State Rep. Jason Bunting, R-Emington and State Sen. Chris Balkema, R-Channahon, spoke Tuesday morning at the Streator Area Chamber of Commerce’s legislative breakfast at Evergreen Senior Living, addressing and providing updates on state issues and upcoming legislative priorities.

Bunting, who represents the 106th District, started by outlining the number of bills considered during the recent spring session in Springfield, with over 6,700 drafted and 428 passed, including the $55.2 billion state budget approved in May.

He said the budget has grown by about $16 billion over the past seven years and warned that ongoing disputes between Governor J.B. Pritzker and President Donald Trump could affect federal funding to Illinois.

He also highlighted priorities for the fall veto session, including potential legislation related to transit, energy and federal funding, and said economic development, affordable housing and lowering the cost of living remain key concerns in his district.

Balkema, who represents the 53rd Senate District, encouraged greater civic engagement at the local level and said Illinois has opportunities to expand manufacturing and energy production.

He said he hopes to help make the state more attractive for business investment and wants to keep young residents from leaving.

Balkema also took time to speak on how he views the current polarizing state of politics in the country, emphasizing that there needs to be more communication between both parties.

“There’s a whole group of us in the middle who just want to connect and build bridges wherever possible,” Balkema said. “The 10-15% of extremists in both parties aren’t allowing that open communication. We can disagree without being disagreeable.”

Specifically, Balkema said working together to grow the economy should be a priority for everyone.

“When Gov. Pritzker announced his re-election campaign, he said we need to prioritize growing large and small businesses,” Balkema said. “I told my communications team, ‘I agree with him.’ They said, ‘That’s not a good idea,’ but you know what? I think we should all want to grow businesses - that’s how we bridge the gap and move our state forward.”

U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Dunlap, was scheduled to participate but did not attend because of the ongoing federal government shutdown.