislators choosing rather than the other way around is something you hear regularly from people in the communities we serve. They deserve an opportunity to make their preference known. The redistricting initiative should be on the ballot in 2020, as that would predate the redistricting process of the most current census. Followed by the term limits the next cycle.What approach do you support in fixing public employee pension systems?The State Pensions have Constitutional protection against diminished benefits, but what they don't have is protection from the funds being underfunded or not funded at all. It is not in the best interest of the Illinois tax payer nor the state employees to go in the direction of insolvency. It would be in our best interest to have Public Employees, Legislatures and Financial Experts to begin planning on a sustainable model to relieve the burden on taxpayers and simultaneously keeping the pension system solvent. This is going to require compromise and consensus.To what extent do you support or oppose legalization of marijuana for recreational use?I have been watching this closely. Recently there was a case in a Schumburg School, district 54 where medical marijuana had to be administered by the school to a leukemia patient to control her seizures. I find it hard to oppose medical marijuana where it was administered in liquid form to help with seizures. On the other hand I am very opposed to legalizing Recreational Marijuana. My district is relatively conservative and there may be some citizens who are not comfortable with medical marijuana. Medical Marijuana is slowly being phased into Illinois so it can give us the time to see real data in terms of benefits or threats it may have on our communities.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?The district that I hope to serve cares deeply about the financial condition in our state. The ever growing property taxes, spiraling upward with no end in sight is troubling. This is reflected in recent school referendums and other local property tax discussions. The lack of being able to enjoy a robust economy is driving Illinoisans in our state to move and it is not because of the cold weather. Recently in my school district a referendum was not passed, people are discussing the best use for their money and they are paying attention. The financial condition of the State and K-12 and Higher Education will be areas I will concentrate on. We have a great state with beautiful towns, village and cities going in all directions from the Chicago city center north, south and west. West is what I care about the 42nd district, I plan on doing the hardest work in Springfield so that I can ensure that our communities and families stay healthy and thrive.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Nikki Haley.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?You do not lie or treat others badly.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would have been an art history major in college.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?History and Art. It is good to understand your history in order to go forward with better understanding.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Work hard and be happy, it is a choice. Don't lie to yourself or anyone else.