Governor Delivers 2020 Budget Address

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker gave his budget address Wednesday and touted a plan he says saves $225 million this year and more than $750 million over the next three years.

Pritzker said the savings will be realized through efficiencies identified by agency heads and the administration. He also says that the bill backlog in the past year has been trimmed by a billion dollars, helping save the State hundreds of millions of dollars each year in late payment penalties...

Pritzker did push his idea of a graduated income tax to further stabilize the fiscal situation in the state, but he says future budgets will be balanced even if the tax change isn't approved by voters this fall.

Local legislators generally panned the Governor's message, some because the increases in spending proposed are based on money being available from the graduated tax that is yet to be considered by voters.

One of those was St. Sen. Dale Righter of Mattoon...

Echoing Righter's remarks was St. Sen. Jason Plummer...

Reflecting on the governor's acknowledgement of a "challenging" picture of Illinois' finances while holding out the promise of more funding for education and other government services if voters adopt his graduated income tax plan, St. Rep. Darren Bailey said there were criticisms heard from both sides of the aisle...

St. Rep. Blaine Wilhour said the governor proposed a $40.7 billion state budget, but dressed it up by dangling the prospect of a $1.4 billion revenue boost if voters approve the progressive tax proposal. Wilhour said he remains adamantly opposed to the idea...

Just because the governor is a Democrat, that doesn't mean his budget address arrives with full support from others in his party.

St. Sen. Heather Steans says she has shared priorities with the Governor, including rate increases for Medicaid providers, but she wants to see funding of the new educational funding formula to continue to be directed to where it's currently going...

The new Illinois fiscal year begins July 1.