Lake County Gazette

State Rep. Martin McLaughlin (R-Barrington Hills) expressed outrage at the legislator pay raises included in the $50.4 billion budget signed June 8, emphasizing that being a legislator is a part-time job. 

He apologized to taxpayers for the lack of transparency in passing the pay raise and highlighted the stark contrast in salaries, noting that lawmakers in neighboring Iowa and Indiana earn closer to $25,000 a year. 

“This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen,” McLaughlin said, according to Advantage News. “I want to apologize to the taxpayer. I actually went out last year and thanked and apologized and asked were you aware that we passed a pay raise at 11 o’clock at night on a Thursday. They were shocked.” 

Concerns have been raised regarding the constitutionality of the pay raise. Pritzker has been traveling throughout the state to promote increased taxpayer funding for education, infrastructure and new initiatives such as early childhood education and programs addressing homelessness and areas lacking grocery access. During a stop in Quincy, the governor defended the pay increase for legislators, acknowledging that the 17% raise implemented last year may seem substantial but was partly due to previous pay freezes, according to The Center Square. The decision to sign the budget and support the pay raise has generated debate and skepticism, with critics questioning the legality of the increase. The controversy surrounding the pay raise for lawmakers highlights concerns about government spending and transparency, leading to ongoing discussions and scrutiny of the budget's provisions.

The Illinois budget includes allocations for various purposes, including addressing the state's underfunded pension, funding summer youth jobs and supporting Chicago's migrant assistance efforts, albeit not to the extent desired by the city. Pritzker exercised a reduction veto, his second in five years, to rectify an "inadvertent" mistake made by lawmakers who voted for a 5.5 percent raise for themselves, exceeding the 5% maximum allowed by state law. The adjustment reduces legislative salaries to $89,250 starting July 1, instead of the initially proposed $89,675, Politico reported. The budget also does not include renewed funding for the Invest in Kids scholarship program, which provides financial assistance to low-income and working-class families to afford non-public schools, thus omitting the tax breaks for donors to the program. House GOP leader Tony McCombie expressed concern about the size of the budget, being the largest in Illinois history and suggested that it could lead to future tax hikes.

The Illinois House GOP also came out against the lawmaker pay raises in the budget. 

“After giving themselves a hefty pay raise earlier this year, Democrats decided it was time for another, voting to boost lawmaker salaries once again in the budget last week,” the Illinois House Republicans said on Facebook.