Budget proposal coverage roundup
Friday, Apr 8, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* More background and context is here if you need it. Sun-Times…
The day before the General Assembly is set to adjourn, Democratic leaders on Thursday announced they had reached an agreement on the state budget, touting more than $1.8 billion in tax relief for inflation-strapped residents.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker joined state Senate President Don Harmon and House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch at a statehouse news conference to share details of the plan, repeatedly using phrases such as “fiscally responsible” and “collaborative leadership” to describe what Pritzker dubbed “a responsible, compassionate budget.”
But Illinois Republicans had other words, blasting the budget’s underlying framework as “untenable,” and accusing Pritzker of painting “a rosy picture” and relying on “an avalanche of federal bailout cash.”
In their 16-minute news conference outside of the governor’s office, Pritzker and the Democratic leaders never mentioned the amount of overall spending called for in the budget proposal, which had not yet been filed.
* Tribune…
“Over the last few weeks, especially over the last 48 hours, we have engaged in a true give-and-take, which led to genuine compromise,” Pritzker said. “It honestly felt that we all came into this process committed to a fiscally responsible spending plan that improves our state’s finances and helps people in an hour of genuine need.”
Democrats are looking to defend their control of state government in November and are eager to present a unified front during an election year when the state’s financial picture is brighter than it has been in decades.
But the party faces potential headwinds from rising inflation and crime, issues Republicans have been hammering all year as they seek to cut into the Democrats’ legislative supermajorities and recapture a statewide office. […]
Welch disputed the notion that Republican lawmakers weren’t included in budget talks, saying House Republicans participated in budget hearings Wednesday and Thursday and voted in favor of the Democrats’ revenue proposal.
“They haven’t been left out of the process,” Welch said. “When they choose to participate is totally up to them.”
* WGEM…
Welch said people should recognize that lawmakers are getting a budget out much earlier than normal. The spring session usually ends on May 31, but Democrats scheduled a shortened session to allow people time to campaign before the primary election on June 28.
The Speaker said Democrats were intentional in allowing Republicans and the press a full day to review the initial budget proposal. Welch noted that Republicans participated in a budget hearing Wednesday and were invited to a meeting Thursday where GOP members had no questions for Democrats.
* Center Square…
Business tax incentives are also in the Democrats’ proposal.
State Rep. Mike Zalewski, D-Riverside, said the consumer tax cuts are temporary, but the business incentives are permanent.
“That’s a fair way to assess it, I would say,” Zalewski said during a committee hearing this week. “The business tax credits are already in statute and we’re extending them, I would say.”
* This is Majority Leader Greg Harris’ last state budget…
Feel free to caption it.
* More…
* Includes $1.8 billion in tax relief that includes direct checks to most Illinoisans
* Voters to Get Preelection Tax Relief
- Rabid - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 9:42 am:
absentee ballots for bailey
- Blue Bayou - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 9:47 am:
Compare this to the Rauner years.
This is what governing looks like.
- Bruce( no not him) - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 9:50 am:
Yeah, most of the pages are blank. We’ll fill them in later after it passes.
- Rabid - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 9:50 am:
napkins for the children’s table
- TheInvisibleMan - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 9:50 am:
== Feel free to caption it. ==
“Darren Bailey started to get a noticeably anxious trigger finger when he saw the budget-related stack of paper. Under his breath, some say you could also hear mumbling about tannerite.”
- Skeptic - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 9:50 am:
If it rained during a drought, the Republicans would complain the water wasn’t wet enough.
- Ducky LaMoore - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 9:52 am:
“My kingdom for a thumb drive.”
- West Side the Best Side - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 9:52 am:
“Thanks to the speed reading course I took I got through this in under an hour.”
- Unnecessarily Brittle - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 9:53 am:
4,000 pages and not a single one for Jim Durkin. (sad trombone)
- Cubs in '16 - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 9:53 am:
‘We are Farmers…bum bum bum bum bum bum bum.’
- Rabid - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 9:56 am:
Bailey practice target
- JS Mill - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 9:57 am:
=4,000 pages and not a single one for Jim Durkin. (sad trombone)=
THAT made me LOL. I am still giggling in my office.
- Donnie Elgin - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 9:58 am:
“a true give-and-take”
I’ll take that with a giant grain of salt. When you have the supermajority it’s like negotiating with yourself, such courage.
- Give Me A Break - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 10:02 am:
Leader Harris standing next to the “motions in writing” the House GOP have filed asking for their bills to be discharged from Rules.
- Candy Dogood - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 10:08 am:
“I had my staff print this because I hate them.”
- Rich Miller - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 10:12 am:
===it’s like negotiating with yourself===
Have you ever been to Illinois? lol
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 10:21 am:
“Hey. Hey Bost. Toss this”
- zatoichi - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 10:30 am:
Yeah the pages got kinda light when the ink cartridge dryed up after a couple hundred pages, but it would have looked like this.
