As newly elected members of the Illinois House of Representatives prepared to take their oaths of office, they also got ready to tackle a host of issues that they and their constituents have identified as particularly important.

For all the differences among the 47 new House members' districts, they form a fairly cohesive group in terms of what they'd like to accomplish. An Illinois Issues survey of neophyte House members found several of the new Democratic legislators especially interested in tackling crime problems and spurring economic development. Some said they want to preserve a woman's right to choose abortion and strengthen programs that provide early intervention into needy children's lives.

Newly elected Republicans were especially concerned with changing the state's school aid formula and reducing property taxes as well as holding the line on income taxes. Most vocal on these issues are lawmakers representing districts in suburban Cook and the collar counties, who say their schools deserve a greater share of state dollars to lessen constituents' high property taxes.

Following are brief sketches of the new House members, based on information gathered by Illinois Issues in cooperation with the Illinois Legislative Research Unit.

Judy Biggert (R-81, Hinsdale) chairs the Hinsdale Plan Commission and sits on the steering committee of Citizens for Property Tax Accountability. She earned her B.A. in international relations from Stanford University and a J.D. from Northwestern University. She is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the DuPage Association of Women Lawyers. She also is on the Salt Creek Ballet board of directors. Biggert is a former law clerk to Judge Luther M. Swygert of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh District. She sees property tax relief and maintaining quality education as the most pressing issues in her district. Among the matters she feels must be addressed are school funding, balancing the budget and downsizing government. She is married and has four children.

Robert A. "Bob" Biggins (R-78, Elmhurst), 46, is executive vice president of Property Assessment Advisors Inc., which he helped form in 1981. He received a bachelor of arts degree in education from Northeastern Illinois University in 1969. He is a former teacher and was elected Addison Township Assessor in 1973, serving until 1977. He is past president of the DuPage County Assessors Association, Elmhurst Gardens Homeowners Association and Edison School PTA in Elmhurst. He is a certified member of the Institute of Property Taxation and a former member of the Elmhurst Board of Local Improvements. In 1990, he received the International Association of Assessing Officers award.

Biggins says the most pressing issue in his district is revising the school aid formula to allow suburbs to receive a higher percentage of state dollars, thereby decreasing their reliance on local property taxes. He also believes a site should be decided upon for a third airport in the Chicago metropolitan area. He opposes unfunded state mandates because "they force local governments to dig deeper into the taxpayers' property tax pockets." Biggins is married and has two children.

A 1979 graduate of Northwestern University and Pepperdine University Law School, Rod R. Blagojevich (D-33, Chicago) has served as a Cook County assistant state's attorney and now is in private practice. He is a Golden Gloves boxer and was on the Foreman High School basketball team. He is married and has no children.

William Brady (R-88, Bloomington) is president of Decade 200 Mortgage Services Inc. He is founder/president and operating officer of Apex Properties Inc., Brady & Sopper Better Homes and Gardens and Brady Property Management. He is co-founder and secretary of Brady and Associates Construction and Development. Brady also serves as director of the Bloomington-Normal Association of Realtors. He is a vice president of the Central Catholic High School Foundation Board, director of McLean County Young Republicans, board member of a local YMCA, co-chairman of area United Way fundraising efforts and a member of the McLean County Republican Central Committee.

The primary concerns of his district, Brady says, are equitable funding for Illinois State University, adequate and equitable funding for secondary and primary education, jobs and fiscal responsibility. He also believes that reducing the cost of incarcerated inmates and welfare reform are two major issues the General Assembly must face in the future.

Verna L. Clayton (R-51, Buffalo Grove), 55, served as president of the village of Buffalo Grove from 1979-1991. She also was village clerk (1971-1979) and office manager (1972-1978). She was chair of the Council of Mayors for the Chicago Area Transportation Study, chair of the National

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League of Cities' transportation committee, president of the Illinois Municipal League and a member of Gov. Jim Edgar's transition team. She is married and has two children.

Clayton says a pressing issue in her district is the completion of commuter transportation on the Soo Line Railroad. "Obviously it would be a Metra project," she said, "but with funding authorization through the state." She also feels the state must develop and implement a new state aid distribution formula for education that is fair and equitable to suburban districts.

