Kitchen table issues. These are issues that I sat watching my mom at the kitchen table with all her bills laid out on the kitchen table and she's trying to figure out what she's going to cut in order to pay those bills. That's what the state of Illinois should be doing. Figure out what you're going to cut, figure out where the waste is, get an independent audit, get some checks and balances and figure out how to balance the budget without taxing Illinois working families so that they can't survive or so they have to leave the state of Illinois. Get so that young people can stay in Illinois, that they can find jobs in Illinois, they can find housing in Illinois. Keep the red tape off of small businesses. Let them thrive. They're providing jobs. And make sure that we are making our communities safer by working with law enforcement, supporting law enforcement, so that we can hold criminals accountable. Those are my initiatives and I'm going to continue to fight for those because they're personal for me. Americans are capable of achieving extraordinary things when they have the freedom and opportunity to do so. This is American Potential. Hi everyone and welcome to American Potential Podcast. I'm your host, David Fromm. For some people, they know what they want to work in, that they want to work in politics. So they go to school, they graduate and they can get to work. others, their journey's a little different. You know, kind of like our guest today. She started her career as a prosecutor, then started a charity to help kids, and then found herself serving in her local community. But what's unique about her story is that it reflects something we talk about on the podcast, that in a free society, everyday citizens who choose to get involved can really make a difference. And today, our guest continues that commitment in the Illinois State Senate, working to make her community and her state stronger. I want to welcome to the podcast, Illinois State Senator Darby Hills. Senator, welcome. Thank you so much, David. Thank you for having me. Thanks. Well, you know, as you know, and as our listeners probably know, I'm a resident of the state of Illinois, so I really appreciate your service, often in a difficult environment. I know you've recently come to the Senate and I know have been doing some great stuff as our team and our AFP team in Illinois has worked alongside you, and we've appreciated that partnership. But I appreciate personally your willingness to fight the good fight in Illinois. Absolutely. Well, it certainly is a fight indeed, David. Being one of 19 Republican senators in the state of Illinois, while they have 40 on the other side of the aisle, you can imagine that it is truly a fight every single day in Springfield. I just got back late last night and we've been fighting in committee. We've been shining the light on what they're trying to do. We just saw the governor's state of the state budget address that he just rolled out. And, you know, we're seeing 40 percent spending up in the state of Illinois. And as I've mentioned, you know, none of us are making more money. We're not getting anything more for this, but we're spending and we're continuing to spend. As I always say, Illinois doesn't have a revenue problem. It has a spending problem. So it is definitely a challenge. Yeah, I mean, that's totally the truth. I mean, you look at the growth in spending year over year since Governor Pritzker came into office, and it is alarming and unsustainable. It's no wonder that, you know, Illinois residents have the highest local and state tax burden in the nation. Absolutely. And we're seeing the highest real estate taxes, gas, tolls, everything that you can possibly tax the Illinois working families is what the Democrats are doing. And it just continues to roll out a budget that just is unsustainable. So I want to kind of go back in your history because I'm really interested in how you came to serve in the Senate. Maybe talk to me about like what was like growing up and, you know, how did that shape what you're doing now? So I grew up in Cary, Illinois, which is just a couple of towns northwest of where I live right now in Barrington. And I was raised by a single mom. My mom worked two jobs. She was a substitute teacher and she worked as a customer service agent at United Airlines. She worked two jobs to take care of my brother and I, put food on the table. She worked overtime shifts. She would work into the night, wake up the next day, go to work. She never complained. And she taught me and she taught my brother that if you don't like the way something is going, you don't sit on the sidelines and complain. You roll your sleeves up and you get to work. And that's something that I've carried through my entire life. I put myself through college. I put myself through law school. And I've carried that into my career as a Cook County prosecutor. I also did labor and employment on the management side. I took it into my work starting a non-for-profit. 