Tom Morrison (Illinois politician) explained

Tom Morrison
State House:Illinois
State:Illinois
District:54th
Term End:January 11, 2023
Preceded:Suzanne Bassi
Succeeded:Mary Beth Canty
Party:Republican
Alma Mater:Hillsdale College

Thomas R. Morrison[1] was a Republican member of the Illinois General Assembly for 54th House district, which includes all or portions of Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Inverness, Hoffman Estates, Arlington Heights, Barrington, and Schaumburg.

Education and career

Morrison is a graduate of Hillsdale College where he received a B.A. in History and Communications. Out of college he was a radio news reporter and anchor[2] before beginning a career as a fifth grade teacher. He has experience as a small business owner, having owned and operated two ServPro franchises, Palatine/Rolling Meadows and Elk Grove/Itasca/Roselle, for six years.[3]

He was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 2010.

As of July 3, 2022, Representative Morrison is a member of the following Illinois House committees:[4]

Positions and legislation

Rep. Morrison is a proponent of reducing the overall tax burden on Illinois residents[5] and reigning in property taxes.[6] [7] [8] He filed legislation to require a two-thirds majority vote for all tax increases [9] which would push the General Assembly toward spending reforms before increased taxation. He is a co-sponsor of the No Funds Without Revenue Estimate bill,[10] designed to help the legislature pass a balanced budget.

Morrison is a proponent of pension reform.[11] He sponsored legislation to end Illinois taxpayer-funded legislative pensions.[12] Morrison was the first Illinois State Representative to turn down the legislative pension benefit, saying, “If I had remained in the system, I would have been seen as part of the problem. I had to opt out.”[13] He has been outspoken about the multi-billion dollar pension liability on taxpayers and on the General Assembly's failure to meaningfully address the problem faced by both public workers and taxpayers.[14] [15] Morrison's plan would lock in earned pension benefits and move employees to a defined contribution plan on a go-forward basis.[16]

Rep. Morrison is known as a hardliner on social issues. In 2016, he authored legislation denying young transgender children access to the restroom of their identity.[17] He opposes abortion in all circumstances, including rape and incest,[18] voted No on an equal pay bill,[19] and also voted no on the ERA.[20] Previously, he attempted to Constitutionally ban same-sex marriage in Illinois.[21] Upon being re-elected in 2018, Rep. Morrison authored legislation to punish doctors for providing transition healthcare to transgender children experiencing gender dysphoria. This legislation was condemned by Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago[22] [23] Rep. Morrison has an A rating from the NRA.[24] [25]

Community Involvement

Rep. Morrison was named the Illinois Coalition of Community Blood Centers 2020 Legislator of the Year for his work in hosting multiple blood drives.[26] He is a member of the Sons of the American Legion Post 690. He is a member of the Palatine Chamber of Commerce[27] and Rolling Meadows Chamber of Commerce.[28] He serves on the Leadership Council of WINGS Program domestic violence agency.[29]

Electoral history

Morrison defeated incumbent State Representative Suzanne Bassi in the Republican primary on February 2, 2010, receiving 54.3% of the vote, to Bassi's 45.7%.[30] Morrison went on to defeat Democrat Matt Flamm in the general election, receiving 61.9% of the vote, to Flamm's 38.1%.[31] Morrison defeated Richard Rudd in 2012 with 59.08% of the vote.[32] He won the 2014 election against Laddi Singh with 65.92% of the vote,[33] and in 2016, he ran unopposed. In 2018, he defeated Maggie Trevor by only 43 votes, receiving 50.05% of votes cast.[34] [35] In 2020, he defeated Maggie Trevor, receiving 51.81% of votes cast.[36]

On January 11, 2022, Morrison announced he will not be running for re-election in 2022.[37]