Tom Cross (R-84, Oswego) has been Kendall County assistant state's attorney for the past eight years. He is chairman of the Kendall County Foundation and the Kendall County Mental Health Board. He serves on the Yorkville Chamber of Commerce board of directors and the Oswego Lions Club and Fox Valley YMCA board of directors. He is a member of the Oswego Chamber of Commerce, Kendall County Farm Bureau and the Church of Good Shepard United Methodist Church. Cross says school funding and property tax relief are the most pressing issues in his district. He also wants to address the increasing problem of gangs in southeast Aurora and elsewhere in the district. He feels all of these issues require action by the General Assembly. Cross is married.

A former staff attorney for the Illinois Senate Judiciary Committee, Thomas J. Dart (D-28, Chicago) enters the House after serving briefly as a state senator in the last General Assembly to fill out the term of Sen. Jeremiah Joyce in District 14. Dart holds a B.A. degree in history/general social studies from Providence College in Providence, R.I., and a law degree from Loyola University. He also worked on Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan's legislative review and issues staff during two sessions of the General Assembly. He is a former staff member for U.S. Sen. Clayborn Pell and was a Cook County assistant state's attorney from 1987 to 1991.

Judy Erwin (D-11, Chicago), 42, served as senior staff director for the Illinois Senate and former Senate President Philip J. Rock. She has served as a delegate or delegation whip during the last three Democratic national conventions. A former public school teacher, she holds a B.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin and a master's degree from the National College of Education in Evanston. She also attended the Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. She is a member of Gov. Edgar's Human Resources Task Force. Erwin says her top priorities include the improvement of Illinois' public education system and reform of the property tax system in Cook County. "The way the property tax is assessed is very convoluted; it's not consumer-friendly," she says. She also stresses the importance of "protecting and enhancing a woman's right to choose abortion" and strengthening programs that provide early intervention into needy children's lives.

Rafael "Ray" Frias (D-l, Chicago), 32, earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is employed by the Chicago Police Department, and he has received more than 30 commendations for bravery and good preformance on the force. He is co-founder of the community organization UNITE (United Neighbors Improving the Environment). He wrote and lobbied for HB 3144, which authorizes police to confiscate cars used in drive-by shootings. Frias' current concerns are crime, education, jobs and health care.

Lauren Beth Gash (D-60, Highland Park) is an active volunteer with the Villa St. Cyril Nursing Home, the Prairie State Legal Services, the Conservation Society, the League of Women Voters and the Committee for Interdistrict Cooperation. She has a bachelor's degree in psychology from Clark University and a J.D. degree from Georgetown University, where she was associate editor of the American Criminal Law Review. She is a board member of the PTA, a member of the League of Women Voter's statewide school funding committee, the Illinois Bar Association and the Highland Park Conservation Society. She has also worked as a projects director for former Sen. Alan J. Dixon in Washington, and was an aide to U.S. Sen. Paul Simon and state Rep. Grace Mary Stern.

Gash strongly supports local control of schools and top quality educational opportunities. She supports raising foundation levels for the poorest districts, but would oppose any change that would reduce funding disparities by leveling down districts that commit more revenue to education. She has a strong interest in issues such as health care, protecting the environment and attracting and retaining business in Illinois. She is married and has two children.

Barbara A. Giolitto (R-68, Rockford) is an insurance agent for Pioneer Life and a sales representative for Chicago Food Brokerage Company. She also is self-employed with Environmental Concepts, an organization concerned with air and water purification. She currently is serving her second term as a Democratic precinct committee person and deputy registrar. She is a state board member of the American Association of University Women and vice president of the local chapter of the National Association for Women in Careers. Giolitto also is a member of the Rockford Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Women in Democratic Politics and the League of Women Voters. She is a graduate of Rockford College and holds a bachelor of science degree in sociology and psychology.

Giolitto feels the most important issue in her district is addressing the problem of equitable funding of education. It is also important that the funds for education are spent to give the students of Illinois the best possible education for the dollar. She also feels the state of Illinois must find a long-term solution to the gap in the Medicare budget. She believes that elected representatives must start listening to what their consituents' wants and needs are rather than just doing what they believe is right.

