By Dave Dahl
SPRINGFIELD – The economic wages of the pandemic are coming into focus.
Gov. JB Pritzker Wednesday said in this year’s and next year’s budgets combined — with the next fiscal year beginning July 1 — the impact will be between $7.3 billion and $10.1 billion. The larger number assumes the paying back of interfund borrowing and that voters will reject the graduated income tax amendment in November.
He then took a look back, without mentioning predecessor, Bruce Rauner, by name.
“Illinoisans are all too familiar with the pain the lack of a state budget can cause. so let me just say up front: we will not go without a state budget. We will need to make extraordinary difficult decisions on top of the difficult decisions we have already made; but, together with the state legislature, we will make them.”
The governor – seemingly getting the questions each day – said he doesn’t know whether he will extend the “stay home” order past April 30, or whether schools will be able to re-open before summer.
And the governor again addressed the idea of opening up Illinois in phases, rather than all at once: “A restaurant in a rural community has the same ability to spread COVID-19 as a restaurant in an urban community, so it’s a challenge to identify the things that are that much different,” he said.
Illinois has 24,593 coronavirus cases and 948 deaths.
Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]
