Dupage Policy Journal

State Rep. Amy Grant (R-Wheaton) is slamming Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Democratic supermajority in the Illinois General Assembly for its 2024 budget.

“This week, Governor Pritzker signed into law one of the largest spending plans in Illinois history,” Grant said on Facebook.

“An extremely partisan plan with many major flaws including: pay raises for Springfield politicians, insufficient funds returned to local governments through the Local Government Distributive Fund, and most unfortunately no extension of the Invest in Kids Scholarship program,” Grant posted.

“I hope that the nearly 50,000 disadvantaged children and families who have benefited from this program will one day forgive the politicians that decided to play politics rather than fight for better outcomes for low income students.”

Grant vowed to continue advocating for the extension of the program, emphasizing its benefits for disadvantaged children. In a statement on Facebook, she criticized the budget for prioritizing pay raises for legislators and healthcare for undocumented immigrants over the education of underprivileged children. Grant said she remained hopeful that the program could still be secured, urging lawmakers to rectify what she deemed a wrong decision.

The Invest In Kids Tax Scholarship Program, which currently supports approximately 9,000 low-income children attending private schools, is scheduled to sunset on Dec. 31 unless extended by the General Assembly. 

Rep. Chris Miller (R-Charleston) highlighted the program's diversity and its positive impact on academically gifted students as well as those with unique academic needs and learning disabilities. He emphasized that the scholarships are need-based, with a significant percentage of recipients coming from non-white backgrounds and meeting federal guidelines for free or reduced lunch programs.

The $50.4 billion budget passed without Republican support and garnered opposition from three Democratic legislators in a 73-38 vote. The Senate vote on the budget was 34-22.

The budget allocated substantial funding for education, an aspect that J.B. Pritzker and House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Westchester) praised after its passage.

Critics, including the Illinois Policy organization, pointed out that the budget created an immediate $317 million deficit and fell short of fully funding public pensions by $4 billion.

The organization criticized the state's budgeting process and the growing pension debt, which is estimated at $140 billion, and potentially even higher according to independent estimates. The budget also included $50 million for the replacement of the Stratton Building, which houses legislator offices and committee meetings.

Wirepoints argues Illinois residents are faring poorly Pritzker’s leadership.

Wirepoints said employment has decreased since Pritzker took office, and the state's economic growth remains stagnant. Tax burdens are higher than ever, and people are leaving the state in record numbers. Wirepoints said the $50.6 billion budget is likely to exacerbate these issues rather than improve these issues.

The group notes Illinoisans are burdened with high property taxes and the second-highest gas taxes in the nation, while the overall tax burden ranks seventh-highest. The state's population continues to decline, with Illinois experiencing a net loss of over 230,000 people since 2020.

Wirepoints claims the $50.6 billion 2024 budget passed by Illinois lawmakers is riddled with gimmicks that perpetuate the state's ongoing fiscal issues.

Wirepoints said three examples highlight the budget's shortcomings: underfunding pensions, a funding gap for Medicaid benefits for illegal immigrants, and the impending more expensive AFSCME contract.

Wirepoints said the budget falls short by $4.4 billion in pension contributions, continuing the long-standing practice of prioritizing union benefits at the expense of future funding challenges.

The healthcare benefits for illegal immigrants, estimated to cost $1.1 billion, were reduced to $550 million in the budget. Pritzker granted emergency powers to further reduce costs. Wirepoits said this is a questionable approach given potential legal challenges.

Additionally, Wirepoints said the upcoming AFSCME contract, which is not accounted for in the budget, is likely to result in substantial raises and increased benefits for state workers. Despite Pritzker's claims of improvements, the positive aspects are primarily due to federal bailouts rather than substantive actions taken by the state.

Moreover, the budget excludes an extension of the state's only scholarship program for low-income K-12 students. Wirepoints said this indicates misplaced priorities favoring unions and non-citizens over students and taxpayers.