Gov. J.B. Pritzker delivers his State of the State and budget address before the General Assembly at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield on Feb. 21, 2024. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/pool)
By OLIVIA OLANDER, JEREMY GORNER, DAN PETRELLA, and OLIVIA STEVENS | Chicago Tribune
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois Senate Democrats on Sunday approved a $53.1 billion state spending plan, keeping much of fellow Democrat Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s original proposal in place but boosting expected spending by $400 million while also giving themselves, House representatives and many top state officials a 5% bump in pay.
The Senate worked through most of Memorial Day weekend to resolve differences among the Democratic majorities in both legislative chambers before voting 38-21, largely along party lines, to approve a plan that includes some cuts to the governor’s proposal but is undergirded by almost $750 million in tax hikes.
Amid Democratic squabbling, lawmakers blew past a self-imposed Friday deadline to pass a spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1. The Illinois House went home Saturday night with plans to return after the holiday weekend.
With the Senate not planning to return to Springfield until fall, the path ahead will test the unity of the Democratic Party that has full control of state government as the House, led by Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch of Hillside, needs to sign off on all pieces of the budget package without changes in order for them to land on Pritzker’s desk.
“I’m confident the House will be able to pass this budget the way the Senate passed it,” Senate President Don Harmon of Oak Park, who called the budget “a doozy,” said late Sunday. “The governor, the speaker and I agreed that was our path forward. I have no lack of faith in the House’s ability to do it.”
Republicans, who are outnumbered 40-19 in the Senate and lack any significant leverage to influence state spending decisions, argued the Democrats’ plan — particularly items related to the ongoing migrant crisis — ignores important priorities in favor of catering to Pritzker’s political aspirations.
“While this budget is undeniably complicated, the message the governor is sending with it could not be more clear. He’s raising taxes on the people of Illinois, who are already struggling to afford basic needs, and the many job creators fighting hard to keep people employed to pay for the migrant crisis that he has created,” said Senate GOP leader John Curran of Downers Grove. “Unfortunately for Illinois taxpayers, Gov. Pritzker’s political ambitions to position himself on the national stage as the country’s most progressive governor has far (exceeded) state tax revenues.”
Two Democrats, Sens. Suzy Glowiak Hilton of Western Springs and Patrick Joyce of Reddick, joined all 19 Republicans in voting against the budget. In a brief interview, Joyce said he wanted “to keep our spending in check” and also would have liked to have seen more investments that would ease the property tax burden.
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