Saturday Budget Details
The Illinois Statehouse
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Notes from Friday night’s House budget hearing and Saturday morning’s Senate budget hearing:
House Majority Leader Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston) claims “nearly $400 million” in cuts below the Governor’s introduced budget
$193 million were for “operational cuts” across agencies and a “variety of programmatic efficiencies” whatever that means. She gave no specifics
Increased spending over the Governor’s proposed budget on Safety Net Hospitals ($118 million), free and charitable clinics, and federally qualified health clinics
Budget includes 80-cents per hour increase for DSP (Direct Support Personnel) at IDHS and a 75-cents per hour incrice for community care program workers
There is $2.5 billion in additional FY25 (current year) spending. They cited GOMB’s FY25 revenue estimate for the additional funds
There are $527 million in fund sweeps to help balance the budget
$75 million is in the budget for Tier 2 safe harbor fixes, but we’ll see if that bill moves separately
When Gabel was pressed by Republicans on the $7,000 pay raise for lawmakers, she said the budget only allows “automatic” pay hikes
I mentioned last night the EBF funding for K-12 drops from $350 million to $300 million. Gabel said $43 million of that is a pause on property tax relief grants
$171 million in gasoline sales taxes will be held back from the road fund and used in the GRF
Lawmakers believe an income tax amnesty program will bring in $228 million in one-time revenue
There is $8.2 in new capital appropriations that will require additional bonding authority. Gabel did not identify a funding source to pay the bonds back.
Gabel tried to avoid answering the question, but it looks like the $3 million per Senate Democrat and $1.5 million per House Democrat for member projects is in the plan
There’s a $137 million in the state group health insurance program cost, which Gabel said came from negotiated savings and some of the cost will be picked up by the road fund
There is no reduction in LGDF
$1.016 billion in total tax increases coming- Revenue bill was filed at 6p Saturday here
Sims has the spend at $55.16 billion
Per Sims, total revenue estimate the budget is based on is $55.297 billion, but House Majority Leader Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston) said last night they used the $54.9 billion GOMB estimate. Sims’ number apparently includes the $1 billion plus in new taxes, but if the House version doesn’t, that would push revenue to $56 billion. I’m starting to think some things ain’t adding up here
On that $2.5 billion FY25 supplemental, Sims implied the revised COGFA estimate of $53.9 billion covers the supplemental
There will be reduced FY26 transfers to the Rainy Day Fund in the budget, which will probably upset Comptroller Susana Mendoza, who has been pretty fiercely guarding it. “A pause,” Sims said of $3.75 million a month will be paused, to the tune of about $45 million next year
“We are trying to make the best of a bad situation, and we are facing that head on,” Sims said. “We’ve done that as a part of this proposal, and we’ll continue to do that.”
Of the 3% higher education increase in the Governor’s proposed budget, it appears there will be a guarantee for a 1% increase for higher education and the other 2% will be held back “in reserve”
Interesting to note, 6 1/2 years after Bruce Rauner left office, Sims claimed the state is “still climbing out of the hollowing out of state government.” Rauner may be a forever punching bag
Republicans claimed even though DSP’s are getting a wage increase, they’ll have their hours cut. (The line item is unchanged.) Sims did not counter the GOP claim.
Republicans criticized state spending to subsidize Chicago’s NASCAR race and the 2026 President’s Cup golf matches at Medinah Country Club in the suburbs
