Democratic Gov.
J.B. Pritzker and Illinois legislative leaders announced Wednesday
afternoon they had a a deal on a roughly $50 billion state budget that
they planned to quickly bring to the Senate floor, but the chamber
adjourned about seven hours later without voting on the measure.The
latest delay comes after lawmakers missed a self-imposed deadline
Friday for approving a spending plan amid dissension among Democrats,
who control the governor’s office and both legislative chambers, over
how to balance the ballooning cost of a health care program for
immigrants with other party priorities.
The
budget was formally filed around 9 p.m. Wednesday, giving the Senate
little time to take action by the end of the day and allow the
legislature to follow the procedural requirements necessary to meet its
newly established goal of finishing the spring session by Friday.
Before
lawmakers called it a night, pushing session into at least the weekend,
a spokesman for Democratic Senate President Don Harmon of Oak Park
said the legislation was “being reviewed by all parties to ensure it
reflects the agreement we have.”
Legislators
have until May 31 to approve a budget with a simple majority. After
that, it would require a three-fifths vote in favor in both the House
and Senate. Democratic supermajorities in both chambers are strong
enough to meet the higher threshold.
The
agreement Pritzker announced in his ceremonial statehouse office
alongside Harmon and Democratic House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch of
Hillside makes good on the governor’s proposals to expand access to
early childhood and higher education, among other priorities.
But
the Medicaid-style program for immigrants will continue to put pressure
on the state budget. The spending plan Pritzker proposed in February
pegged the cost of the program at $220 million, but his administration
later increased that estimate to $1.1 billion, though some Democratic
lawmakers and advocates questioned those projections.
The
budget deal allocates about $550 million for the program, according to
the governor’s office, and gives the administration “tools” to control
the costs.
Pritzker
agreed to assume any political liabilities for controlling future costs
of the program after Democratic lawmakers refused to cut funding in
other programs or enact the governor’s recommended cost controls, such
as copays or income limitations.
“The
Senate and the House have agreed to give us the tools to manage the
program properly,” Pritzker said, adding that it “allows us to provide
health care for the people who are on the program now and make sure that
we’re continuing the program going forward, but in a budget-friendly
way so that everybody gets the health care that they need.”
The
program covers immigrants 42 and older who are in the country without
legal permission or who have green cards but haven’t completed a
five-year waiting period and therefore don’t qualify for the traditional
insurance program for the poor.
Pritzker,
eyeing a potential future run for president, had been reluctant to put
limitations on a program highly prized by members of the Latino caucus,
who had actually wanted to see it expanded for younger immigrants. That
expansion was among the first budget wishes to be rejected, but it’s
unclear if program supporters will be satisfied by whatever cost
controls Pritzker ends up enforcing.
Still,
the agreement on how to move forward with the program represents
another example of a risk-adverse Democratic-led General Assembly, which
let Pritzker take any criticism for running the state through his
emergency orders during the pandemic with little to no pushback.
Some
Democratic lawmakers had been pushing to increase spending in other
areas, including funding for elementary and high schools. The budget
deal would increase overall school funding by $350 million over the
current year, an annual goal established in state law that some had
wanted to go beyond.
There’s
also been pressure from new Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to increase
state support for the city’s effort to provide services to migrants
arriving from the country’s southern border. At the afternoon news
conference, Pritzker would not say how much money the budget deal
includes to help the city with those costs. But the legislation filed
six hours later showed a $42.5 million allocation to be shared among the
city and the rest of Cook County.
The
agreement would preserve Pritzker’s top priority, a $250 million
proposal to boost services for the state’s youngest residents and their
families, including an expansion of state-funded preschool programs.
This
year’s budget process was further complicated because tax revenue has
begun to slow from the record levels seen last year, putting pressure on
Democrats to hold the line on spending while also funding lawmakers’
priorities.
In announcing the deal, Pritzker emphasized that the spending plan was balanced and included the education funding he sought.