15 years we've been running Barrington Children's Charities, an all-volunteer essential needs charity. We feed 550 kids. They get breakfast and lunch with the government. We pack bags, our whole community does, and bring it to the schools. They take it home on the weekends so that they can come back to school fed and ready to learn. We also have mobile dental units that go into the underserved communities. We have mental health services, eyeglasses, anything that's there to help these children be able to be successful learners. I myself grew up in a working class family, so I know what those children are dealing with on a daily basis. I know what the parents are dealing with, and I want to pay it forward, which is why I've been doing that for 15 years as a volunteer. I also serve, just stepped down from the village board for my community, where I've been fighting for transparency and making sure that government's working for the people and not the other way around. So public service is at the heart of who I am and something that I've been doing my whole life And so this role I didn go looking for it but I am honored and privileged to represent the people of the 26th District and to make sure that these morals and values and hard work and grit are values that I carry to the state Senate every single day So going back, what made you want to be a lawyer and then want to be a prosecutor? Because I mean, obviously someone who's a lawyer can go a lot of different directions. And what made you choose that direction? So it's interesting because I was just talking to you. I have three kids. I have a daughter that's a junior in college. She's a student athlete at Villanova, and I have two high school boys. And none of them really know exactly what they want to do. But I always knew I wanted to be a lawyer. I always wanted to be the voice for victims, for those most vulnerable. It's just something that was instilled in me. I felt that children didn't have a voice. and I watched my mom struggle with a lot of things and be able to even navigate some of the court systems for child support. So it was something that I knew I wanted to do. And so there was no doubt in my mind that I was going to be a lawyer. Once I got to law school, I was a member of the trial ad team and just I loved being in a courtroom. I loved being able to be able to advocate on both sides. And I did have that experience for different, either the victim or the actually the defense in some cases. So I really enjoyed all of that. But I worked as a prosecutor with my 7-Eleven in law school, and I just was hooked. I knew that I cared about law and order, and I cared about making sure I'm standing up for victims. I worked under Dick Devine. I was a state's attorney when we prosecuted criminals and when we held them accountable. So I worked in a very different prosecutor's office than you've seen so far and more recently since the Safety Act. Well, and a lot of folks who are listening from around the country may not know that, I mean, Cook County, where you were a prosecutor, is where Chicago is. It's massive. You know, what was it, five, six million people? And obviously all the crime problems that you see in any very large county around the country. And so that is not for the faint of heart, working in the Cook County State's Attorney's Office in prosecuting cases. So how did that experience shape your point of view on society and the world and then eventually carrying forward into politics? So I'm very passionate, as I said, about being the voice for those most vulnerable. And I saw firsthand how the victims were not supported. And I knew that we needed to be able to build the cases, work with law enforcement so that we can actually see justice served. And this is something that has been something I've carried into the Senate. If you look at a lot of my legislation, in fact, I have a hearing next week on a piece of legislation that I'm very proud of and hoping to get across the finish line. It is to it's based off of a case in Chicago. A teacher and public trust person of public trust was videotaping children in a bathroom, including a child with disabilities, for sexual purposes. And if you can believe this was not treated as a sex crime, and that teacher did not have to register as a sex offender, he then went on to hurt more children. So this bill is going to make the act of videotaping children for sexual purposes a sex crime and make sure they have to register as a sex offender. I got it out of the committee. I got it on the Senate floor. I couldn't get it called because the ACLU is against it because they don't want any labeling of any criminals. I spoke with ACLU on it. They said, we don't want to have people feel like they are labeled. And I said, then tell them not to hurt children. So these are the kinds of things that I am passionate about. And I'm carrying into my current work, current legislation, making sure I have a bill to make an annual report from DCFS to come to the General Assembly to tell us where the 193 children are missing. If you can believe it in our system, in DCFS, there are at least 193 children that are missing. Are they being trafficked? Where are they? So I have bills like that that stem from my experience as a prosecutor and being able to fight for the victim. So, well, I hope that work is really successful. I mean, it just seems kind of commonsensical. Sure does. I mean, that's, I hate that you have to do a bill like that, but it's kind of where we're at. Um, so I love this theme that, you know, of, of being passionate about standing up for the victim and giving a voice to people who might not have a voice. Um, I'm sure it's part of one of the reasons why you started a charity and like your life experience growing up in a, um, in a, in a middle-class home or working class home with a single mom. And how did you take that step to start a charity that was going to help kids? So my husband and I moved out to the suburbs, and I was looking to get more involved. I was a mom of three, and I wanted to see how I can help my community. And I was looking for an organization that was helping children that are more impoverished, living below the poverty level. And I know you think Farrington, Northwest suburbs, there's no need here. But as I mentioned, 550 kids we feed every single week. So I was doing a little bit of research, talking to schools, talking to counselors, talking to law enforcement and finding out that there were these this need. So I looked at my husband and I said, I want to make a difference. I want to help these kids. And