Delay passing state budget

Posted on May 25, 2023
That means lawmakers would be staying beyond Friday, though a legislative spokesperson called that “a deadline of convenience.” (Dave Dahl/WJBC)

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – Not even eight hours after an announcement that a state budget deal is on track to get to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk, Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) adjourned his chamber for the night just before 11 p.m. Wednesday without voting on the bill.

That means lawmakers would be staying beyond Friday, though a legislative spokesperson called that “a deadline of convenience.”

After the Senate introduced a 3,409-page budget Wednesday evening, it became apparent not all House Democrats bought into the idea of rubber-stamping it unamended. It’s possible the third-reading vote in the House could occur at, for example, 12:01 a.m. Saturday.

Press secretaries for Pritzler, Harmon, and House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) downplayed any significance to the late-night developments, agreeing that Friday was never a firm deadline and that the delay should not be considered a problem.

SB 250

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]

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