“As
governor, it’s my job to not just look at what’s right in front of us
but to prepare for what’s ahead, five, 10, 50 years down the road,”
Pritzker said. “And like the past four budgets, this budget look towards
a future, a future where every child gets a quality education from
cradle to career and where every parent has access to the child care and
training that they need to get a better paying job, a future where
every Illinoisan has a safe place to call home, a safe community to live
in, a future where economic security means the opportunity for anyone
and everyone to prosper.”
The
budget would include an additional $100 million for Monetary Award
Program grant funding for college students. The Pritzker administration
said that money would ensure that students at or below the median income
can attend community college for free.
There
would also be an increase of $100 million in higher education spending,
with $80.5 million going to public, four-year universities and $19.4
million to community colleges. The investments come after faculty and
staff members at Governors State University, Eastern Illinois University
and Chicago State University briefly went on strike last month.
The
budget would provide an increase of $85 million to support homelessness
prevention, affordable housing and other programs related to a vision
of “ending homelessness in the state.” The budget also includes a $20
million investment in a new Illinois Grocery Initiative to expand
grocery access to urban neighborhoods and rural towns.
There
would be a more than $200 million increase to help residents with
developmental disabilities, and the embattled Illinois Department of
Children and Family Services would receive an increase of nearly $75
million to hire 192 staffers and for improving facilities and other
agency functions.
The
proposed funding increase for services for developmentally disabled
people was criticized as insufficient by a group representing providers,
who for several years have been pushing the state for larger increases
to come into compliance with a federal consent decree.
The
Illinois Association of Rehabilitation Facilities has called for a $4
wage increase for front-line workers in the industry, but the agreement
would cover only a $2-per-hour increase.
“We
regretfully must oppose this and any other state budget proposal that
includes a proposed wage structure for our frontline workers that will
not meet their needs and leave our workforce crisis intact,” Josh Evans,
the group’s president and CEO, said in a statement Wednesday.
Other
budget items include $22.8 million for a children’s behavioral health
program, an $18 million increase to support reproductive health programs
and $53.5 million for the Illinois Department of Public Health to
prepare for future public health emergencies following the COVID-19
pandemic.
There
would also be $24 million set aside for rate increases for home workers
who assist the aging population, increased outreach for the elderly and
an adult day care service.
There
would be continued investments in a violence prevention initiative
established through legislation in 2021 that called for more than $240
million in spending over multiple years. The program distributes money
to groups statewide that specialize in conflict mediation and connects
those most at-risk of becoming a victim or perpetrator of violence with
therapy and other social services.
The
budget also includes $400 million for a fund to help Pritzker attract
large businesses to the state. Lawmakers approved similar funding in
January, but the money won’t be spent before the end of the current
budget year and would be rolled over.
According
to the governor’s office, $40 million was also set aside in forgivable
loans to launch more social-equity cannabis businesses, and $20 million
would be available for capital projects in downtown areas of towns
throughout the state.
Democrats
hold supermajorities in both chambers and could pass a budget without
any Republican votes. Harmon, the Senate president, downplayed any
dissension among top Democrats as budget negotiations played out.
“Trust
among the three of us is at an all-time high,” Harmon said, standing
alongside Pritzker and Welch, “and I’m looking forward to finalizing
this budget without any deviation from that.”
Senate
Republicans were still reviewing the Democrats’ budget after it was
filed late Wednesday and Senate GOP Leader John Curran was “still
communicating” with Harmon, Senate Republican spokeswoman Whitney Barnes
said.
In
a statement earlier in the day, House Republican leader Tony McCombie
lamented that some of her caucus’s budget priorities, including the
extension of a $75 million tax credit program for people who contribute
to private school scholarships, were not included in the Democratic
budget.
“Today
we learned from Gov. Pritzker and Democratic leaders that our shared
priorities are not included. I am incredibly disappointed for Illinois
families,” she said.
Pearson reported from Chicago. Tribune reporter Hank Sanders contributed from Springfield.
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