By Illinois Review
A 2024 vote by Illinois State Representative Norine Hammond is resurfacing – and conservative voters are furious.
Hammond, the Republican Deputy Minority Leader of the Illinois House, quietly sided with Democrats last year to pass Senate Bill 3597 – now known as Public Act 103-1023 – a measure critics say could lead to higher property taxes for families across Illinois.
The bill, signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker on August 9, 2024, authorizes local governments to take out taxpayer-backed loans from the so-called Illinois Climate Bank to purchase land and property rights for “clean energy infrastructure projects.”
At the time, Hammond’s vote barely made headlines. But her recent controversies are now putting a microscope on her record and campaign. Voters who once trusted her conservative credentials are beginning to question her judgment – especially as a pattern emerges of siding with Democrats on major legislation that expands government control, increases spending, and threatens taxpayers.
Even House Republican Leader Tony McCombie, who herself voted with Democrats to expand transgender patient rights, voted against SB3597, recognizing the financial burden it could impose on Illinois taxpayers.
The Illinois Climate Bank, created under Pritzker’s sweeping 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), is a taxpayer-funded “green bank” administered by the Illinois Finance Authority. It was established to finance renewable energy, electric vehicle infrastructure, and other “climate-friendly” projects.
Critics say it’s become a political slush fund for Pritzker’s progressive environmental agenda – one that prioritizes ideology over affordability.
SB3597 allows municipalities to use Climate Bank loans to buy real estate, acquire property rights, and finance new construction – all under the banner of “clean energy.” But fiscal watchdogs warn that the law’s vague language gives bureaucrats virtually unlimited leeway to borrow money for speculative projects, leaving local homeowners on the hook when the debt comes due.
Illinois already has some of the highest property taxes in the nation, and homeowners are still recovering from inflation and rising energy costs. Yet Hammond – representing a district where over 70 percent of voters supported Donald Trump – voted with Democrats to expand local debt and feed Pritzker’s climate spending machine.
Now Hammond’s votes are under the microscope, and her support for SB3597 is being viewed as part of a troubling trend – a Republican lawmaker acting more like a Democrat in Springfield.
But this resurfaced vote is only the latest in a series of controversies surrounding Hammond’s political career. Earlier this week, she faced backlash from conservative voters after revelations that her campaign accepted donations from liberal political groups – including those that support abortion expansion and transgender medical policies.
She also drew fire for voting with Democrats in 2023 to expand transgender patient rights, a move that infuriated her conservative base.
Hammond was later pulled into the fallout of the so-called “PillowGate” scandal, after reports surfaced that McCombie – whom Hammond personally nominated for Speaker – authorized taxpayer-funded payments benefiting a business owned by Hammond’s husband.
And on Friday, Hammond was hit with yet another controversy when a complaint was filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections, accusing her of misusing campaign funds by repeatedly writing herself checks totaling tens of thousands of dollars labeled only as “non-itemized reimbursements.”
For many in her deep-red district, Hammond’s record has become a symbol of Republican hypocrisy – campaigning as a conservative but governing like a Democrat.
With Hammond facing growing scrutiny over her record, SB3597 has become more than just another climate bill – it’s a symbol of a deeper problem in Springfield: politicians who preach conservative values at home but vote against them once elected.
