Politics Today: Sen. Chris Lauzen (R-Batavia)

By: Krystle Russin

Sen. Chris Lauzen is one of the politicians that makes a constant attempt to stay in touch with constituents and their concerns, as well as those outside his district. Besides answering all mail and phone calls himself and writing updates and his thoughts on his website, he now plans to write a weekly e-mail.

"I’m trying to gather e-mail addresses. Anyone who would like to receive my weekly update, I’m just trying to get into the discipline of getting a message out once a week of some topic relating to Springfield government. I really would welcome people calling Leslie at my Springfield office to give me their e-mail at (217)782-0052," he explained.

The biggest issue Lauzen is currently involved in is with Illinoisans and the amount they pay for prescription medications.

"Through IllinoisHealthAlliance.com, I would send people to that website if they have anybody who’s having trouble paying for their prescription medication, I’m proposing, and I believe that the Republicans should propose the private enterprise...This is where a person just uses the free market, global economy, no bureaucracy, no tax increase," Lauzen said while over the phone, on his way to an event in the district. "Everyone is eligible. It’s available now on your computer, and the average savings is 50 percent, and there’s no constitutional challenge."

Q: How did you begin your political career?
A: I did 1,000 tax returns through a staff of ten people for maybe eight to ten years, and I saw how hard people have to work, how productive they are and then I saw what a huge chunk of money the government takes from these families. I read the same newspapers that you do and saw how much of the money was wasted. Rather than get angry about things, I’ve always been taught to take action. If you don’t like how something is, try to change it in a constructive way, and so I ran for office ran for the Senate back 11 years ago and was successful. My first run was against a good friend of mine now, I didn’t know him at the time, Bob Shulstrom, who is the DuPage County Board Chairman...I didn’t realize how powerful these guys were, and I thought, "Well, there’s a primary." We went out, and the promise that I made to people - I went to 2,000 families at their doors, actually it was more than that, because in the end, there were 2,000 volunteers organized by preci

Q: People have said that you really know your district and constituents. How do you maintain a connection back home when you are in Springfield? When in the district, what do you do to be involved?
A: For the last 11 years of my life, I return every single phone call personally, every piece of correspondence that comes into my office, I personally respond to it. Everybody who contacts me, nobody filters my calls. Every constituent gets a call back. Professionally, when I was serving 200 small businesses and doing those tax returns, it wasn’t quite as challenging as it is now with 200,000 people. 40 different ideas that have come from constituents are now pieces of legislation. How do I stay in touch? I stay on the phone, and I work seven days a week. Now, these days, I’ve never quite experienced what it’s like currently. I’m now at the desk most Saturday and Sunday nights until 10:30. At 11:00, it gets too much. The way that I stay in touch is when people call me, I recognize that I work for them, a

I’m trying to gather e-mail addresses. Anyone who would like to receive my weekly update, I’m just trying to get into the discipline of getting a message out once a week of some topic relating to Springfield government. I really would welcome people calling Leslie at my Springfield office to give me their e-mail at (217)782-0052.

Q: You have often shown your views on family issues. What is it like to have both a political career and your own family at the same time?
A: Honestly, my first reaction to that question is, "I try not to think of that," because my family is really getting the short end. I am so fortunate, so blessed that I married the girl who sat behind me in third grade. She was the smartest kid in the class, she’s always been that way. She was also the toughest kid in the class, because my best friend beat up her little brother, and she walked out her front door, walked down the street to where this guy lived, rang his doorbell, and he had the great misfortune of answering the door that day. Her little brother never had any trouble in the neighborhood again. Sarah is the nicest person in the world, but it’s kind of like what George Bush said, "Don’t mess with Texas." I learned early.

Actually, the rest of the story is in seventh grade, her dad passed away from cancer and with six kids in her family. About a year later, her mom remarried to a guy who had five kids, there was a whole bunch of them. They moved away and eventually moved to Los Angeles. After I was finished with the Harvard Business School, I was on an assignment out by Los Angeles, and her cousin from Boston called me up. He goes, "Why don’t you look up my cousin? She lives at the beach, she’s not bad looking." I remember this tough little kid, but I call her up, almost out of obligation to ask her out for dinner. We laughed on that first call. I thought it was going to be three minutes, on to the next call, and we laughed for an hour. I actually showed up early for my first date with her, and she came around the corner by the apartment and here was this beautiful young lady. After that, the rest was history.

