South Central Reporter

Sen. Jason Plummer (R-Edwardsville) is blasting Illinois Democratic lawmakers for what he feels are the state's failures to its residents.

In a May 31 Facebook post, Plummer pointed out the ways Illinois differs from its neighbors.

"Can anyone identify that outlier right in the middle of the country? What makes us different from our friends and neighbors in Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Kentucky?" Plummer wrote. "Unnecessarily high gas prices, out of control crime, corruption, high taxes, busted budgets, and free feminine hygiene products in boys' school bathrooms, to name a few things, all brought to you by out of touch Democrat majorities. Remember this in November."

As of May 31, AAA reports the national average for a gallon of gas is $4.622. In Illinois, the average price of a gallon of gas is $5.001.

Plummer also touched on crime rates in his Facebook post. According to the State of Safety Report from Safewise, Illinois, Illinois' violent crime rate was at 4.3 incidents per 1,000, compared to 4.0 nationwide. Property crimes, however, were below the rest of the U.S., at 15.6 incidents per 1,000 people. The national rate for property crimes is 19.6 per 1,000.

Last May, the Illinois House passed a bill requiring that feminine hygiene products be available in public restrooms for males and females in grades 4-12, according to NPR Illinois.