SE Illinois News

It's going to take a higher power to fix the disaster that is Illinois, Rep. Dave Severin (R-Benton) said recently on Tri-State Christian Television’s "TCT Today" program. 

“I don’t have all the answers, but you know who does?" Severin said. “Our heavenly father. … We have Republicans and Democrats on the House floor, but you know what’s going to fix this thing? It’s not Republicans and Democrats, but it’s Illinoisans. If you really want to get down to what’s going to fix this state, it’s to look to the Lord for his wisdom and direction.”

Severin also talked with host Tom Nolan about his legislative priorities, including his focus on education and the importance of passing a K-12 school funding bill.

“Right now, we have a budget, but we don’t have a format; we don’t have a way to get those funds to the schools,” Severin said. “Everybody in education and people are talking about (SB1), and we’ve got to get that taken care of so we can get the funding to the schools so they can get open, and not only open but to actually  do the things they need to do for this coming year.”

Severin served on the Franklin County School Board prior to being sworn in earlier this year and also noted the work he has done with youth, including teaching Sunday school, being involved in youth ministry and working with the Special Olympics.

“I was on the school board for a little over 29 years, so actually half my life was served (on the board),” Severin said. "Education is very important. The kids are our future. The goal for me as state representative is to get kids to get great educations and then to stay here in southern Illinois. And if you move to go to another college away from here, come back, start a family, start your own business, live your dream out in southern Illinois.”

Severin also called for lower taxes and workers’ compensation reform to keep people and businesses in the state.

“The state didn’t get in the position that it’s in overnight,” Severin said. “It’s going to take time to get us out of the mess that we’re in. Taxes have been raised. I tell people, we don’t really need to raise taxes; what we need to do is we need to get more taxpayers. Instead of losing people who are moving out of the state of Illinois, we need people to stay here; we need people to come back to the state.”

Throughout the interview, Severin emphasized his commitment to listening to his constituents, noting that he always tries to find events in his district to attend and that his office is always open.

“Being a representative, I’m here to represent the 108,000 people in this district,” Severin said. “But I’m also here to represent my heavenly father, who I’ve put my faith and trust in my whole life. It’s an opportunity to share the gospel; it’s an opportunity to share testimony.”