Q: Before this year, the Republicans were the majority, and Pate Phillip lead the State Senate. It is now the opposite, with Democrats outnumbering Republicans and Emil Jones as Senate President. What do you think about this? How are methods of bringing Republican legislation to everyone’s attention different than before?
A: I’m not sure if I should be depressed or entertained. Abe Lincoln said, "What kills the stunt is the publicity it brings itself." As the Democrats go through, they’re very good at campaigning, but now as they try to govern, to see the social agenda that is so out of touch with the typical Illinois citizen, to see them now cramming that through the House and the Senate, probably across the Governor’s desk - I’m not sure if I should be depressed or entertained. It is a great privilege to serve in the majority in either the House or the Senate, because when an idea is brought to you by a constituent, you can actually get it called in a committee.

Q: You have a pro-life view of abortion. What do you expect for the next couple years, both nationally and statewide, in abortion legislation? What do you personally believe must be done?
A: I was the lead sponsor on the ban on partial birth abortion. It’s one of the things that along with truth in budgeting, truth in pensions, I'm most proud of. I got a chance to very intimately get to know people in the pro-life movement, and it will always be one of my favorite memories of my entire life. I think that one of the things that we have to do to be more successful in the pro-life movement is (I agree with George Bush that it’s a matter of changing people’s hearts for the law to be changed, but) we have to unite first within the Republican party. I believe that our position will be that Republicans, whether they’re pro-choice or pro-life, generally speaking, Republicans are for some kind of reasonable restriction on abortion, whereas the Democrats, in contrast, are anytime, anywhere, and the taxpayer is pay

Q: You serve on both Senate Appropriations committees. What do you think the legislature is going to do about the budget? What would you choose to do concerning Illinois’ fiscal plans? Do you think the legislature will choose to raise taxes?
A: I’m the ranking member for the Republican side on revenue, or the Taxation Committee, I’ve served for ten years. Also, I think that there’s also more action this year on revenue than there has been to date in Appropriations Committee, but I’m going to do my very best to help Gov. Blagojevich keep his solemn word and campaign promise and inaugural address promise to not raise taxes. I’m going to do my very best to help him.

Q: You talked about what happened last week in session concerning prescription medications. How does your plan differ when compared to Gov. Blagojevich’s?
A: Gov. Blagojevich and Jack Franks have the government solution to reducing the cost of prescription medication. Through IllinoisHealthAlliance.com, I would send people to that website if they have anybody who’s having trouble paying for their prescription medication, I’m proposing, and I believe that the Republicans should propose the private enterprise solution, so the contrast is between the government solution versus the private enterprise solution.

The private enterprise solution is free market, global economy. Make sure we don’t allow the drug companies to build trade barriers between Canada and the United States. Under the government plan, there’s going to be a bureaucracy. There will be pressure to increase taxes, only there will be restricted eligibility. The savings will be between 15 and 20 percent if they’re lucky, and there will be a constitutional challenge. As soon as they put teeth into their proposal, the drug companies ought to give rebates, and when the drug companies come back and say, "No, we’re not going to do that," we say, "Yes, you are. We’re going to force you to." At that point, it pops as a violation of interstate commerce where we have different rules in different states.

On the other hand, the private enterprise solution is through Illinois Health Alliance. This is where a person just uses the free market, global economy, no bureaucracy, no tax increase. Everyone is eligible. It’s available now on your computer, and the average savings is 50 percent, and there’s no constitutional challenge. Which would the majority of people choose? I believe that they would choose everybody eligible, 50 percent, opposed to restrictions, bureaucracy, and maybe 15 to 20 percent.

Krystle Russin writes for The State Journal-Register(IL) and contributes political articles/interviews to several publications including PurePolitics.com.