Brent Hassert (R-83, Lemont), 39, is the owner of Hassert Landscaping. He has served four years as a Will County Board commissioner. He was a member of the Illinois task force for solid waste legislation in 1988, which helped spur the adoption of the Solid Waste Planning and Recycling Act (PA 85-1198). Hassert was one of 25 elected officials selected nationally to serve on the federal Environmental Protection

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Agency panel in Washington, D.C. He is married and has two children.

Gerald Hawkins (D-115, DuQuoin), 49, is a coal miner and has been legislative liaison for the United Mine Workers of America for the past 18 years. He is chairperson of the Perry County Mental Health Board, director of the DuQuoin State Bank and a member of the governor's task force on coal, which helped press passage of legislation important for the coal industry. Hawkins says economic development, including maintaining Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and protection of coal industry jobs, are among his highest priorities. He also sees a need for improving the state's education and health care systems. As a lawmaker, he hopes to help get the state's budget "in order" and find ways to increase funding for education and human services. He is married and has two children.

Douglas L. Hoeft (R-66, Elgin) is the Kane County regional superintendent of schools. A former coal miner, he also previously taught at Elgin High School and at National College. He earned a doctorate degree in school administration from Northern Illinois University. On the state level, Hoeft was president of the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents for two years and a member of the Department of Children and Family Services citizen advisory board. On the local government level, he has served on Kane County's Private Industry Council, regional solid waste planning committee, DUI task force and criminal justice committee. He is vice president of the Elgin Well Child Conference, secretary of the Elgin Family Service Association and chairman of the human services committee of Elgin Community College. He is married and has two children.

Ann Hughes (R-63, Woodstock) is secretary/treasurer of her family's seed corn business. She is a member of the McHenry County Board and secretary of the Illinois Farm Development Authority. She is a former member of the Woodstock Community Unit District 200 School Board, and she holds a bachelor's degree in biology. Hughes says school funding and property tax relief are major concerns of the 63rd District's residents. In addition, rapid growth has created the need for transportation infrastructure improvements. She also feels that spending must be brought in line with revenues, and that health care costs in general and Medicaid in particular must be reduced. "The Medicaid system reform must address streamlining processing and imposition of managed care," she says. She is married and has three sons.

Thomas L. Johnson (R-50, West Chicago), 47, is an attorney with Johnson, Westra, Broecker, Whittaker & Newitt, P.C., in Carol Stream. He has served as prosecuting attorney and full-time investigator for the DuPage County state's attorney's office. He holds a B.A. in general studies from the University of Michigan and a law degree from DePaul University School of Law. A former precinct committeeman for Winfield Township, Johnson also served as vice chairman for the Winfield Township Republican Committee. He is a member of the DuPage County Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association and the Christian Legal Society. He is a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War and member of the American Legion, Illinois Citizens for Life in Downers Grove and the West Chicago Bible Church. He is married and has three children.

A former general attorney for the Chicago Park District, Nancy Kaszak (D-34, Chicago) has taught at Illinois Benedictine College and has worked on the Illinois House Democratic staff as a legislative analyst. She has served on the City Landmarks Commission and as president of the Landmarks Preservation Council and vice president of the Chicago Council of Lawyers. In 1986 she was selected one of the 25 emerging leaders in the Chicago metropolitan area. She is married and has one child. Kaszak says the most pressing issues in her district are economic development, housing, assuring a woman's right to choose abortion and expanding human rights statutes to cover sexual orientation.

As for issues the General Assembly should address in the future, she would like to see comprehensive amendments to both the state Purchasing Act and state Personnel Code and joint labor management councils to improve the quality of state services.

Joseph S. Kotlarz Jr. (D-20, Chicago) earned his bachelor's degree from DePaul University and a J.D. from John Marshall Law School. He was a 35th Ward alderman and Democratic committeeman. While on the Chicago City Council he chaired the claims and liabilities committee and served on the aviation and buildings committee. He also was appointed to the policy committee of the Democratic National Committee. He is a member of the Chicago and Illinois bar associations, the Lions Club and the Polish National Alliance.

