Illinois State Representative Mike Bost (R-Murphysboro) was outraged after reviewing a recent audit that revealed not all funds collected from the gasoline tax are being used to maintain and improve our roads. The Illinois Auditor General released a report late Tuesday which exposed road fund dollars were used to pay for expenditures other than road projects.

“I am outraged to learn that our state agencies controlled by the Governor chose to raid from the road fund, unfortunately it’s no surprise,” said Rep. Bost. “It began with previous administrations robbing from the pension system to pay the bills, now we find out our state is robbing from the road fund to pay the bills. We have roads to repair, the road fund is to be used for roads.”

The Office of the Auditor General as required by Senate Resolution 788 conducted an audit of money deposited into the Road Fund and its expenditures over a 10 year period. Over a 10 year period dating back from 2002-2011, Road Fund expenditures were $25.1 billion, with 25% ($6.2 billion) of expenditures made by state agencies other than Illinois Department of Transportation. Continue reading »

With 47,000 jobs and $9 billion in new revenue at stake, a group of Illinois lawmakers including Representative Mike Bost (R-Murphysboro) today called for a House vote on bi-partisan legislation to expand fracking in Illinois.

“We are starving in Southern Illinois, we need more jobs,” said Rep. Bost. “I have heard from many of my constituents who say they need a job that pays better than minimum wage. The fracking industry will bring good paying jobs to our region.”

Hydraulic fracturing, more commonly referred to as fracking, is the extraction of natural gas and oil from the earth through horizontal drilling. The extraction technique involves injecting water, sand and chemicals into rock to release the natural gas. Continue reading »

April 30, 2013

State Representative Mike Bost (R-Murphysboro) discusses Hydraulic Fracking during a press conference.

Have you ever witnessed at the grocery store an individual purchasing alcohol or lottery tickets with a link card? I have. Have you ever heard of an individual using a link card as a tool to bail them out of jail? I have, and I confirmed this instance with local law enforcement.

The current welfare system in Illinois is misused and abused. The welfare system is intended to provide assistance to individuals who need it most. Taxpayer funds should not be used to purchase alcohol, lottery tickets, or be used as a get out of jail free card.

In March I introduced House Bill 2784 to prohibit individuals from purchasing items with their link card such as alcohol and lottery tickets under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program . TANF is intended to provide financial assistance to help pay for basic needs such as food, shelter, utilities, and expenses other than medical, however according to DHS a person is free to spend this cash however they feel. Currently a person can retrieve their cash benefits as cash back at a grocery store or by using an ATM. The average TANF cash grant statewide is $242 a month. Continue reading »

Illinois State Representatives Mike Bost (R-Murphysboro) and Dwight Kay (R-Glen Carbon) sent a letter to Governor Quinn regarding the open positions on the Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees. Recent media reports speculate the Governor has reached an agreement on his appointees.

In the letter sent to Governor Quinn, Representatives Bost and Kay stated the following, “We encourage you to consider the welfare of the two campuses and their needs when making new selections for the three open positions. We suggest your selections ideally would be graduates of either campus. However, if this is not the case, we hope you’d consider individuals who have had family members attend SIU Carbondale or Edwardsville. We firmly believe new members of the Board of Trustees would be well-served to have first-hand experiences with these campuses. We respectfully request you strongly consider our request when making your selections for the three open positions on the SIU Board of Trustees.”

On February 27th the Illinois Senate rejected Governor Quinn’s recommended appointees to serve on the SIU Board of Trustees with 23 voting no and 32 voting present. As of today, the Illinois Senate awaits Governor Quinn’s second round of nominees to fill the three vacancies on the SIU Board.

Click here to view Rep. Bost’s letter to Governor Quinn

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has announced local infrastructure improvements in Mt. Vernon that will take place as part of the agency’s multi-year plan, according to State Representative Mike Bost (R-Murphysboro).

“Maintaining and improving the infrastructure is imperative to promote job and economic growth in Mt. Vernon,” said Rep. Bost. “Mt. Vernon serves as a hub for jobs in Southern Illinois. Improving the tri-level interchange, constructing a new railroad and repairing the airport taxiways are crucial to the local economy.”

IDOT’s multi-year plan includes 19 intended road and infrastructure projects for the fiscal years 2014 through 2019 in Mt. Vernon, and three projects will begin at or around July 1, 2013. Continue reading »

The Illinois House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a Constitutional Amendment to eliminate the office of Lt. Governor. State Representative Mike Bost (R-Murphysboro) co-sponsored the Constitutional Amendment.

House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 18 (HJRCA 18) amends the Illinois Constitution by eliminating the office of Lieutenant Governor beginning in 2019. Eliminating the office of Lt. Governor will save Illinois taxpayers $2.2 million. The current salary for the Lt. Governor is $137,200 and total appropriations in Fiscal Year 2012 was $2.1 million.

“Eliminating the office of Lt. Governor is a common sense approach to eliminating unnecessary government,” said Rep. Bost. “This is a step in the right direction to reduce wasteful spending while saving taxpayer dollars.” Continue reading »

Representative Mike Bost visited the Anna Arts Center on Wednesday, March 27. Bost is pictured with the Quilting Bee’s Joan Fischer, Edlin Dillow, Edna Goddard, and Liz Moore. Members of the Quilting Bee’s also include Yvonne Murray and Beth Cerny.