By Dave Dahl
SPRINGFIELD – Just after 2:30 Saturday morning, the Illinois House of Representatives followed the Senate in passing a $50.6 billion spending plan for the fiscal year which begins July 1.
And House Republicans followed the Senate Republicans in putting no Yes votes on the budget.
“Whether you come from a large city or a rural community,” State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth (D-Peoria), presenting the budget bill early Saturday, “you are going to see yourself visible in this budget.
“If you want to vote for credit upgrades for the state of Illinois, vote aye. If you want to vote to fund the public school children in your district, vote aye. If you want to vote to give low-income and middle-income college students in your district the opportunity to go to college without being overburdened by college debt, vote aye.”
“This budget is loaded up for politicians,” said House Minority Leader Tony McCombie (R-Savanna). “Self-serving pork projects.”
Republicans said they were opposed to a 5.5 percent legislative pay raise, the sunset of the Invest in Kids program, a smaller-than-desired pay raise for people who work with the developmentally disabled, and the amount of money shared with local governments, among other things.
“Maybe it’s the farm kid in me, but I love this land, and I care about it, and I care about its future,” said State Rep. Travis Weaver (R-Edwards), “but our fiscal irresponsibility straps weights to the legs of our kids before they’re even starting the race of life.
“This budget does the exact opposite of what it claims to do.”
After the budget vote, McCombie sharply criticized Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside), accusing him of not making good on his promise of “a new day,” invoking a phrase which Welch proclaimed at the beginning of his speakership in 2021. She urged Welch to try including Republicans next time. Disputing the contention the supermajority party froze out the GOP, Welch added that come tomorrow, all Republicans would be in their districts, bragging about what’s in the budget.
The party-line budget vote was 73-38.
$SB0250sam003 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY (ilga.gov)
Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]
