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Full Name:
Jeff Keicher
What office are you seeking?
Illinois 70th House District Representative
What is your political party?
Republican
What is your current age?
51
Occupation and Employer:
Insurance Agency Owner at Keicher Insurance Agency Inc
What offices, if any, have you previously held?
State Representative Illinois 70th District since 2018
Sycamore Public Library Board (appointed board, not elected)
City:
Sycamore, Illinois
Campaign Website:
Education:
Northern Illinois University, BS 1996
American College, CLU 2000 & ChFC 2001
Community Involvement:
Sycamore Rotary Club
Sycamore Chamber of Commerce, Hampshire Chamber of Commerce, Elburn Chamber of Commerce
Formerly: DeKalb County Red Cross, Sycamore Library Board, Sycamore City Zoning Board of Appeals, Sycamore School Finance Committee, Sycamore Park District Pathways Committee, Kishwaukee YMCA Board, Kishwaukee Hospital Foundation Outreach Committee, NIU Political Science Mentorship program, Unity 48 Masonic Lodge
Marital Status/Immediate Family:
Married for 27 years to my wife Karen. We have 3 children and one dog.
Why are you running for office?
As a leader in our community I stood up to run when I saw the path Illinois was headed. I’m running to continue the success I’ve had thus far in my career passing meaningful legislation which has included expanding breast cancer screening, protecting survivors of abuse, making Illinois a better place for job creators, developing apprenticeship programs, holding down property tax pressures, addressing TIF abuse and supporting first responders.
Will you honor the results of the November election, including the presidential race?
Yes, but I’m disappointed you’d ask this question and further the narrative of division among Americans.
How would you assess the SAFE-T Act? Are there any changes/adjustments that you would like to see made?
Democrats have made Illinois a safer place for criminals to commit crime without consequences. At the same time, we’ve made it tougher on police to keep us safe and tougher for prosecutors to hold criminals accountable.
The concerns with the SAFE-T Act were never about “cash bail” like progressives like to claim. The concern by opponents was about protecting victims of crime from the criminals. This Act dissolves protections for those victims.
Repeatedly the concerns we pointed out have needed legislative fixes. We need to reduce the burden of proof in the limited timeframe currently under the SAFE-T Act to detain someone. The level of evidence needed under the SAFE-T Act is HIGHER than the burden level to convict in some charges and cases.
Next, we need to remove the ability for those on electronic home monitoring to have 48 hours without tracking each week.
Then we need to empower law enforcement to use their best judgement to protect the population WITHOUT being faulted for stopping bad actors.
What policies would you support to ease the burden on Illinois taxpayers? Please be specific
Illinois needs to grow its way out of the property tax hole it finds itself in, we can’t tax our way out. That involves making Illinois attractive to business and investment like the Data Center Incentive we passed in 2019. We’ve already seen massive investment in Illinois communities, offsetting property tax pressures, as a result. The school portion of our property taxes is the issue. In the late 1990′s the state of Illinois funded local schools in excess of 50%. When I arrived in Springfield that had fallen to the mid 20% range. Because the state neglected its obligation in prior years it forced the property tax issue we see today. We need to step up funding our most critical programs in our communities the way we once did to alleviate the property tax burden.
Instead, Illinois Democrats have over obligated Illinois taxpayer funds to support free healthcare for undocumented immigrants under the HBIA & HBIS programs. When I arrived in Springfield in 2018 the budget was around $39 billion, today, just 6 years later, it stands at $53 billion. We have $14 BILLION MORE and we still have issues staying within our spending? Illinois residents know why we have property tax issues – Democrats’ insatiable appetite for spending our tax dollars. To stop that we need better balance. But right now Democrats super majority control just about all that happens and they will continue to spend until a balance with more Republicans puts their spending in check.
The Chicago area has been a destination for migrants, often with no housing options when they get here. What would you do in Springfield to help migrants when they appear, and to help local communities prepare when groups show up unannounced?
