Rep. Mike Fortner (R-West Chicago) and 9 other GOP House members joined Democrats to override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of three budget bills. The vote puts to end a budget impasse that lasted more than two years.
Senate Bills 6, 9 and 42 passed the House and Senate but were vetoed swiftly by Rauner. The Senate moved just as fast to override the governor’s veto on Tuesday. With the House’s vote today, the budget bills are set to take immediate effect, including a permanent income tax increase.
GOP legislators who also voted to override Rauner's veto were Reps. Steven Andersson (R-Geneva), Reginald Phillips (R-Charleston), Chad Hays (R-Danville), Rep. Terry Bryant (Mt. Vernon), Norine K. Hammond (R-Macomb), David Harris (R-Mount Prospect), Sara Wojcicki Jimenez (R-Springfield), Bill Mitchell (R-Forsyth) and Michael D. Unes (R-East Peoria).
All the representative who voted to override SB 9 also cast yes votes on SB 6, with the exception of Rep. Dave Severin, who voted yes on SB 6 and no in SB 9.
State Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) expressed disappointment after ten of her fellow Republicans voted to override a budget plan vetoed by the governor.
"I think that in the end the bond markets, whether it's in three days or three months, will end up downgrading us because we have failed to truly reform our spending habits," Ives told DuPage Policy Journal. "And this additional money is going to buy us very little time in the end."
Republican leaders have said the bills cut off further negotiations and don’t include the kind of reform the state needs long term. In all, 10 Republicans voted to override Rauner’s veto.
SB 6 sets up a $36 billion state budget. SB 9 is expected to raise more than $5 billion in revenue through personal income and corporate tax hikes. And SB 42 is known as a “paperwork” bill that implements the budget
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