- Arsenal - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 10:33 am:
==When you have the supermajority it’s like negotiating with yourself, such courage.==
When you have a supermajority, you necessarily have a lot of different personalities, priorities, and perspectives to accommodate. The voters did not send 73 clones of Chris Welch to the Illinois House.
- DougChicago - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 10:40 am:
Representative Harris shows off a “Springfield “Barrier,” perfect to hide behind when being shot at randomly in the increasingly lawless streets of Chicago.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 10:40 am:
===The voters did not send 73 clones of Chris Welch to the Illinois House.===
Once you realize the old, angry, white angst that is read as discourse when a diverse caucus tries to seek and then finds consensus, it reads again like a line you’d find in The Onion.
I’d like to see the GOP Caucuses make a big play, which also means being GREEN on a budget, towards engaging in governing to make bipartisan wins that folks will see GOP wins also as Illinois wins.
But, let’s talk about “supermajority issues”
- Captain Obvious - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 11:05 am:
Pass it? I can’t even lift it, at least not by myself…
- JS Mill - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 11:32 am:
=I’ll take that with a giant grain of salt. When you have the supermajority it’s like negotiating with yourself, such courage.=
Have something people are interested in supporting and win more elections. Such whining.
=Pass it? I can’t even lift it, at least not by myself…=
LOL. Good stuff.
I wish the ilgop would actually make an effort to be relevant to the majority of Illinois. Consistently. It would make our state stronger if the two parties HAD to work together to run the state. As an independent voter I dislike the current imbalance, but the ilgop has offer me little to earn my vote. Given where I live, the legislative elections ae all unopposed which means I undervote. If just one candidate offered me more than 2nd amendment, faith, blah blah blah and actually worked to address needs and issues of everyone I would vote for them in a heartbeat.
I’ll take the democrats budget versus the republicans revenue cuts that will lead to a budget crisis.
- QCman - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 11:44 am:
A serious question, have we ever had a budget fully presented and passed in early April before? I know because of the primary things are moved up this year but it really does feel weird that it’s April and the legislative season for the Spring is over after today.
- Michelle Flaherty - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 12:03 pm:
QCman, Yes. 22 years ago. GA adjourned in mid April.
- Give Me A Break - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 12:20 pm:
Michelle is right, and I believe they adjourned on an April 15th for symbolic purposes.
- Anonymous - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 12:28 pm:
Passing the state budget is a game of inches; by the looks of it 19 inches.
- Snarkie from Schaumburg - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 12:41 pm:
== Feel free to caption it. ==
Rep Greg Harris poses with 1% of the thank you notes for his service to the people of Illinois.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 1:05 pm:
Caption?
Greg Harris shows off his new memoir… “In a Few Words”
It can be found where all good end tables are sold
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 1:07 pm:
That Cake Boss can make cakes look like anything these days, including state budgets…
- Osborne Smith III - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 1:28 pm:
== Rep Greg Harris poses with 1% of the thank you notes for his service to the people of Illinois. ==
Co-sign. Rep Harris has been a jewel in the General Assembly for the citizens of Illinois.
- Baloneymous - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 1:55 pm:
Hoping the next person’s last state budget is a picture next to a PDF file rather than 10,000 pieces of paper.
- Aaa123 - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 2:09 pm:
Budget pictured with proud law makers just days before being duplicated and shot several times (5 takes) by a disgruntled farmer.
- Red Ketcher - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 2:11 pm:
“Devore’s Latest Lawsuit Draws Another Big Laugh “
- DuPage - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 2:17 pm:
Dear Comptroller Mendoza,
Please see if the new budget has funds to catch up on the Delta dental insurance for retired SURS and SERS retirees. If it has been overlooked, could you let the governor and legislative leaders know so they can correct the oversight. If you have a chance, please give us an idea about when you will be able to pay these bills which are up to 87 weeks late.
- JS Mill - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 3:11 pm:
“We double dog dare Bailey to try and shoot this whole thing at once.”
alternative version:
“Bailey is going to look pretty silly trying to shoot this thing.”
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 3:12 pm:
“Caption?”
“ tl;dr… voting No”
- ILGA Republicans
- thechampaignlife - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 3:13 pm:
===Hoping the next person’s last state budget is a picture next to a PDF file rather than 10,000 pieces of paper.===
Or better yet, stop micromanaging. If it takes 10K pages to divvy up money between some 100 agencies, I think it is going into too much detail. Give IBHE $2.1B for FY23 and call it a day. Let them decide how best to allocate those funds to maximize the impact of higher education. If you need to carve it up more explicitly, that tells me you do not trust the board to do their job, in which case why are you giving them any money? And how are your allocations better than theirs?
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Apr 8, 22 @ 3:13 pm:
“Caption?”
“ tl;dr… voting Yes”
- ILGA Democrats