Citing growing list of duties, Illinois’ Raoul seeks a $15M increase in
AG budget
[April 22, 2025]
By Peter Hancock
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is asking state
lawmakers for a $15 million increase in his General Revenue Fund budget
for the upcoming year, saying his office needs a more “stable” system of
funding as it takes on greater responsibilities, including the growing
volume of litigation against the Trump administration.
In appearances before House and Senate budget committees in recent days,
Raoul said the funding method that has traditionally been used for his
office — one that relied heavily on fees and settlements generated by
cases the office was involved in — no longer is sufficient to sustain
its operations.
“This funding structure has evolved over the years as progressive court
reforms have made fines and fees a less stable source of funding,” he
told the House appropriations committee that oversees his office’s
budget. “Also, proceeds from settlements or lawsuit damages are
unreliable from year to year.”
In Fiscal Year 2019, the year Raoul took office, the attorney general’s
budget totaled $87.7 million, according to state budget records. That
included $32.2 million in general revenue funds and $54.5 million in
“other state funds,” such as fees and settlements. Another $1 million
came from federal funds.
Since then, the attorney general’s office has more than doubled. For the
current fiscal year, the total budget stands at more than $193.7
million, including $105.5 million in general revenue funds and $74.9
million in “other state funds.” Federal funds are projected at $13.5
million.
Raoul’s proposed increase would bring next year’s general revenue fund
budget to more than $120 million.
Since 2019, Raoul said, his office’s responsibilities have grown
substantially. He said the General Assembly has passed 101 new laws —
including some at Raoul’s own request — that either have added new
duties or expanded existing duties of the office while his office has
also been busy defending other laws passed by the General Assembly
against legal challenges.
“The Attorney General’s Office is the sole enforcement agency for
violations of the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act and parts of the
SAFE-T Act,” he told the House panel. “Our office is working diligently
to defend both new and long-standing laws against constitutional
challenges. Each of these cases require significant resources, including
costs associated with our attorneys, travel to courts across the state,
lengthy discovery processes, as well as expert with witness retention.”
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Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul answers questions during a
luncheon interview at the City Club of Chicago on April 1, 2025.
(Credit: City Club of Chicago)
In addition to those challenges, however, Raoul has taken on additional
legal work in recent months challenging actions of President Donald
Trump’s administration.
Since Trump was sworn into office for a second term on Jan. 20, Raoul
has joined in filing 11 federal lawsuits challenging administration
actions and has filed another 14 amicus briefs in support of other legal
challenges. It is also defending the state against two lawsuits that the
Trump administration has filed against Illinois.
“This budget will support supplying the requisite attorneys to step up
where the federal government is stepping away, as well as attorneys
involved in critical cases to protect our state’s interests,” Raoul
said.
Raoul’s office would not provide specific information about the number
of attorneys or other staff it would hire with the additional money. A
spokesperson in his office told Capitol News Illinois in an email that
the money would allow the office “to hire additional attorneys to
perform our growing statutorily-required responsibilities in addition to
the critical work of vigorously defending the rights of Illinois
residents from unconstitutional attacks by the Trump administration.”
Raoul also did not provide specific answers to questions from Republican
lawmakers about how much his office has spent, or how many hours his
attorneys have worked, pursuing litigation against the Trump
administration.
“Our attorneys are, you know, they’re not billing hours. They’re on
salary,” he said. “And so whether they work 20 hours in a day or eight
hours in a day, they are compensated.”
Legislative committees are still in the process of holding hearings on
each state agency’s budget request for the upcoming year. A final budget
is expected to be voted on by the end of May.
Capitol News Illinois is
a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government
coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily
by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation. |
