A veteran member of the Illinois State Senate, serving for 12 years, Rep. Debbie Halvorson turned to national politics in 2009, when she easily won the 11th District seat, vacated by long time Republican Rep. Jerry Weller.
Now gearing up to defend her seat in the 2010 election, Halvorson was able to take brief break and talk the Wind City Times about Illinois and national politics.
Windy City Times: Let's talk about the current state of Illinois politics. You were one of the elected officials here in Illinois that called for Roland Burris's resignation, is that correct?
Debbie Halvorson: I did, along with a few others, because of the circumstances.
WCT: Given that process, what do you think currently is the state of Illinois politics?
DH: First I think we need to focus on what we need to get done here in Congress. You know we are working on a heath care plan and we're working on creating jobs, especially trying to put people back to work. And another issue we are working hard on is veterans. Both my husband and my farther were in the military and my step son is a captain in the Special Forces, so bettering veteran affairs is very important to me. I think there is a lot that needs to be focused on in the district and in that way we can move past the current poor image Illinois state politics has.
WCT: What are some of the things you trying to do within your district to engender new jobs?
DH: Doing things with public infrastructure is extremely important. In my district, many major highways, waterways or rails go through, so taking care of those major travel lines is a big way to create new jobs. We are also working to get a major rail from Chicago to St. Louis, which would be one of the first major rails to go through my district. A lot of the unemployed are in the building/construction industry so this will get people working. And also, there will be a lot of people who will be retrained to do the energy retrofitting of homes to make them more energy efficient. So, those are some of the things that are really getting pushed in my district in terms of employment.
WCT: Of course, our readers are very interested in some of the things you are doing to help with LGBT rights, could you go over what you are doing?
DH: One of the things is that I'm a big supporter of the Employment Non-discrimination Act. To me this is a bill that is about providing equal treatment across the workplace so people won't be discriminated against at their job based on sexual orientation. It's about time that we do something, and again it's about equal treatment not special treatment, on hiring. To me, it just brings sexual orientation under the umbrella of other things that employers can't discriminate against. I think it's important for people that are going through the hiring process that they are confident that they will be judged on their experience and skills, and not who they are.
WCT: Along the same lines of being equal and fair, what is your stance on gay marriage in Illinois?
DH: Well, as we've always said, it's something Illinois needs to deal with, as do other states. These are some of the broad decisions that we as a federal government have said we don't care what somebody does in their state, it just has to be done. I believe in the future we are going to further the discourse here in congress to extend those rights, while still respecting the decisions of others.
WCT: Last thing, what are some of the issues you are going to handle in your district in the next session?
DH: Like I said previously, I think veteran affairs is a big issue in my state, and I am looking to help better that. And of course there is jobs; we need to create more jobs in my district through solid public works plans. Lastly, we really need to create a solid healthcare plan in congress, this is a fundamental right that people need and we should be able to pass a plan that works for every American.
See www.debbiehalvorson.com .