Dupage Policy Journal

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has officially signed off on his new $50.4 billion spending plan for the state, the Chicago Sun Times reported. 

“Here we are four years later, and just look at what at we’ve accomplished. We eliminated overdue bills, paid down $10.5 billion in debt, including pension debt. Our once-empty Rainy Day Fund is now rising to $2 billion," the governor said at the signing. "Our Gross Domestic Product has surpassed $1 trillion, and we have more jobs available than ever before.” 

The final budget includes adjustments to cost-of-living pay raises pegged for constitutional officers, legislators and appointed officers of the executive branch after the original raises were found to exceed constitutional levels of 5%.

The new spending plan sets aside $350 million for the state’s K-12 evidence-based school funding formula, $100 million in additional MAP grant funding for higher education and a $100 million increase for public universities, with the added MAP grant funding opening the door for more people to attend community college free of charge.

Republicans opposed the budget for a number of reasons, chief among them the fact that to a large extent they were shut out of the negotiation phase in putting the budget together. Also raising concern among GOP lawmakers was a provision that assures health care benefits for undocumented immigrants. 

“The Governor’s choice to pay for this entirely state-funded free health care program for undocumented people over any meaningful investment in our business community highlights the stark contrast between our priorities,” Illinois Senate Republican Leader John Curran (R-Downers Grove) said in a statement, the Sun-Times reported.

Pritzker added he continues to hold out hope that the Invest in Kids scholarship program for private schools could be re-instituted by the fall veto session.