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The proposed fiscal 2024 budget seeks to spend $50.6 billion of
an expected $50.7 billion in tax revenue. Since the Senate did
not pass the budget before they adjourned Wednesday, it’s
expected the legislature will have to continue their work either
into the Memorial Day holiday weekend, or sometime early next
week. That ensures the House has three separate days to read the
bill out loud before final passage.
The overall cost of taxpayers subsidizing health care for
undocumented residents was estimated to be more than $1 billion.
However, state Sen. Elgie Sims, D-Chicago, told a committee that
number isn’t fully known.
“The cost containment measures outlined in, again, a subsequent
piece of legislation have not been passed and authorized yet,”
Sims said Thursday. “You’ll see the final numbers when those
cost containment measures are passed by rule.”
Sims said there will be no expansion of the program subsidizing
undocumented migrant health care. Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the
cost containment measures could allow his administration to
implement co-pays and other related measures to shore up costs.
For pensions, the state plans to spend $10.2 billion, short of
the actuarial estimate of what should be paid.
“I think that is somewhere in the neighborhood of $16 billion,”
Sims said of the actuarial estimate.
During a committee hearing on the budget, state Sen. Chapin
Rose, R-Mahomet, asked how a looming union contract with state
workers will impact the budget.
“This is going to hit us eventually, right, presumably in ‘24,”
Rose said. “So is it the … departments, plural, are gonna have
to live within the means of this budget or are we anticipating
another supplemental down the road whenever the contract is
released?”
Sims said it’s not uncommon for legislators to pass supplemental
appropriations if issues arise. Rose said unless the governor is
able to curb union employee cost increases, that’s going to be
likely.
“You’ve only got about $100 million in give between revenue and
spend,” Rose said.
Legislators have until May 31 to pass the budget with simple
majorities. The House returns Friday.
Greg Bishop reports on Illinois government and
other issues for The Center Square. Bishop has years of
award-winning broadcast experience and hosts the WMAY Morning
Newsfeed out of Springfield.
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