Justin J. Kumar
RepublicanQ1 Illinois currently has 138 data centers, with 8 underway, and plans for 29 more. Additionally, the cost of electricity and water are on the rise with nearby data centers straining current resources in combination with increased energy costs to consumers. Data centers also have several environmental and health impacts, such as significant water usage and noise pollution, which can lead to decrease in net economic gains. What policies, if any, do you support in managing existing data centers or establishing additional data centers? What specific plans do you have, if any, to mitigate utility cost burden for residents? Why these steps?
Existing data centers should be taxed more and new constructions should have more regulations to ensure that the burden passes are not going to consumers. These steps would make a sensible balance between business and consumer needs, while improving environmental concerns.
Q2 Research activities in Illinois heavily depend on federal funding. However, federal funding cuts for science research and agencies like the NIH and National Science Foundation leaves the future for science research less assured. What policies, if any, do you support or plan to implement to secure funding for continued science research at either the state or federal level?
I would pass laws that increase science grant research and encourage private foundations to focus parts of their investments in STEM. On the state level, I would aim to divert funding from social sciences, humanities, and affinity research into STEM programs.
Q3 Illinois is an agricultural hub, making it an important factor for the state’s economy. What policies or plans do you have, or support, to support Illinois agriculture against changing weather patterns?
I would encourage the Federal government to move money into the USDA and EPA from the entitlements and defense appropriations. We should focus more on domestic issues than spending on the wars and needs of other countries. Illinois special interest groups should have lobbyists helping in terms of our state agricultural interests.
Q4 Scientific issues increasingly influence public policy. When developing policy positions or making decisions on topics involving science, how do you seek out information, evaluate scientific evidence and expert input, and ensure your decisions are well informed? If you can, please share an example of when this process influenced your perspective or decision.
I seek out information via periodicals, conversations with experts in their fields, and examining academic journal articles. If I do not understand something, then I will frequently email the auditors and authors of the more complex journals. I used to think that having more hybrid cars would help the environment, so I contacted experts at Brookings Institute and American Enterprise Institute, and later sought a grant to study further at their Joint Center. What I did not consider was that the cost of driving would fall with less gasoline used, which may cause more pollution and road congestion. I also did not fully measure the effects of how tax policies can influence decisions depending on deductions versus credits. I wrote my thesis on this subject, and subsequent researchers are following it in the full examination of CAFE standards as well as electric cars.
Q5 Measles and whooping cough (pertussis) cases are on the rise in Illinois, with multiple outbreaks in 2026. How have you, how do you plan to, address this public health concern? How will you plan to work with relevant stakeholders (epidemiologists, scientists, physicians, for example) to mitigate this problem?
I would encourage more people to be vaccinated. Many areas in which measles and pertussis are coming back are against vaccinations. I am regularly vaccinated overall, and I encourage my friends who have young children to vaccinate. Also, this is an area where more regulations are needed to enforce public health standards. I would encourage more short videos and text message/Instagram/Facebook/X communications from scientists and physicians. People are losing attention spans, so short messaging that is impactful can be very useful.