SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (KWQC) – Illinois lawmakers are in the final stretch of session, yet the most expensive proposed budget in state history doesn’t have a lot of public details.
Republicans proposed their own budget at $44 billion, a substantial step below Governor JB Pritzker’s $55 billion budget.
The GOP said most people won’t see a difference in the services they get now with their budget. They don’t like the idea of creating their own budget without working with Democrats, but they say they have no choice with Democrats leaving them out of budget conversations altogether.
“I had a couple of meetings with some of the budgeteers from the House Democratic caucus up until a couple of weeks ago,” State Representative Norine Hammond said. “We had a couple of meetings, very high level, 10,000-foot if you will, nothing of any substance.”
State Democrats, though, defend their process and said their system has delivered results for people in Illinois for the past several years.
“It’s the same process that’s produced six consecutive balanced budgets,” State Representative Daniel Didech said. “It’s the same process that’s earned our state nine credit rating upgrades.”
When a budget is put before lawmakers, they will only have until the end of the month to get it passed.
Lawmakers will be back to work on Tuesday.
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