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 The sixth day of the special session
of the Illinois General Assembly called by Gov. Bruce Rauner saw the Illinois
House of Representatives and Senate combined to work the least amount of time
yet. The two chambers adjourned after less than 11 total minutes between the two
in special session.
The Senate adjourned after only six minutes and five seconds. The House
adjourned their special session after just four minutes and 20 seconds.
Over five days, the two legislative chambers have put in less than 100 minutes
of work in special session. With each day of special session costing taxpayers
about an additional $50,000, according to an estimate from the Chicago Tribune,
the special session has run taxpayers around $300,000, or about $3,000 for each
minute the House and Senate have worked.
 After adjourning from special session, the House entered regular session where
it passed two House Joint Resolutions to name two separate Illinois expressways
after former President Barack Obama. House Joint Resolution 17, which renames
the entirety of Interstate 294 as the “President Barack Obama Expressway,”
passed 84-0. House Joint Resolution 36, which renames Interstate 55 between the
Tri-State Tollway to mile marker 202 near Pontiac as the “President Barack Obama
Expressway,” passed 63-10-1.
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The special session lasts through June 30, when the current fiscal year expires.
Both parties claim to want a compromise on a budget to prevent Illinois from
becoming the first state with a junk credit rating. However, Democrats and
Republicans alike have proposed plans to raise taxes by more than $5 billion,
which would increase the average Illinois household’s tax burden by $1,125 each
year. But Illinoisans have expressed that they don’t want a budget that hikes
taxes.
Nearly two-thirds of likely Illinois voters don’t want an income tax hike as
part of the state budget, according to polling conducted by Fabrizio, Lee &
Associates and commissioned by the Illinois Policy Institute. More than
three-quarters of respondents oppose hiking sales taxes. And nearly 80 percent
agree “Illinois state lawmakers should pass major structural reforms before
passing any tax increase.”
The Illinois Policy Institute has introduced a budget proposal that offers real
reform without raising taxes. This kind of reform-minded, no-tax-hike proposal
is in line with what Illinoisans want. Lawmakers should use that as a framework
while taxpayers pay for their costly special session.
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