SOUTHERN ILLINOIS – State Rep. Paul Jacobs (R-Pomona) issued the following statement upon Governor JB Pritzker signing SB 250, legislation representing the state of Illinois FY 24 budget on Wednesday.
“I voted against this budget for several reasons. Democrats say the budget is balanced, but they got there by allowing for increased taxes on gas, groceries, and medicine. Illinoisans will also pay higher fees to access state services because of how this budget is drafted. Furthermore, the process that delivered this budget was, unfortunately, more of the same kind of backroom, last-minute, dark-of-night politics that bring our state shame annually. A $50-plus billion budget should be vetted in the light of day with plenty of time for the public and legislators to review it. That was not the case in this budget. The Governor’s signature on this budget affirms that he is OK with a process that does not include appropriate public review and input and that he supports reinstating taxes on food, medicine, and gas. We can do better, and we must do better if we are to restore the faith of the people of Illinois in their state government.”
State Representative Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) released the following statement upon Governor Pritzker’s signature on the Fiscal Year 2024 state budget on Wednesday.
“I voted against the budget that the governor signed into law today because I fundamentally oppose the process that produced the budget, and I am strongly opposed to several controversial items that this budget funds. The FY 24 budget spends $50.4 billion dollars, which is a record. Included in that funding is money for pay raises for lawmakers, hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for free Medicaid healthcare coverage for undocumented immigrants, and increased funding for taxpayer-funded abortions. Furthermore, the process that produced this budget was reminiscent of past years. A massive spending plan was dropped on legislators’ desks with inadequate time for review, with little time for the public to review it and provide input, and was passed through the House of Representatives on the last day of Session after midnight. Those facts notwithstanding, the budget was also a take-it-or-leave-it spending plan that came as a result of Democrats shutting Republicans completely out of negotiations, which disenfranchises my constituents and the four million Illinoisans represented by the Republican caucus.”
Windhorst voted no on SB 250. Now signed into law, the budget will take effect beginning July 1, 2023.