State lawmakers on party lines have approved a more than $42-billion state budget for the new fiscal year.
Democrats who control both the house and senate pushed through the budget right at midnight to avoid an overtime session that would have required a two-thirds majority for approval.
One of the chief budgeteers Democratic Representative Greg Harris says the budget is a good step forward after a year when worrying about revenues left many wondering how bleak the budget would have to be. He reports it allocates needed dollars to K-12 education and it won’t cut back on what local governments receive from the state.
“There are no tax increases in this budget. We pay down $2 billion dollars of debt and we pay our inter-fund borrowing. We fully fund the evidence-based model in this budget.”
Harris says the budget ends some corporate tax breaks and uses two and a half-billion dollars in federal American Rescue Plan Funding for infrastructure and economic recovery programs.
House GOP Leader Jim Durkin noted the budget was not brought to the floor of the house until 11:49 and was voted on seven minutes later. He says the budget spends too much and doesn’t do enough to get Illinois back on track.
“I think it’s pretty obvious that people are not calling Illinois their home anymore. They are leaving our state, that’s clear. And once again this budget, and frankly this session, have stolen my optimism and the hope that so many Illinoisans for a new day in Springfield.”
Durkin notes the Democrats voted for a pay raise for the state legislators, doubled their district office allotment, and awarded themselves about $1 billion in member initiative money which they can hand out in their Democrat districts.
Governor Pritzker is expected to sign the budget into law. It will take effect on July 1st.
