Sonia Anne Khalil: Illinois House 36th District Candidate

PALOS HILLS, IL — Sonia Anne Khalil is seeking the Democratic nomination for the Illinois State House 36th District in the upcoming primary on March 19. She is facing another opponent for the seat currently represented by retiring Rep. Kelly Burke.

The 36th District includes all or parts of Palos Hills, Palos Park, Palos Heights, Oak LAwn, Chicago Ridge, Worth, Evergreen Park, and Chicago’s Beverly, Wrightwood and Mount Greenwood neighborhoods.

Name: Sonia Anne Khalil

Town of Residence: Palos Hills

Position sought: Illinois State Representative 36th District

Party Affiliation: Democratic

Family: I am proud of my Palestinian-Italian heritage. I am an only child and I am very close with my cousins whom I consider my siblings.

Education: Attended Moraine Valley Community College and Miami Dade College Certification in Human Resources from DePaul University

Occupation: Administrative Services Coordinator, City of Markham, 2020 - Present

Previous or current elected or appointed office: n/a

Campaign website: SoniaForUs.com

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Healthcare quality and access to quality healthcare is one of the most pressing problems in the 36th district.

Many residents in my district struggle with affordable and accessible healthcare. Many people, including seniors, are confronted with high prescription drug costs, insurance instability, and medical debt. I believe that no one who gets sick should have to choose between paying for their treatment, a mortgage payment, or a utility bill. As a cancer survivor, I know first hand how terrifying it can be to worry about paying for the treatment that may save your life, while still worrying about all the other necessities. I will work to improve health outcomes in the state and work with insurance providers, hospital systems, nurses, and patients to get to the root causes of inequity in the system.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I’m a life-long defender of a woman’s right to choose, and my opponent is not. Protecting women’s reproductive rights is more important than ever now that we don’t have federal protections. I’m the only candidate who has always been pro-choice. We cannot risk electing someone who would vote with extremists.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)? n/a

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

If elected, I will focus on healthcare that is accessible and affordable, because healthcare should be a right and not a privilege. I am driven to lower property taxes by ensuring that big corporations pay their fair share. I will fight to lower the cost of prescription drugs and other forms of price gouging by corporations. I support investment in technical and vocational education. Illinois can and should be a leader in training the next generation with the skills they will need, and has the potential to create thousands of well-paid union jobs.

If you gain this position, what accomplishment would define your term in office as a success?

Passing legislation that will lower prescription drug costs.

Why are you running for office?

I am a lifelong resident of the district and I’m running to give back to the community that gave me so much. I attended local schools, including Moraine Valley Community College. As the daughter of a nurse and a cancer survivor, I know from experience the need for affordable, quality healthcare and lower drug prices. I will fight for a Prescription Drug Affordability Board in Illinois. I also understand the economic hardships of middle class families and will fight for property tax relief.

What questions should be asked of current government employees accountable to your board? n/a

Explain your attitudes toward fiscal policy, government spending and how taxpayer dollars should be handled by your office (or board)?

The SAFE-T Act has only been in effect for a few months, so I will be looking closely at the data to continue to evaluate its efficacy. However, it is clear that fear mongering about dangerous criminals being free to run rampant and create a crime wave were just baseless scare tactics.

Should the state stiffen gun laws?

Yes. I strongly support the passage of Karina’s bill. Women are five times more likely to be murdered when their abuser has access to a firearm, and we see this play out all too often throughout Illinois. Including just last month in Tinley Park where police say a man shot and killed his wife and three daughters in a “domestic-related” incident and in Joliet where police found seven victims of a deadly mass shooting who were all believed to be related to the shooter. Although Illinois has made progress toward gun violence protection, we’re surrounded by states where access to guns runs rampant. Illinois must pass legislation to address the issue of stolen guns illegally making their way into our state.

Are there any state laws that you don’t think are constitutional and shouldn’t be enforced?

I believe our judicial system is equipped to review arguments about any law’s constitutionality.

Do you think state taxpayer money should be provided to ease the migrant crisis and burden on Chicago?

We must be compassionate to those seeking to live and work here to support their families, while recognizing that local and state resources alone cannot address this challenge. We must push our federal leaders to bring resources to Illinois so that we can live up to our values. What we’re seeing play out is a consequence of a broken immigration system and federal gridlock, putting unsustainable financial pressures on states, counties and municipalities.

How do you feel about school funding? Do you think school funding is fairly distributed?

We need to fix the way we fund education. The evidence-based school funding formula was an important step in the right direction, but there’s so much more to do. The state needs to contribute more to public schools so that we are less reliant on property taxes to fund our schools. I support further investment in the evidence-based funding formula to ensure our schools receive full funding as quickly as possible, which will also provide much-needed property tax relief to families.

Illinois now has a law that penalizes public libraries for banning books for “partisan or doctrinal” reasons — do you agree with the law? Should a school district be allowed to ban books in certain instances, such as books seen as pornographic? Is the mere mention of LGBTQ topics considered pornographic?

Yes, I agree with the law and do not support book banning. I believe we should allow librarians to make judgments about which books are available in public or school libraries.

What should be done to reduce the state’s $140 billion in pension liabilities?

First, a pension is a promise. I do not support any initiative to shortchange our pensioners. Thanks to Gov. Pritzker, we are on a much better path in reducing our pension liabilities. As a legislator, I would not support taking any pension holidays–that is one of the primary mistakes previous legislators made. I also support budgeting to pay down more than the required amount minimum of our liability.

What would you do to help constituents struggling with the ever-increasing cost of living?

I would vote for Gov. Pritzker’s repeal of the grocery tax. I will fight to lower the cost of prescription drugs, and I will work to lower our property taxes. We have high property taxes partly because wealthy corporations have learned how to game the system to pay less and make homeowners pay more. We need to reform the property tax system to ensure the wealthy are paying their fair share. We also need to invest in education as a state in order to prevent further increases in property taxes by school districts. Seniors–who are getting hit hard by rising property taxes–can’t and shouldn’t be called on to pay more while multi-millionaires use their wealth to get huge tax cuts. It’s as simple as that.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

A state representative must be an ethical and responsible fiscal steward, and voters can trust me to always put the interests of 36th District families first.