Statements About Governor Pritzker's Budget Address

Rep. Elik Statement on Governor Pritzker’s Budget Proposal

State Representative Amy Elik (R-Fosterburg) issued a statement following Governor Pritzker’s virtual Budget Address for members of the Illinois General Assembly today:

“As a CPA, I am disappointed to learn that Governor Pritzker is using the same smoke and mirrors for the third time in a row to say his budget is balanced when indeed it’s not. The fact is, the Pritzker budget proposal fails to include a plan to pay off Illinois’ $5 billion in unpaid bills, and no realistic plan to pay off the $4.3 billion the state recently borrowed. The governor’s budget is more of the same – failed tax and spending schemes that continue to put our state further into debt. It’s time for the legislature to pass a budget that is balanced without new taxes.”

Illinois Education Association Statement on Governor Pritzker’s 2021 Budget Address

The following statement is attributable to Illinois Education Association President Kathi Griffin:

“We appreciate that the governor is willing to look at a variety of ways to continue the state’s funding obligations by closing tax loopholes rather than increasing taxes on all struggling families and we urge state government to continue to look for more funding resources. Our state legislature made a brave decision in 2017 and changed the formula for funding education in Illinois. Part of that change included boosting education funding by at least $350 million a year for 10 years to try to get the state up to 80 percent of its base funding level required by our state’s constitution – 80 percent – and to try to give Illinoisans property tax relief. And, while we understand there was an economic downturn that caused flat funding last year and a worldwide pandemic this year that caused fiscal challenges, we can’t move forward if we keep holding ourselves back. Funding the formula needs to be high on the list for any new revenue, as does increasing funding for higher education. We hold out hope that as vaccinations increase and cases decrease, the economic outlook for Illinois can continue to improve and education can be funded to the fullest extent.”

Illinois Federation of Teachers Statement in Response to Governor Pritzker's Budget Address

Following Governor Pritzker’s budget address, Illinois Federation of Teachers President Dan Montgomery released this response.

“Despite the pandemic, Governor Pritzker has made huge strides in moving our state forward. We’re pleased to see that his proposed budget does not rely on increasing taxes or layoffs that would only hurt working families. We support his decision to close corporate tax loopholes to fund vital services and protect our hardest hit.

“When it comes to funding education, the Governor has done the best he can with the dire fiscal hand he has been dealt by COVID and the millionaire-led effort to prevent fair taxation in our state. When Illinois adopted the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) plan, we all hoped education dollars would flow to our neediest communities and the state’s share of education funding would steadily increase. Yet Illinois remains near the bottom of the country in equitable education funding, and for the second year in a row, it will not be increased. And higher education is still suffering from decades-long disinvestment.

“We remain hopeful that Governor Pritzker will increase funding for schools in FY22 if revenue projections continue to improve and that he will fully fund EBF and higher education in future years. The IFT will continue to advocate for additional sources of state revenue and increased funding for schools, colleges, and universities.

“Recovering from the pandemic is vital to Illinois’ economic well-being, and it will take our collective power to make that happen. The IFT stands ready to work with Governor Pritzker to ensure that the recovery is focused on our most vulnerable.”

IPHCA Calls for Strengthening Funding in Underserved Communities in Response to Governor Pritzker’s FY2022 Proposed Budget

Today, Governor JB Pritzker delivered his annual budget address virtually, introducing his proposal for Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22). IPHCA commends Governor Pritzker for prioritizing racial justice and eliminating disparities, and his commitment to protecting our state’s health care and human services systems. However, we urge the Governor and the General Assembly to make a greater investment in strengthening the communities that have been hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic and long suffered from a lack of resources and investment.

We agree that the safety net must be protected. As part of the Governor’s commitment to advancing equity, it is imperative not only to shield health care and human services from cuts, but to strengthen funding for this vital system of support that equips individuals, families, and communities to live healthy lives and thrive. Community health centers services are inextricably linked to social services that address all of a patient’s needs, including their social determinants of health.

Health and human service programs are the backbones of robust communities and they are currently in high demand as a result of the devastating COVID-19 public health emergency that has left millions of Illinoisans facing grief, loss, illness, unemployment, isolation, and housing and food insecurity. Moreover, the pandemic has been particularly distressing for communities of color, immigrant communities, and low income communities – exacerbating the challenges they already face as a result of historic underinvestment and marginalization.

