Lake County Gazette

State Sen. Craig Wilcox (R-McHenry) is critical of the budget produced by the Democrat supermajority in the General Assembly and Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

"At the end of the day, this budget fails the people of Illinois,” Wilcox said on Facebook. “We had a real opportunity to produce a budget that addressed important issues, like crime, inflation, care for vulnerable citizens, and scholarships that lift up kids in failing schools. Instead, as always, the majority party pushed their own priorities and their own pet projects at the expense of Illinois families.”

Wilcox posted the entire statement to his website.

“This budget is out of touch with the issues that are most important to everyday Illinoisans,” Wilcox continued. “We’re spending hundreds of millions on programs for non-citizens, while still coming up short in taking care of vulnerable Illinois citizens. Rather than spending over $100 million on welcome centers for undocumented immigrants and over a half billion for free health care for those in this country illegally, I would have liked that money channeled toward ensuring those who care for the developmentally disabled were earning a respectable wage and toward job incentives to create jobs and grow the state’s economy. The Democrats’ misplaced priorities were on full display these last few days as they bickered back and forth over the allocation of budget funds. Lost in the entire conversation were the ordinary Illinois families who pay the taxes that fund this budget. These folks are just trying to make a decent living, place their kids in good schools, and raise their families in safe neighborhoods.”

The $50.1 billion budget received no Republican support. Three Democrats also voted against the bill on a 73-38 vote. The vote in the Senate was 34-22.

The budget heavily invested in education, which both Pritzker and House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) boasted of after the budget’s passage.

Legislators boosted their pay by $4,675 per year for the second time this year. In January legislators raised their own pay by $13,000.  

“Illinois’ budgeting process is broken. The fact that no one beyond a select group of lawmakers – let alone anyone from the public – had even seen this 3,000-plus page document prior to a few days ago underscores just how very flawed this process continues to be,” Illinois Policy said in a report on the budget.

Illinois Policy reports the budget includes an immediate $317 million deficit and also shorts public pensions by $4 billion.

“While Gov. J.B. Pritzker has touted his administration’s handling of the state’s pension crisis – including making $200 million in additional pension contributions in the 2024 budget – state budgets continue to shortchange pensions by billions of dollars annually. The effects of year after year of paying in too little has resulted in massive growth in pension debt, which now stands at $140 billion, according to state estimates,” Illinois Policy reports.

“It is likely much worse: independent estimates put the figure at more than $300 billion, using assumptions that are more realistic than the state’s optimistic projections.  Refusal among elected leaders to consider constitutional pension reform or make full, actuarially determined contributions leaves the current budget inherently unbalanced and jeopardizes the ability of future budgets to deliver core services to Illinoisans.”

The budget provides for $50 million to replace the Stratton Building which hosts legislator offices, committee meetings and other governmental functions.