Groups seeking taxpayer funds in final days of Illinois legislative session

[March 28, 2022]  By Andrew Hensel | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – Various groups are looking for extra taxpayer funding following the COVID-19 pandemic, but a policy expert says Illinois does not have the extra funds.

The state Legislature is scheduled to adjourn April 8. Illinois Senate Democrats are calling for wage increases for certain taxpayer-funded health care workers following the COVID-19 pandemic.

One piece of legislation, Senate Bill 4030, would increase wages for some home care workers. The measure remains in a Senate committee.

SEIU-Health Care Illinois & Indiana union President Greg Kelley said it is time to support those who supported many others during the pandemic.

The majority of whom are women and women of color, and immigrants who have risked their own health and well-being to care for those facing the life-threatening scourge of COVID," Kelley said during a news conference.

Kelley said SB4030 and many other pieces of legislation are meant to do what the state's budget failed to do.

"Unfortunately, the budget falls short and needs to be changed to reflect the priorities that our workers are important at this moment," Kelley said.
 

Adam Schuster, budget and tax research director at the Illinois Policy Institute, said that due to many other issues, the state does not have the extra funds for such requests.

"What's going on in Illinois is that we do not have the money," Schuster said. "We have the worst credit rating of all 50 states and we have the largest net burden compared to the size of our economy."

Illinois received $8.1 billion in federal tax funds last year from the American Rescue Plan Act. Much of it is being spent on other things like the state's unemployment fund deficit. Schuster said the state cannot afford to make promises with money they do not have.

"The federal aid that we are floating on right now runs out in 2024," Schuster said. "You cannot create permanent programs on the back of temporary funding."

SB4030 would give a $1 increase to wages for in-home care workers.

Several other groups have been lobbying lawmakers looking for extra funding following the pandemic.

Earlier this month, The AFSCME union was pushing for increased wages for direct support personnel. Separately, the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association is looking for $250 million in grants for hotels across the state. Republicans are looking to use more of the federal funds to pay down the entirety of the $4.5 billion unemployment trust fund debt after Democrats approved a partial payment of $2.7 billion.

Andrew Hensel has years of experience as a reporter and pre-game host for the Joliet Slammers, and as a producer for the Windy City Bulls. A graduate of Iowa Wesleyan University and Illinois Media School, Andrew lives in the south suburbs of Chicago.