House Republicans, however, had announced earlier in the day that they would not provide any votes to pass the bill, calling it “one of the largest spends in Illinois history.” “We should not have to choose between being responsible for being a responsible state and being a compassionate one,” Speaker Pro Tem Jehan Gordon-Booth, D-Peoria, the top Democratic budget negotiator, said on the House floor. Pritzker has said that will effectively make a two-year community college education available tuition- and fee-free for every working-class student in Illinois.Īnd it includes a $350 million increase in the Evidence Based Funding formula for K-12 education, the minimum amount called for under the law that lawmakers passed in 2018. It also includes a $100 million increase in funding for public universities and community colleges, along with a $100 million increase in Monetary Award Program financial aid grants for low-income college students. The budget also includes Pritzker’s “Home Illinois” initiative – an $85 million increase in funding to support homelessness prevention, affordable housing, outreach and other programs aimed at reducing homelessness. For the upcoming fiscal year, that includes $250 million to increase the number of preschool slots available, stabilize the early childhood workforce and expand the Early Intervention and Home Visiting Programs. “Smart Start Illinois” is a multi-year plan that aims to make childcare and preschool available to every three- and four-year-old whose family wants those services. It contains several new initiatives he asked for, including investments in pre-K through 12 th grade education, child welfare, combating poverty and homelessness, and increasing state spending on higher education. The final spending plan looked substantially like the one Pritzker outlined in his February budget proposal. Eight minutes later, the House reconvened yet again for a final vote. The House reconvened Friday evening, gave the budget a brief hearing before reading it into the record for a second time, and finally adjourned shortly after midnight Saturday morning. The Senate passed the budget bill late Thursday night, sending it to the House where it got its first reading shortly thereafter. That’s because the Illinois Constitution requires bills to be read into the record by title on three different days before a vote can be taken. Lawmakers had to jump through some procedural hoops to meet constitutional requirements while still passing the bill in time to leave Springfield for the bulk of Memorial Day weekend. “I look forward to signing this budget making childcare and education more accessible, healthcare more affordable, and our state’s business and economic position even stronger.” JB Pritzker said in a statement after the vote. “This budget reaffirms our shared commitment to fiscal responsibility while making transformative investments in the children and families of Illinois that will be felt for years to come,” Gov. after lengthy debate during which Democrats called the budget “balanced” and “compassionate” while Republicans claimed it masks hidden costs and fails to address the state’s most urgent priorities. The 73-38 party-line vote came around 2:30 a.m. The 2023 spring legislative session came to an end in the early hours of Saturday morning after the Illinois House gave its approval to a $50.6 billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year that begins July 1.
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