Carolyn H. Krause (R-56, Mount Prospect) is an attorney with Foss, Schuman and Drake in Chicago. She served as mayor of the village of Mount Prospect from 1977-1989 and was director of the Illinois Criminal Justice Authority from 1985 to 1987. She holds a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and a law degree from the IIT-Chicago-Kent College of Law. She is a former member of the Mount Prospect zoning board of appeals and local government finance study commission. Krause says voters in her district want to see the state operate on a sound fiscal basis with two-year budget planning. She says other issues such as Medicaid financing, educational funding and health care also require action by the General Assembly.

A former township supervisor and Jo Daviess County Board member, I. Ronald Lawfer (D-74, Stockton) has served on the Northwestern Illinois Community Action Agency Board, the Jo Daviess Farm Bureau Board and the Agricultural Extension Council. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois and a veteran of the Korean War. Currently he owns and operates a beef and grain farm, and he is a director at Kent Bank. He is married and has five children.

Patricia Reid Lindner (R-65, Aurora), 52, is an attorney with Patricia Reid Lindner Law Offices. After receiving a bachelor's degree in speech, she earned a master's degree in politi-

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cal science from the University of Colorado and a law degree from Northern Illinois University. She is the precinct committeewoman of Sugar Grove Township No. 3 and a member of the Aurora Republican Women's Club. She is a member of the Kane County Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association and the Kane County Family Law Committee. She also is on the board of directors of the Aurora Foundation, the Gary Wheaton Bank of Fox Valley and the local YMCA. She is married and has four children.

Edgar Lopez (D-4, Chicago), a graduate of Andrews University, is administrative assistant of the Cook County Board of (Tax) Appeals. James H. "Jim" Meyer (R-82, Bolingbrook) is deputy mayor and village trustee of Bolingbrook and serves on the board of the Bolingbrook Local Development Corporation. He is a member of U.S. Rep. Harris Fawell's science and technology advisory committee and is a former vice president of the northern Illinois chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. He received a B.A. in political science and history from Upper Iowa University and is an Air Force veteran of the Vietnam War. He also belongs to the Chamber of Commerce, Jaycees, VietNow, American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Donald L. Moffitt (R-94, Gilson) is a farmer and serves as Knox County treasurer. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois and is former mayor of Oneida. He is a member of the Carver Community Action Agency Board, the Lions Club, Knoxville Methodist Church's administrative board and past member of Oneida Masonic Lodge. He is married and has three children.

Andrea S. Moore (R-61, Libertyville) serves as president of the Lake County Forest Preserves. She also has served as Lake County Board Commissioner for District 5 and as a member of the Illinois Supreme Court advisory committee and the governor's Martin Luther King Holiday Commission. Moore is a founding member of the David Alder Cultural Center of Libertyville and recently completed a term on its board of directors. She serves on the board of directors for Condell Medical School of Libertyville. She received the Lake County YWCA's 1991 Woman of Achievement Award. She is married and has three children.

Eugene "Gene" Moore (D-7, Maywood) is senior account executive with Metropolitan Life. He is a trustee on the Proviso Township Board, executive board member of the Community Economic Development Association of Cook County and member of the Affirmative Action Committee in the 7th Congressional District. He also is Democratic coordinator for the village of Maywood. Moore attended Crane Junior College in Chicago and Otero College in La Junta, Colo. A member of the AFL-CIO, he is a steward for Local 881. He is also a member of the National Association for Life Underwriters (Chicago branch). He is married and has two children.

Vickie Moseley (D-99, Springfield) is co-owner of Moseley and Associates, which does financial and legislative consulting for educational facilities and agencies working with persons who are disabled. She earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Blackburn College in Carlinville. Moseley is the former director of state relations for the Illinois State Scholarship Commission and was a lobbyist for several organizations, including the Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities, the American Association of University Professors of Illinois and the Illinois News Broadcasters Association. She is married and has five children.

Rosemary Mulligan (R-55, Des Plaines) was formerly with Miller, Forest & Downing Ltd., Greenview, and currently is an independent contractor in municipal law. She also is a paralegal seminar educator at Harper College. She received her bachelor's degree from Illinois State University and attended the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education. She is a member of the Illinois Federation of Business and Professional Women, the American Planning Association, the Illinois Paralegal Association and the National Women's Political Caucus. Mulligan sees the need for jobs and an improved economy as top priorities in her district. She also says health care, the Medicaid funding shortfall and property tax reform are equally important.

She believes that "educational reform is particularly important to the future of our state."