It has been said before that a budget is a moral document. As such, we urge the Governor to work with the General Assembly and stakeholders to:

• strengthen funding for health care and human services, including community health centers;
• preserve coverage and payment parity for telehealth, which has proven to be a convenient and indispensable option for patients and providers;
• maximize Medicaid dollars by investing in programs that will achieve long-term savings as well as improved outcomes, and give providers flexibility to innovate and better meet the needs of their patients;
• address our state’s chronic health care professional shortages by increasing funding for student loan repayment programs like the Illinois National Health Service Corps Program;
• release the $50 million in capital dollars appropriated to community health centers by the General Assembly in FY20, to address health care deserts by building new infrastructure in our underserved communities; and
• expand reliable, affordable broadband access, along with tech literacy and devices, to bridge the digital divide and ensure universal access to telehealth regardless of income or zip code.

As a new legislative session gets underway and the state budget continues to take shape, we look forward to partnering with Governor Pritzker’s Administration and the General Assembly to ensure equity is not just a goal but a reality. By doing our part to grow access to primary health care in underserved communities, we can strengthen health outcomes for all Illinoisans.

Davidsmeyer on Pritzker’s Budget Address: Governor needs to work with the General Assembly to move Illinois forward

State Representative C.D. Davidsmeyer released the following statement in reaction to Governor JB Pritzker’s Budget Address:

“Governor Pritzker gave the most partisan State of the State address I have ever witnessed. He gave a bi-polar message of unity while attacking Republicans every chance he had. His budget last year was $6billion out of balance and with gimmicks, this year's proposed budget is still at least $1.6 billion out of balance, not because of cuts, but because of better revenues coming to the State of Illinois.

“The Democrats passed a terrible budget last year that was in complete denial of the effect that Pritzker’s shutdown would have on our economy. Illinois has lost hundreds of thousands of jobs since the start of this pandemic and Illinoisans are voting with their feet. We lost over 80,000 people to other states last year alone.

“Given all of the jobs that have been lost and the Governor’s complete failure to deal with the massive unemployment issues at IDES, I strongly oppose Pritzker’s elimination of important job creation incentives. Two years ago, Republicans and Democrats worked together to pass the Blue Collar Jobs Act as part of the budget and infrastructure plan. Today Governor Pritzker is breaking his promise to Illinois working families.

“We all know the old saying, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!’ Well, Illinois isn’t just broke. It’s broken. Let’s try something new… living within our means. Stop spending money we don’t have and stop expanding programs we can’t afford.

“If the Governor wants a partner in solving the Democrats’ fiscal mess then he must be truthful and forthright with the General Assembly. Governor Pritzker stated last year that he had requested proposed cuts from each state agency. Where are these spending cuts? I’m willing to work together to make the tough decisions necessary to get Illinois back on track. But leadership starts at the top and the Governor needs to work with us, not dictate to us, in order to move Illinois forward.”

Rep. Bourne Reacts to State Budget Proposal

Today Governor JB Pritzker gave his annual budget address virtually to the 102nd General Assembly. Below is a statement from State Representative Avery Bourne (R-Morrisonville) in response:

“Today the Governor presented a budget that it is $1.65 Billion out of balance. After Governor Pritzker’s proposed graduated income was defeated by voters in November, I am disappointed but unfortunately not surprised that the Governor is now proposing over $900 million in new taxes on Illinois small businesses and employers.

“The Governor has also shown his priorities in this proposed budget. His budget includes funding for programs in the awful police reform bill that passed during lame duck - signaling his intention to sign the legislation. He proposes decreased funding for school transportation - a signal of more remote learning. Governor Pritzker also doubled down on sending no new funding to school districts while imposing more costly mandates. In a proposed budget with line after line of spending increases, our local schools are having more costs passed on to them with no way of paying for them. This perspective on government as seen in his Budget Address - more government programs, more mandates, more taxes, and unbalanced budgets has failed Illinoisans for decades.

“I probably sound like a broken record saying that Illinois needs to live within our means. Yet, that lesson is hard learned in our state budgeting process and to not live within our means will require future generations of Illinoisans to pay the bills. This is unacceptable. The Pritzker Administration’s proposed spending plan is $1.65 billion out of balance, a deficit on top of the $4.7 billion unpaid bill backlog, $4.3 billion in short-term debt and $141 billion in unfunded pension liabilities. We need fiscal discipline, accountability for our taxpayers and greater public transparency into this process as we move forward.”

More like this: