SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WSIL) -- Illinois lawmakers worked through the night to pass the state budget hours after the official end of the spring session.
Senate lawmakers voted to pass the budget, a pair of bills, around 1:30 a.m. Saturday by a vote of 34-19-1. Just before 6 a.m., House lawmakers voted 72-42 in favor of the bill. It now heads to Gov. JB Pritzker's desk.
Ìýsupports families, schools, law enforcement and vital programs. The proposal would also suspend the grocery tax for a year and give one-time payments to those eligible for the earned income tax credit.
State Rep. Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) supported the gas relief plan but added the state needs to do more to help struggling residents.
In a statement Windhorst said:
“SB 157 offers a gas tax freeze that is not really gas tax relief.ÌýThe sales tax on gas disproportionately hurts the middle class and those that live in rural areas. Those in rural areas drive 20-30 miles a day and more to get to work, go to the doctor, and more. When people in rural areas have to go somewhere, we have to drive. Because of Illinoisâ€� oppressive tax structure, we have to pay for gas, and we pay a lot. Sometimes up to .70 cents per gallon more than other states. We should limit, suspend, or permanently eliminate the sales tax on gasoline to provide lasting relief.ÌýSupporting this package of tax breaks is the right thing to do as we fight the effects of inflation that is continuing to run rampant.ÌýIllinois government must change direction to stop people from leaving and to attract more people to come to our state. That must start with lowering the overall tax burden on a more permanent basis.â€�
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State Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) voted for the tax relief portion of the plan but opposed the spending plan.
In a statement Bryant said:
“Since I entered the General Assembly, the state’s budget has increased by nearly 30 percent. Each year, I continue to watch Illinois Democrats permanently spend more and more while the residents of our state are crushed by out-of-control taxes. Today, members of the General Assembly had a golden opportunity to provide struggling families with long-lasting relief. Rather than providing those families with permanent tax relief, the Majority Party passed gimmick relief with a post-election expiration date.�
State Rep. Dave Severin (R) Benton says early morning vote on the budget means Illinoisans once again have been left out of the process of how thier dollars are spent.Ìý
Severin voted against the spending plan. In a statement he said:
"Tonight felt likeÌýdeja-vu all over again," Severin said. "Democrats waited until everyone was in bed, rushed through legislation that spends billions of dollars, raised their own pay, and put pork projects ahead of good public policy," Severin said. " A responsible process would have led to a more responsible budget, but that is not what we ended up with. At some point we have to think of the future and stop spending money we don't have. I voted no."
State Rep. Paul Jacobs (R) Pomona shared his thoughts on the budget passage.Ìý
“Eager to get back home to their districts to campaign ahead of the June Primary, Democrats went it alone on the FY 2023 budget, passing a 3500 page bill in the matter of a few hours that spends $46 billion, raises legislatorsâ€� pay, and leaves a large chunk of unemployment insurance debt unpaid. This is the end of my first series of regular Sessions as a Freshman lawmaker. What I’ve seen so far is Democrats failing to work across the aisle to provide permanent tax relief to Illinois citizens and spending money as fast as they can in as big of amounts as they can on pork projects while ignoring some long-term financial problems that loom on the horizon. The Democrats are working overtime to cover the tracks of their decades of financial mismanagement by offering one-time gimmicks and half-measures to Illinoisans that pay the highest combined tax rates in the country. We owe the people better than pay raises for politicians and $1 billion in pork projects for Democrats.â€Ì�said Jacobs.Ìý
