* As you’ll recall, Rep. Larry Walsh (D-Elwood) voted against the revenue omnibus bill twice (even though numerous pols say he was supposed to vote for it on the second try) and then voted for the bill on the third and final try, which made him the deciding vote. Walsh had earlier voted against the appropriations bill.

Anyway, Rep. Walsh released a statement today…

State Representative Larry Walsh Jr (D-Elwood) has made the following statement regarding his votes on the budget bills that came before the Illinois House of Representatives on Wednesday.

“Last night was certainly not my preferred solution for moving Illinois forward, but with the full framework of the budget passed and faced with the immediate threat of the state returning to the Rauner years of unbalanced budgets and broken promises, I made the incredibly difficult choice to support Governor Pritzker’s revenue enhancements.

“While I have significant concerns about the path this budget sets us on, I could not in good conscience vote to jeopardize public safety, cause chaos for our public service providers, or allow uncertainty to derail the work my colleagues and I have done to rebuild Illinois’ fiscal house. The cost of inaction was simply too great to stand by and allow the budget to become unbalanced.

“Over the coming months I will be engaging with leadership in both chambers, the Governor, and the other members of my caucus that have legitimate concerns with how this budget was constructed to make it clear that we cannot allow a budget process like we saw early this morning to happen again.”

* Brenden Moore talked with Rep. Sharon Chung (D-Bloomington) about her votes for the budget and against the revenue bill…

Chung, in an interview Wednesday afternoon, said she voted for the budget because she wanted to show her support for funding that “could really help people here in my district,” specifically mentioning investments in public schools, public safety and healthcare.

But she disagreed with “how to get there” on the revenue side, stating her opposition to the tax increases that were included and her wish that more cuts had been considered.

Chung, a freshman, won her seat by 4.5 percentage points in 2022 and is considered one of the most vulnerable Democratic members. She is being challenged by Republican Desi Anderson in the upcoming election.

It has long been a practice by Democratic leadership in the state legislature to protect vulnerable members from politically tough votes, especially in an election year.

Chung said she hopes lawmakers from more moderate districts are “more involved in the process next year.”

She almost certainly voted that way because of her target status. But, if she truly thought more spending cuts were needed to avoid revenue increases, she should’ve voted against the approp bill.

Also, Brenden tried to reach Rep. Sue Scherer (D-Decatur), but she wouldn’t respond.