Chung, Anderson list their priorities in race for 91st House District

NORMAL ( 25News Now ) - Two women are on the ballot to represent the 91st Illinois House District, which covers parts of Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford, and McLean counties.

Democrat Sharon Chung is the incumbent who was elected for the first time to the Illinois House in 2022. She's a former McLean County Board member.

Republican Desi Anderson is a small business owner who unsuccessfully ran against Democrat Sen. Dave Koehler in 2022.

Business and Wages Chung said she supports pro-worker policies like the state's increasing minimum wage . In 2025, the hourly wage for workers ages 18 and older will rise to $15.

"We are trying to see what we can do every day to keep down costs for people. Whether that's in terms of us eliminating the grocery tax, capping insulin prices at $35, or even for [policies I've worked on]," Chung said. "One of the first bills I passed in 2023 was to make it that insurance companies would cover medically necessary hearing aids."

Chung and Anderson were asked about finding a balance between higher wages and the viability of small businesses.

In a Special Report in July, dozens of small business owners in central Illinois said rising minimum wages, high corporate and business taxes, mandated paid leave and inflation have made running a business in Illinois too expensive.

Chung said she personally had not heard these concerns from small business owners.

Anderson, a small business owner herself, said the issue of matching the cost of living with wages is complex.

Anderson said that these pro-worker policies don't represent what small employers need, while it is great for minimum wage-earning workers.

With big corporations leaving Illinois over the past decade, Anderson said the burden falls on small employers.

She believes the state needs to create incentives for owners to invest in Illinois because neighboring states have lower tax rates and are more business friendly.

"When you've got the option to look at your finances and say, 'You know what? I could drive three hours east, west or south and be in a different state and have a different financial outcome after a 10-year investment in a business,'" Anderson said. "How do you keep good talent here?"

Crime and the Safe-T Act Chung supports the law that ended cash bail in the Illinois courts.

Anderson wants to renegotiate and repeal the controversial SAFE-T Act and have agencies like the Illinois Sheriffs' Association involved in these discussions.

In Sept. 2023, cash bail was eliminated, forcing judges to decide whether to hold a defendant in jail before trial.

Many prosecutors, sheriffs, and police chiefs across central Illinois have criticized the law, including the chance that someone let go before trial could commit other crimes.

"At the end of the day, if a criminal is released, what are we telling the victims?" Anderson said. "For me, that is important that we make sure that we continue to advocate for our victims, especially in a place where they feel the most vulnerable."

Other stances Chung said she's pro-union, advocates for women's rights, including their choice to have an abortion. She also backs tax credits to encourage private developers to build affordable housing.

Anderson said she wants the state to impose fewer regulations county and other local governments. She wants to remove Illinois' status as a sanctuary state for undocumented immigrants, and she wants more support for law enforcement.

Chung said she will try to get the Family Farm Preservation Act signed into law next term. It's an effort from Chung and Sen. Koehler to give tax breaks for heirs to family farms.

"When somebody passes away who owns a family farm, if their heirs or family members want to take over the farm, they are on the hook for paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in estate tax," Chung said. "So, even though they're land rich, they're cash poor, there's not very much in terms of liquid assets."