State Senate, District 43

Education:

BA, Business Administration, Lewis University

Civic, professional, fraternal or other affiliations:

Past Lion's Club Member
Past Key Club Advisor

Have you held elective or appointive political office or been employed by any branch of government?

No.

Please list jobs or contracts you, members of your immediate family or business partners have had with government.

My brother-in-law currently works for the Will County Sheriff Department.
My sister worked for the Will County Juvenile Detention Center more than 20 years ago.

Campaign headquarters: 16225 West Creek Drive, Manhattan, IL, 60442
Website: sandy4illinois.com
Campaign manager: Kelly Honan
Campaign budget: $25,000
Name your five biggest campaign contributors and the amount they contributed.
Sandy Johnson ($6,200)
Otto ($5,000)
18th District Republican Central Committee ($1,000)
All other contributions less than $250

Did not respond

Did not respond

I would not support a bill like SB1673 in the next session because we cannot afford to continue to offer retirees' annual compounded cost of living increases as an option. In addition, I do not support any efforts to shift pension liabilities to local school districts.

I would support state pension reform that provides current retirees and employees within 5 years of retirement a 3% annual increase based on their pension benefits at the time of retirement. Employees 5 to 25 years from retirement would participate in a 401K type retirement savings plan, including a formula for credit based on their years of participation in the old pension system. Employees more than 25 years from retirement and all future employees would participate in a 401K type retirement savings plan.

I do not support the Medicaid reform package passed last spring because it relies on cuts in services and rate reduction to achieve the needed savings. Raising the cigarette tax is a short term fix to a long term problem and merely avoids examining the cost inefficiencies within this program. I believe Medicaid needs comprehensive reform. However, this should be achieved by first removing people from the Medicaid system who either no longer meet the requirements or never should have qualified initially. All cost efficiencies must be addressed before cuts in services and rate reduction should even be considered.

I support immediate repeal of the 2 percent income tax increase currently set to expire in 2014. This reduction in taxes will serve as an immediate stimulus and both individuals and businesses in Illinois will benefit as money that was dedicated to paying taxes will now be available for discretionary spending.

I support lowering the corporate income tax rate in Illinois to equal that of Indiana and Wisconsin, thus leveling the corporate playing field with our neighboring states. I also support the repeal of any unnecessary regulations that hinders business growth and productivity. Government does not create jobs, business does.

I fully support Governor Quinn's veto of the gambling package as it would have taken business and jobs away from the existing casinos in Joliet.

The State has not done enough to reduce spending. Much more needs to be done to look at eliminating redundant agencies. I support combining the Treasurer's and Comptroller's offices. Also, compensation for appointments to advisory boards should be limited to $5,000 annually. The Medicaid Recapture Audit, while passed, must now be implemented.

I would support capping the amount state party leaders can donate during a general election.

I would not support a shift from a flat income tax to a progressive income tax. Shifting to a progressive income tax is a step towards higher taxes overall.

School finance reform is a complex problem that needs to be more fully explored for the most equitable solution. However, in general, I favor funding mechanisms, including vouchers, which allow for free movement of funds to follow a student and take into account the additional costs incurred to educate students with a high risk of academic failure. I support the creation of more charter schools in Illinois and a more expedient approval process to facilitate this growth.

I believe marriage is the union of one man and one woman.