State can’t afford Pritzker budget, northwest Illinois lawmakers say

SPRINGFIELD — Tax increases are the only way to pay for the initiatives in Gov. JB Pritzker’s budget plan, say state lawmakers who represent the Sauk Valley.

During Thursday’s State of the State address, Pritzker presented a budget of $49.6 billion that included new spending on higher education.

State Rep. Tony McCombie, the Republican leader in the House from Savanna, said the expenditures don’t square with an anticipated drop in revenue.

“Today we heard a long list of expensive promises totaling $2.7 billion in new spending, when the governor himself projects revenue to be down $1.42 billion,” said McCombie. “This will require future tax increases or cuts to vital programs serving our most vulnerable.”

McCombie represents the 89th District. She reacted a day after she pledged that the minority party is “ready to be part of the solution” on challenges facing the state. Assisting children at-risk of neglect and abuse is a key issue, she said.

Pritzker, a Democrat, holds a 78 to 39 caucus advantage in the House and a 40 to 19 advantage in the Senate.

Freshman lawmaker Bradley Fritts, a Dixon Republican representing the 74th District, joined the chorus of those decrying a 7.9% increase in expenditures when revenue is expected to fall 2.8%, saying it will “further burden the taxpayers in the state.”

But Fritts credited the governor for expanding funding for rural hospitals, especially in light of the closure of St. Margaret’s Hospital in Peru.”Now, some women in my district have to travel over an hour to reach a hospital to give birth safely,” Fritts said. “This is unacceptable, and I commend Governor Pritzker’s effort to assist the people of our state in accessing healthcare services.”

Sen. Win Stoller of Germantown Hills, who represents the 37th District, said the proposal contained “many good things” but “we simply cannot afford everything the governor wants if we are to avoid a major tax increase in the future.”

Stoller indicated that new spending is not feasible once the federal government is no longer providing pandemic relief money.

“Before we create any new spending, we have a duty to address real issues and priorities like our growing pension liabilities,” Stoller said.

Sen. Andrew Chesney of Freeport said his constituents in the 45th District want assistance funding limited to education, economic development, and people with disabilities.

“The people I represent in northwest Illinois are looking for substantive, permanent tax relief,” he added.