Heartland Politics with Robin Johnson

Rep. Swanson: Higher Taxes, More Spending, Smoke and Mirrors Highlight New Illinois Budget

By Robin Johnson

Published June 19, 2025 at 11:02 PM CDT

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State Rep. Dan Swanson (R-Woodhull) discusses the recently concluded
legislative session, how the 4,000+ page budget was presented a day
before the deadline for voting, education issues, lack of ethics reform
legislation, and the story of how he was named chair of the Illinois
House Veterans Affairs Committee despite being in the minority party.
Swanson represents the 71st House district which runs from Rock Island
County down to McDonough County.

Heartland Politics with Robin Johnson

Robin Johnson

Robin A. Johnson is a governmental relations, public policy and political consultant. He is an expert on government reform issues and has consulted with numerous local governments on consolidation/merger, public-private partnerships and full-cost accounting of public services. Robin has also helped candidates win elections for the U.S. Senate, U.S. Congress, state legislature, judiciary and local government. Robin served as a consultant to the Office of Statewide Performance Review in the Illinois Governor’s Office and is former director of the Illinois Center for Competitive Government, a partnership between the Illinois Comptroller’s Office and the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs at Western Illinois University. Prior to that, he was Director of the Local Government Affairs Division of the Illinois Comptroller’s Office. Robin served on the Board of Directors of the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships (NCPPP) in 1999-2000.

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