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The budgeted spending would be for a Proviso schools athletic
facility. After Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the $55.2 billion
budget, Welch defended the planned spending as an economic
driver for his and other communities.
“If helping Proviso and the region I grew up in is gonna cost me
an election, I’m willing to do that,” Welch said Monday. “I’m
fine with that.”
Welch says he asked Illinois House Minority Leader Tony McCombie
how he can help her members. On Wednesday, McCombie said
Republicans in the superminority were not given the opportunity
to earmark similar funding for their districts.
“We did not have any opportunity,” said McCombie, R-Savanna.
“But also, this is not the year for anybody in the General
Assembly to be getting pork projects. We can't afford it.”
One budget analysis shows $240 million in members’ district
projects that Republicans say are only going to Democratic
lawmakers' jurisdictions.
Welch said the spending, including in his district, is
important.
“There’s $30 million in there for a bridge in Kane and McHenry
county, there’s $33 million over a couple of budgets for a
sports complex in Tinley Park,” Welch said.
McCombie scoffed at that comparison.
“Any leader to sit there and say that $40 million for a sports
complex is similar to a bridge infrastructure rebuild is
certainly not understanding the needs of infrastructure in the
state of Illinois,” McCombie said.
The budget that begins July 1 is the largest spending plan in
state history.
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