Harold Murphy (D-30, Markham) is proprietor of King's Lake Resort, a small fishing and weekend resort in Indiana. He was supervising manager of the Charles Chew Facility of the secretary of state's office for seven years and a Markham alderman for four years. For the past five years he has been a member of the board of trustees of South Suburban College and served as chairman of the college's legislative committee. He also is a member of the Christ Temple Baptist Church in Markham. He is a graduate of Northeastern Illinois University and is married with three children.

Maureen Murphy (R-36, Evergreen Park) is vice president and a broker-associate with R.B. Konie & Co. Realtors. She attended Moraine Valley Community College and is a licensed real estate broker and salesman. She is a member of the Southwest Suburban Board of Realtors, founder of Women for a Better Government and past president of the Oak Lawn Business and Professional Women's Organization. She is married and has four children.

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John A. Ostenburg (D-80, Park Forest) is director of university relations at Governors State University and a board member of the Park Forest Area B housing cooperative. He has a B.A. from Loyola University, and he has been a trustee of the village of Park Forest. He was a reporter and copy editor for the Illinois State Journal in Springfield and the Joliet Herald-News. He also was part owner and managing editor of the Lockport Free Press. He is a member of the Illinois Advisory Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, the Illinois Community Relations Council, the Park Forest Rotary Club and the Illinois Press Association.

Ostenburg says Illinois must find a different way to fund elementary, secondary and community college institutions in his district, possibly by placing less dependence on the local property tax and more on the state income tax. He also feels that job creation and job protection both are important. He believes the General Assembly must address environmental and social services issues. "It is time to turn Illinois government upside down and to make opportunities for entrepreneurial activities available to those at the service-delivery levels," he said. He is married and has three children.

Carole Pankau (R-49, Roselle), 45, has been a DuPage County Board member since 1984 and also has served as Bloomingdale Township Republican precinct committeeman for 11 years and Kenneyville School District 20 board member for eight years. She also is a member of the Roselle, Bloomingdale and Hanover Park chambers of commerce. She holds a B.S. in accounting from the University of Illinois and is married with three children.

Laurel Lunt Prussing (D-103, Urbana) is a former auditor for Champaign County and member of the Champaign County Board. She was a research economist for the University of Illinois from 1970-1972 and the author of "Downstate County Government." She received her bachelor's degree in economics from Wellesley College, her master's in economics from Boston University and is a Ph.D. candidate in economics (public finance) at Cambridge University in Massachusetts. Prussing is former president of the Illinois Association of County Auditors. She is a former member of the Illinois comptroller's local government audit advisory committee and committee on accounting, auditing and financial reporting. She belongs to the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada, and she is a charter member of the National Association of Local Government Auditors. She is married and has three children.

Coy Pugh (D-10, Chicago), 40, is founder and executive director of the Westside Small Business Development Corporation. He earned a bachelor's degree in urban studies from Northeastern Univeristy. He is married and has two children.

Carol Ronen (D-17, Chicago) is assistant commissioner of the Chicago Department of Housing, and she was assistant commissioner of the Chicago planning department in 1991. She was executive director of the Chicago Commission on Women (1989-1990) and legislative and community affairs director of the Chicago Department of Human Services (1985-1989). She earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Bradley University and a master's degree in public administration from Roosevelt University. She is former president of the Illinois task force on child support and a board member of the Illinois Women's Agenda.

Peter Roskam (R-40, Wheaton), 30, is executive director of Educational Assistance Ltd., and he has served as a legislative assistant for two Republican U.S. congressmen, Henry Hyde of Illinois and Tom DeLay of Texas. He is a trustee of Judson College in Elgin and a member of the Greater Wheaton Chamber of Commerce, the Milton Township Republican Committeemen's Organization and the Glen Ellyn Evangelical Covenant Church. He earned an undergraduate degree in political science/history from the University of Illinois and a law degree from IIT-Chicago-Kent College of Law. He is married and has one child.