Illinois should have deportation flights for ILLEGAL crossings where we establish consequences for breaking the law. I support repealing the TRUST Act, which encouraged migrants’ settling in Illinois, a state that cannot afford to support migrants who are unable to work to support themselves. The hypocrisy of Democrats was laid bare by Governor Abbot of Texas with his bussing program that landed many migrants in Illinois. I, like most Illinoisans, support and am a champion of LEGAL immigration.
What programs are you in favor of that could make home-buying more affordable for first-time homebuyers?
We should never put people in a position to fail. Making it easier to get into a home owner situation that you cannot afford is not the answer to long term stable home ownership.
Growing our economy requires Illinois leadership to lower taxes, reduce burdensome regulation, and creating certainty for job creators. When families have secure and stable income and an affordable cost of living, the dream of home ownership becomes achievable.
The last census showed that Illinois is losing population, and that rural areas are were hit harder than urban areas. Is that a cause for concern and, if so, what can you do from Springfield to ensure rural communities don’t disappear?
Illinois population issues are greater than just about every other state. Had Illinois grown at the average rate of our nearby states we’d have 1,000,000 more residents. To think about what that many more residents do for our economy and property tax pressures is a big picture we need to address. It starts with favorable conditions for job creators to choose Illinois, good jobs bring good people spending good money in our communities. The Democrats, unfortunately, have run Illinois future on a path that discourages people from staying in Illinois long term. They have done this by seeking to tax and control too many aspects of Illinoisans lives and it causes folks to throw their hands up in frustration and then leave. Many of us are trying to change this trajectory with good policy that trusts the Illinois people to do what’s in their best interests in order to stay in the Land of Lincoln.
Should Illinois impose a state parks fee that is earmarked for maintenance of those facilities? If so, how should it be implemented?
Yes. Per vehicle entrance fee at the most frequently visited parks by car, not all parks, only the high vehicle traffic locations.
With hospitals closing and/or downsizing in northern Illinois, what can be done to ensure rural residents have access to quality health care?
In our area Kishwaukee and Delnor Hospital’s merger a handful of years ago with Northwestern Medicine System has been improvement in overall care, availability of specialists and improved response times. Rural healthcare availability is not an issue in our district.
Do you support Karina’s Bill, which aims to strengthen enforcement of the removal of firearms from those with orders of protection against them? More broadly, are Illinois laws too strict – or not strict enough – when it comes to gun rights and gun control and what changes would you advocate for?
As someone who has had my life threatened with assassination recently, as someone who has fought for survivors of domestic violence and as a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, the issue of mental health and firearms needs to be addressed. I hear from legal gun owners all the time about addressing this mental health gap.
There are certainly dangerous situations with orders of protection. But also, with orders of protection, some are brought by a spurned relationship gone sour, creating hoops to jump through by innocent non-violent ex partners. How do we differentiate between the two scenarios? The questions this raises are does the removal of firearms proposed in Karina’s Bill, denying a Constitutional Right, meet the language under the Second Amendment of the US Constitution? I don’t know that it does.
In addition, this bill raises issues regarding safe storage, opening local police departments to lawsuits, and resource adequacy. These issues should be resolved through robust discussion that includes domestic violence advocates and law enforcement prior to passing additional legislation.
Should Metra, Pace and the CTA be combined into one agency? What should be done to address the fiscal cliff facing the public transit agencies?
No, they should not be merged as outlined in the current proposal. The current proposal denies suburban communities a voice and instead rewards Chicago with a controlling interest of our public transportation. I think Illinoisans can agree that Chicago running things is not a good solution for any of our suburban communities.
I do understand there are discussions ongoing where a more balanced approach to transit control between Chicago and suburbs has been suggested. I would need to review any modied proposal before I made any judgement on the revisions.
In your capacity as a private citizen, have you or any business entity in which you have a ownership stake received a federal PPP loan? If so, what was the amount and is it repaid, forgiven or still outstanding?
This information is a matter of public record.
Have you ever been convicted of or charged with a crime?
no.