Rock Island Today

State Rep. Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) on Tuesday discussed her and her fellow Republicans' goals and priorities for 2023 during an interview with Rock Island Today.

"I have said many times that Republicans are here to work and we're here to provide solutions. To truly do that, I have worked with my caucus to develop several working groups through different areas of focus, and today we're laying the groundwork for some of those priorities this session. Based on those priorities we've created five working groups to lay the groundwork for the change that we believe our state needs. These groups are going to create policies that will make positive impacts on the way we live and our children's future, the economy, and the growth of our communities. We can never stand by silently with children and our most vulnerable suffering harm while in the care of our state. We can't let women and family issues fall by the wayside."

The five working groups unveiled by McCombie are: Sustaining & Protecting At-Risk Kids; Supporting Women and Families; Reigniting Illinois’ Strong Economy; Literacy Improves Future Endeavors; and Improving Public Safety.

"We can't afford any more businesses to leave our state," McCombie continued. "Are you all aware that we have 33 Fortune 500 companies, but seven years ago when I was first here we had 36. When literacy in our schools is at an all-time low, we have to act. When crime rates continue to climb, our priorities in the legislature must reflect that. Today we're here to talk about each one of those priorities and I'm here with members of the Republican Caucus who will be leading these groups."

McCombie anticipated the governor's State of the State speech he gave Wednesday.

"Tomorrow we're going to be hearing from the governor on his direction of the state during his term and we want to share items that we believe must be addressed," McCombie continued. "As we've said, we're here to help, we're here to govern and the working groups we've assembled first are sustaining and protecting at-risk kids -- this is to protect children in the state's care from abuse and neglect; supporting women and families to make Illinois a place where families can move and grow for generations; reigniting Illinois' strong economy to improve Illinois's business climate while still protecting our workers and using our strengths, geography, workforce, and resources to bring job creators and opportunities home; literacy improves future endeavors -- to address learning loss, improve reading literacy and restore Illinois students to a place where they are competitive on today's world; improving public safety to make our neighborhood safe again and protect law-abiding and respect law enforcement."

McCombie is a lifelong Savanna resident who was first elected to represent Illinois' 71st District in 2016. She was also named House Republican Leader during the 2023 legislative session, replacing former Rep. Jim Durkin, who had served in the House from 1995 to 2003, and again from 2006 to 2023, acting as House Republican Leader from 2013 until 2023. 

McCombie earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Illinois University, owns and operates Blue Appraisals, and works as a real estate broker with MelFoster Company. Previously, she had served as Savanna's mayor, as well as as a Savanna City councilmember.