he said, start a not-for-profit, which is easier said than done. But I did. And we got our 5013 status We started a board We had two fundraisers a year and I never thought it would be growing to be doing this still 15 years later And what I really love about it is seeing the community come together every Thursday morning Older people all the way down to new moms with their baby and their baby Bjorn. And they're packing the bags. I have corporate sponsors. I have all different team building throughout the district. and they're packing the bags and they get to help children and families and also feel really good about what they're doing. So, you know, it's just something, it's a labor of love for me. I certainly didn't expect that it would be growing as far. I started with one school. Our first school was Sunny Hill Elementary School in Carpentersville. That school is about 99% get federal free and reduced lunches. And we started there. And then I had families from throughout the district say, well, we have that need as well. Could you expand? So, you know, of course, that's fundraising. And of course, we've tripled our costs. It's about $350,000 a year to run the program. And again, all volunteers. So this is something I'm really proud of. And, you know, it's something that it's bipartisan. I mean, we have people from both sides of the aisle there and all doing great work in the private sector doing it. It doesn't have to be government. It could be in the private sector doing the right thing for the community. And then, so then from there you ran for trustee in local office. What did you learn in that experience? So I actually was appointed my first time around and then I did run on a pose to hold the seat, I learned about local government. I learned about how important it is to make sure that the community understands where the money's going and how to actually live within a budget. I think the state of Illinois could learn a lot from the village of Barrington Hills. You need to live within your budget and have to be accountable to your taxpayers. So that's something that, you know, fiscally conservative is a big thing for me. I believe that I had to grow up living within a budget. My mom had to grow up living within the budget. The state of Illinois can't just have an open checkbook and just keep funding all of these programs and not be held accountable. And, you know, with a super majority party in Springfield, that's exactly what they're trying to do. So I'm interested in, you know, you decide to go to law school, you work and decide to become a prosecutor, you decided to start a charity, decided to run for local office. Did you, how much of this did you want to do from the beginning? And how much of it was you just kind of saying, hey, look, this is what's in front of me. This is the challenge, or this is where my heart's leading me. I'm going to see if I can kind of take this leap and kind of take these different opportunities, which ultimately led you now to the state Senate. Like, how did that process go for you? I never saw myself as a politician. It was never in my goals per se. As I mentioned, I always wanted to be serving the people. And that's something that I've continued to do throughout my whole life. And that's something that I've just followed my heart. But life is about pivoting, right? You know, certain things in your life appear and you have that opportunity to step into a role to make a difference. And that's exactly what I did with the state senate position. You know, I didn't go looking for it. It wasn't something that was on my radar. But when I was approached with the opportunity, I knew that I could use this platform to make an even bigger difference and be able to serve more people. So I was honored to do it. And I've been, you know, I didn't go to Springfield to sit on the sidelines. I've been working hard, making sure my voice is heard, sponsoring legislation, and representing the people that I am so honored to represent in the 26th district. So Illinois, from a group that believes in fiscal responsibility and low taxes and more freedom, Illinois is not exactly well aligned to that, the Illinois legislature. But I know, obviously, I've worked with Illinois a long time, that there's maybe not a majority of people, there's a large number of people in the state of Illinois who do want more freedom and more liberty and want to keep more of their money and they want government to live within their means. Unfortunately, our legislature is not reflective of that. And a lot of the policies that come out of that are not reflective of that. What were your impressions, you know, kind of being a newcomer to the state Senate and bringing that perspective of fiscal responsibility that you learned the local government? What was your impression of Illinois state government and the legislature? And then what are you passionate about moving forward as a senator? David, I was shocked at the lack of transparency, the amount of discussions behind closed doors, the calling of bills and voting on bills at four in the morning on Halloween that affect everyday families. This is something the public should be able to not only know about, but participate in. These types of situations were shocking to me. I had no idea. And I am very, very passionate about being the voice for all of you in Springfield and yelling it from the rooftops, making these legislators go on the record and committee and tell the Illinois residents what they are doing with their money, their families, their businesses, because it is shocking to see some of the even demonic things that are going on in Springfield And you know being somebody new I couldn believe that that was The way things are done I mean we there all week and then they dropped the