With just three days remaining on the scheduled spring session calendar, the Fiscal Year 2025 calendar remains in flux. On Wednesday, May 22, State Senator Andrew Chesney (R-Freeport) issued the following statement on the status of the budget:
“For the last several years, Illinois Democrats have benefitted from the effects of hyper-inflation and federal COVID dollars that have poured into this state. Federal relief dollars have dried up, yet the Majority Party has shown no appetite for fiscal restraint. Governor Pritzker has increased spending by 30% since taking office, and now he is seeking $1 billion in new taxes to pay for a migrant and illegal immigrant crisis he created. The citizens of Illinois are already overtaxed, and rather than looking for ways to provide tax relief the Governor continues to view Illinois citizens as his piggy bank.
“As the budget comes together in the coming days, I am looking for a truly balanced spending plan that does not fund services for migrants and illegal immigrants, does not include new revenue, and provides sustainable tax relief with no gimmicks.”