|
Last year's budget was over 3,000 pages and was presented by the
Democratic majority to Republicans at the last moment, giving
the public no time to review it.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s budget proposal includes nearly $50 billion
in state spending, an increase to the state’s annual spending by
$3 billion.
Revenue estimates were revised downward this month. The
Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability said
April receipts fell $1.8 billion compared to the same month the
year prior.
Now more spending pressures have appeared, including a proposed
program expansion to provide health care for more incoming
migrants.
During a news conference Wednesday, Tovia Siegel, director of
the organization Healthy Illinois, called on lawmakers to
approve the funding.
“It saves lives in the long run,” Siegel said. “It saves lives
and it saves money too. This isn’t breaking the state budget,
and to say so is just blatantly anti-immigrant.”
State Rep. Norine Hammond, R-Macomb, who serves as chief
budgeteer for the House Republican Caucus, has laid out in
detail the dramatic growth in undocumented immigrant
participation, which will require nearly a billion dollars in
general revenue funds to support the program in fiscal year
2024.
“Undocumented immigrants are ineligible for any federal Medicaid
match, resulting in state [General Revenue Fund] being used to
pay for the entirety of services provided,” Hammond said last
month. “These ballooning enrollments and costs are unsustainable
and could lead to the loss of funding and services for Illinois’
most vulnerable citizens.”
House Republicans have called for a moratorium on expanding the
state’s health care program, saying Illinois is facing a fiscal
emergency.
State Rep. Joe Sosnowski, R-Rockford, said the needs of
Illinoisans should be addressed in the state budget.
“We just can’t prioritize nonresidents of Illinois when you’ve
got so many costs for our current residents in infrastructure,
schools, ect. that have pressing needs,” Sosnowski said.
Kevin
Bessler reports on statewide issues in Illinois for the Center
Square. He has over 30 years of experience in radio news
reporting throughout the Midwest.
|
|