largest budget in state history on our desks with less than 24 hours to review it And then we have to vote on it at 4 in the morning. This is not normal, and it's not okay. So that is something that I had no idea. That's not something I saw at a local level. I don't think the vast majority of people even know that that's how it goes. That's how it's happening. But it is. And we're talking about real bills. We're talking about not just the budget, but we're talking about voting on legislation for end of life. You know, legislation to end someone's life. And we're voting on this in two in the morning. It's. It's shocking. and I'm going to continue to be a loud voice and shine the light on what they're trying to do. Well, I'm glad you are because, you know, I first ever got involved in Illinois politics to kind of watch the legislature function. And, you know, it's in this beautiful building. There's great chambers. You'd like think, wow, this is really a historical, great opportunity. It should run according to good rules. Not at all. I mean, the fact that even if they have rules about like the number of days a bill has to be read so that people can review it. They just waive them just because, you know, or. Right. We're reading, David. It's unbelievable. And it's it's just well, it's unconstitutional for one. And it's it's it's it's what's happening. And that's what the super majority party is doing. And they're and they're going more left every single day. I'm running in November. My opponent is far left, 26 years old. She's serving in the house. She's never held a job other than being a politician. It's unbelievable what's going on in the state of Illinois. And I'm going to fight, as I always tell everyone, this is a great state. We live, we could be the gem of the Midwest. We have an international airport. We have hardworking people. We have good water. We have good farmland. We have great small businesses, but we have bad politics coming out of Springfield. And we just need the right leadership to turn the whole thing around. That's exactly it. I've always said, but for bad policy passed by, you know, what I'd say are bad politicians, Illinois will be and should be the economic engine in the Midwest and really the heartland. And there's so much going for it. There's so many great folks to living in it, myself included. But there really are. And but but for the bad policies that that get passed. And so I think we can change some of those dynamics, change some of the leadership, get people involved, make sure that there's transparency. I think that there's an opportunity for people to look at that and then go, wait a minute, what am I getting here? This is because at some point, you know, you really do get a point of no return. And that's a really bad spot to be in. So I got I got one one final question for you. But so, you know, you were a girl growing up in Cary with a single mom who's working really hard to support her family. What is that? What is that experience? How does that inform you as a leader in the state Senate fighting for your district? So, David, this this is personal for me because I've lived it. When I talk to working families every single day throughout the district, I know what they're feeling. I know they need stability. I know they're living paycheck to paycheck. And they need someone to stand up for them. They need someone to share those experiences with the legislators so they understand the ramifications of what they're trying to do to families. This is something that I'm passionate about because I lived it. So, you know, I'm about making sure that things are affordable. Kitchen table issues. These are issues that I sat watching my mom at the kitchen table with all her bills laid out on the kitchen table. And she's trying to figure out what she's going to cut in order to pay those bills. That's what the state of Illinois should be doing. Figure out what you're going to cut. Figure out where the waste is. Get an independent audit. Get some checks and balances and figure out how to balance the budget without taxing Illinois working families so that they can't survive or so they have to leave the state of Illinois. Get so that young people can stay in Illinois, that they can find jobs in Illinois, they can find housing in Illinois. Keep the red tape off of small businesses. Let them thrive. They're providing jobs. and make sure that we are making our communities safer by working with law enforcement, supporting law enforcement so that we can hold criminals accountable. Those are my initiatives and I'm going to continue to fight for those because they're personal for me. That's great. Well, Senator Darby Hills, I'm really glad that we have you fighting for us in the Illinois Senate. I know that other of our like-minded folks really agree with that too. So I appreciate the hard work that you're doing. Thank you so much. and I appreciate the opportunity to be on and I'll be fighting for you. I'll be in Springfield on Tuesday, as I said, and my bill will be called for hearing and I'm gonna continue to push through common sense legislation that helps the families that I represent. That's great. Well, thanks. Keep doing the Lord's work. Thank you, David. Thanks. Hey folks, if you liked this episode and would like to stay connected with the podcast, be sure to like and subscribe to our channel as well as following us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. And always remember, liberty and freedom are reason to take it for granted. Don't take it for granted. Go out there and defend freedom and liberty. Thanks for joining us. We'll see you on the next episode. Thank you for listening to American Potential. You may listen to more stories from Americans working every day to expand freedom and opportunity
