On Wednesday, Governor JB Pritzker presented his recommended Fiscal Year 2022 budget. The proposal calls for $41.6 billion in spending which exceeds currently projected revenues by $1.7 billion dollars. In response to the Governor’s address, State Senator John Curran (R-Downers Grove) issued the following statement:
“The budget address marks the starting point of the General Assembly’s budget discussions for the next fiscal year. I was hoping to hear the Governor talk about a bipartisanship approach as we begin the budget conversation. Unfortunately, what we heard instead was a hyper-partisan speech and name-calling directed at Republicans. He did not strike a productive tone, and considering the incredible challenges this State faces, it was disappointing.”
“I find it hypocritical for the Governor to now refer to pro-business tax credits he negotiated as part of the 2019 Bi-Partisan Budget Agreement and Private Scholarships for underprivileged K-12 students as ‘loopholes’. These are the same incentives (deductions for equipment purchases and the phasing out of the franchise tax) that he himself signed into law in June of 2019 and were widely regarded by both Democrats and Republicans as useful tools that make Illinois a more competitive place to do business. And scholarships that offer underprivileged school children a chance at a quality education are certainly not Corporate Loopholes.”
“Governor Pritzker has consistently criticized the federal government for failing to provide adequate financial relief to state government and local municipalities. Yet he now recommends cutting the Local Distributive Government Funds (LGDF) that our cities and villages rely on for delivery of critical services like police and fire protection. These funds are the designated portion of the State Income Tax Revenues that municipalities and counties receive on a per capita basis. Diverting a portion of those funds back to the State puts additional pressures on our local property taxes and shows a lack of sincerity on the Governor’s part.”
“The General Assembly now receives the Governor’s proposal and will get to work on crafting a State budget. In the meantime, we must remain vigilant in improving the State distribution of the COVID-19 Vaccination and rectifying the significant problems at the Illinois Department of Employment Security in administering unemployment claims and preventing fraudulent activity.”