Dan Rutherford (R-87, Pontiac) is vice president of the International Service Master Company in Downers Grove. Previously he was CEO of the U.S./Japan Corporation, president of Rutherford and Associates and manager of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs' international business division. He graduated from Illinois State University in 1978, where he was president of the student association. He is a member of the Livingston County Farm Bureau, Illinois Corn Growers Association, Sigma Tau Gamma Fraternity Alumni Board and the Pontiac Chamber of Commerce. Rutherford was selected by the Chicago Tribune as one of the "People to Watch" in 1986. He believes job creation opportunities and laws and regulations that make it easier to operate a small business are the most pressing issues in his district. He feels that equitable education funding and health care issues are important matters that require action by the General Assembly.

Al Salvi (R-52, Libertyville), 32, is a partner in the law firm of Albert J. Salvi and Associates and was Lake County Republican committeeman from 1987 to 1992. He holds a degree in government from the University of Notre Dame and a law degree from the University of Illinois. He was a Republican candidate for U.S. Congress in Illinois' 19th District in 1986. Salvi is married and has two children. He says the most pressing issues in his district are education and reducing property taxes.

Angelo "Skip" Saviano (R-77, Elmwood Park) is the supervisor of Leyden Township and the former owner and operator of a paralegal service in Chicago. He received a bachelor's degree from DePaul University, is on the board of the West Cook County Solid Waste Agency, co-founded the Elmwood Park Civic Foundation, and is co-chairman of the Elmwood Park Fourth of July Committee. He received the 1990 David Award from the Italo-American National Union.

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Saviano says the most pressing issue in his district is the General Assembly's need to find ways to increase funding for education while at the same time enacting meaningful property tax relief. He also says the state needs to find ways to promote economic development statewide to lure needed jobs and tax revenues. He also believes the state needs to continue to search for ways to cut any "fat" from its operating budget.

John R. Sheehy (D-37, Tinley Park) is a business owner and licensed funeral director. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus and serves on the board of the Olympia Fields South Suburban Hospice. He is a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War. Sheehy says the most pressing issues facing his district are property tax relief and improving the school funding formula. He also feels the General Assembly must take action to improve the availability of health care and lure jobs to the state.

Todd H. Stroger (D-31, Chicago) is administrative assistant for the Chicago Park District. He has been a jury supervisor for the Cook County Jury Commission and a statistician in the office of the chief judge of the Cook County Circuit Court. He is a member of the 8th Ward Democratic organization, where he serves on the executive committee. Stroger is second vice president of the Young Democrats of Illinois. He has a B.A. in history from Xavier University of Louisiana and has done graduate computer study at DePaul University.

Pennie L. von Bergen Wessels (D-73, Sterling) is a lawyer, former teacher and former Whiteside County Board Member. She was the local director of the Citizens Utility Board. Her priorities include education, health care, senior citizen interests, agriculture and other concerns of her constituents. She believes the most pressing issues in her district are equitable funding of education and health care reform.

Thomas J. Walsh (R-44, LaGrange Park) is the public relations manager for Binks Manufacturing and Proviso Township Republican committeman. A licensed real estate salesperson and a member of the Irish Fellowship Club of Chicago, he is a graduate of Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. Walsh also served as a commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago from 1988 to 1990. Walsh says a chief concern of his district, which encompasses portions of DuPage and Cook counties, is property tax relief. "In DuPage they have a property tax cap, and I think people are probably interested in not losing the ground they've gained with that cap. In Cook, they'd probably like to see some kind of property tax cap enacted," he says. Walsh stressed that he'd like to see such a measure accomplished without increasing the state income tax.

Walsh also plans to make education, mental health issues and economic improvement top priorities. "I think the state has to do everything it can to attract businesses and jobs," he says. "We've got to look at the unemployment compensation insurance rate and the workman's compensation rate and make those more competitive with other states' rates."

David A. Wirsing (R-70, Sycamore) manages a grain and hog finishing farm, and was recently reelected to his second term on the Sycamore School Board. He serves on the DeKalb Area Pork Producers board, of which he is a former president, and was elected to the Illinois Pork Producers' executive board. He was a member of the Northern FS Inc. board and served on the finance committee of the United Methodist Church of Sycamore. He is a member of the local Toast Masters Club, the DeKalb Farm Bureau, Western Illinois University's swine research committee and the Coon Creek Drainage District Commission. He is married and has four children.

Cal Skinner Jr. (R-64, Crystal Lake)

Ron Stephens (R-110, Troy)

Anne Zickus (R-48, Palos Hills)