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/116651/tom-morrison#.VGklSu8tCpo Tom Morrison's Biography
  2. Hamid, Sama. "Tom Morrison ", NBC 5 Chicago, September 28, 2012. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  3. Web site: Tom Morrison. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110126125015/http://www.linkedin.com/pub/tom-morrison/10/752/829. 2011-01-26. 2014-10-08. LinkedIn.
  4. Web site: Illinois General Assembly - Representative Committees . 2022-07-03 . ilga.gov.
  5. Web site: 2020-09-23. Thomas 'Tom' Morrison: Candidate profile, Illinois House 54th District. 2020-10-14. Daily Herald. en-US.
  6. Web site: Illinois General Assembly - Bill Status for HB0354. 2020-10-14. www.ilga.gov.
  7. Web site: Illinois General Assembly - Bill Status for HB2758. 2020-10-14. www.ilga.gov.
  8. Web site: Illinois General Assembly - Bill Status for HB0961. 2020-10-14. www.ilga.gov.
  9. Web site: Illinois General Assembly - Bill Status for HJRCA0034. 2020-10-14. www.ilga.gov.
  10. Web site: Illinois General Assembly - Bill Status for HB2137. 2020-10-14. www.ilga.gov.
  11. Web site: The Editorial Board. Editorial: For the Illinois House. Mazzochi, Breen, Curtis, Wheeler, Edly-Allen, McLaughlin, Morrison, Kegarise, Yost, Walsh. 2020-10-14. chicagotribune.com.
  12. Web site: The 'Pension Palace' for Illinois Lawmakers 2017. Adam. Andrzejewski. Forbes. 2018-08-01. https://web.archive.org/web/20180801065808/https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamandrzejewski/2018/04/28/the-pension-palace-for-illinois-lawmakers-2017/. 2018-08-01. live.
  13. Web site: Klingner. Ted Dabrowski and John. Yes, Illinois can eliminate legislative pensions. 2020-10-14. chicagotribune.com.
  14. Web site: Bauer. Elizabeth. The Bottom Line: Illinois' Public Pension Debt Is A Moral Issue. 2020-10-14. Forbes. en.
  15. Web site: Ferguson. Hollie. Rep. Morrison looks to steer Illinois pension system away from 'our tax-and-borrow policies'. 2020-10-14. North Cook News. en.
  16. Web site: Illinois General Assembly - Bill Status for HB3303. 2020-10-14. ilga.gov.
  17. Web site: Transgender Students in Illinois Are Under Attack. Equalityillinois.us. 2020-02-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20190412141934/https://www.equalityillinois.us/2016/01/transgender-students-in-illinois-are-under-attack/. 2019-04-12. live.
  18. Web site: Illinois Values Voters Forum: Rep. Joe Walsh, State Rep. Morrison, More. Publiusforum.com. December 4, 2011. April 16, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160601064405/http://www.publiusforum.com/2011/12/04/illinois-values-voters-forum-rep-joe-walsh-state-rep-morrison-more/. June 1, 2016. live.
  19. Web site: The Voter's Self Defense System. Votesmart.org. 2014-11-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20190523182305/https://votesmart.org/. 2019-05-23. live.
  20. Web site: STATE OF ILLINOIS ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY : HOUSE ROLL CALL : SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT 4. Ilga.gov. 31 August 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20181027143036/http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/votehistory/100/house/10000SC0004_05302018_076000.pdf. 27 October 2018. live.
  21. Web site: Two Lawmakers Step Up to Defend Natural Marriage. Illinoisfamily.org. July 24, 2012. February 2, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20181027101320/https://illinoisfamily.org/marriage/two-lawmakers-step-up-to-defend-natural-marriage/. October 27, 2018. live.
  22. Web site: Illinois lawmaker introduces bill to punish doctors for providing health care to trans people. ThinkProgress. 2020-02-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20200119015216/https://thinkprogress.org/illinois-lawmaker-hb-3515-introduce-bill-punish-doctors-providing-health-care-trans-people-e3cfb6b9c501/. 2020-01-19. live.
  23. Web site: Proposed Illinois law would make it illegal for doctors to treat transgender youth. Gwendolyn. Smith. March 19, 2019. LGBTQ Nation. February 2, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20190510215002/https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2019/03/proposed-illinois-law-make-illegal-doctors-treat-transgender-youth/. May 10, 2019. live.
  24. Web site: The Voter's Self Defense System.
  25. Web site: NRA Grades Archive. 14 June 2018.
  26. Web site: 2020-08-27. Morrison To Be Honored During Blood Drive Journal & Topics Media Group. 2020-10-14. Journal Online.
  27. Web site: Home - Palatine Area Chamber of Commerce, IL. 2020-10-14. www.palatinechamber.com.
  28. Web site: Directory Alpha Search: s Rolling Meadows Chamber of Commerce. 2020-10-14. en-US.
  29. Web site: 2017-07-08. Board of Directors & Leadership About WINGS. 2020-10-14. WINGS Program. en-US.
  30. http://www.elections.il.gov/ElectionResultsStateHouseSet3.aspx?ID=VT9e9ADsF2o%3d Election Results: General Primary - 2/2/2010
  31. http://www.elections.il.gov/ElectionResultsStateHouseSet3.aspx?ID=qYSzKHYqrlI%3d Election Results: General Election - 11/2/2010
  32. Web site: Illinois State Board of Elections. Elections.il.gov.
  33. https://www.elections.il.gov/ElectionInformation/VoteTotalsList.aspxElectionType=OcxMFeCn%2f2s%3d&ElectionID=vTUhLdn7S%2bI%3d&SearchType=qSfAwUdk1qOFOZFs8GbBdddK0yLOKECmUkSdD0Lok1c%3d&OfficeID=ImFWRuRZCplWECHWjgTjvg%3d%3d&QueryType=qSfAwUdk1qOEjNYZC1%2bXwQ%3d%3d&
  34. https://www.elections.il.gov/ElectionOperations/ElectionVoteTotals.aspx?ID=JVM3BFfJbYc=&OfficeType=Mzn1hIdK+XutYfUM2d1xMQWHHv805S2j52Zlx9XFpSQ=
  35. Web site: Thomas R. Morrison. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20181109041708/https://ballotpedia.org/Thomas_R._Morrison. 2018-11-09. 2020-02-02. Ballotpedia.
  36. Web site: Error Display.
  37. Web site: 'It's time for me to take a pause': State Rep. Tom Morrison won't seek reelection. 11 January 2022.

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