The Senate and House adjourned in the overnight hours of May 31-June 1, and legislators are now back in their home districts for the next several months. In all, over the five-month spring session, 432 bills were passed by both chambers. These measures will be sent to the Governor over the next few weeks and he will take final action on them over the summer.
The last week in Springfield was perhaps our busiest ever, with the budget and public transit cliff issue coming to a head.
Legislators Send Governor Record-High Budget with $1 Billion in New Taxes
On the final day of the spring legislative session, the House and Senate passed a $55.2 billion budget and the supporting implementation documents, and sent those bills to the Governor. The new budget, which will take effect on July 1, 2026, includes an increase in spending of $2 billion, or 3.9%, over the current budget. Click here to listen to a radio interview I did as session was closing.
With the passage of the FY 2026 budget, state spending under Governor Pritzker has increased by $15 billion, or almost 40%, since he took office six years ago. For perspective, consider this: It took every Illinois Governor in history 200 years to get to the $30 billion budget threshold. In just six years, Governor Pritzker has exploded spending to $55.2 billion. It’s the fastest, most dramatic spending expansion in our state’s history.
Some Democrats from the Senate and House joined all republicans in voting against the bloated budget. However, despite the bipartisan opposition, the measures did pass, and the Governor has signaled that he will sign them into law.
The budget for the fiscal year that begins on July 1, 2025, includes approximately $1 billion in new tax increases on top of the $1 billion in tax hikes imposed just one year ago. Because the 3,363-page budget plus the supporting documents were dropped with only a few hours for review, our policy staff continues to work through the document. However, for now, here are a few high-level informational items:
Pre-K-12 Education
- The Early Childhood Block Grant, which was supposed to increase by $75 million, remains level with FY 2025.
- The Evidence-Based Funding Formula calls for $350 million in additional funding each year. However, for FY 2026, only $307 million will be directed toward schools through the formula. The additional $43 million, which had been part of a property tax relief fund for the districts across the state with the highest property tax rates, was eliminated from the budget.
- Funding for the Community College Board was decreased by $24 million from the current year, primarily through decreased funding for workforce development grants.
- Funding for state universities will increase by 1% for FY 2026.
- While not part of the budget, through separate legislation, Senate Bill 191, three-point seat belts will be required on new school buses.
Pensions
- The minimum statutorily required payment will be made, but since the payment is not based on actuarial recommendations, the public pension systems will accrue additional debt in FY 2026.
- Tier 2 public pensions are likely out of compliance with the Social Security “safe harbor” law, which requires pension benefits to be, at a minimum, equal to Social Security benefits. The Tier 2 pension system was not reformed in the new budget, despite significant conversations throughout the budgeting process. However, a Tier 2 reserve fund, including $75 million, was created and can be accessed if there are violations of the “safe harbor” law.
Municipalities
- The LGDF funding formula remains unchanged from FY 2025.
Public Safety
- $5.4 million is allocated for two new State Police cadet classes, which will increase law enforcement numbers by 100 cadets.
Human Services
- An 80-cent-per-hour wage increase for direct support professionals who provide services to Illinois’ intellectually and developmentally disabled (IDD) population is paired with a 35% reduction in allowable service hours, which translates to a loss of approximately 300,000 care hours, or approximately 150 full-time care provider positions (I find this particularly egregious).
- $36 million in additional funding is allocated for addiction treatment services.
- $160 million in additional funding is allocated to cover caseload growth in the Childcare Assistance Program.
- $105 million increase in funding is allocated for the Home Services program to cover caseload growth.
- $40 million is allocated for “Welcoming Centers” for illegal immigrants.
Legislation to Reform Public Transit Stalls
A great deal of time was spent over the last three years to develop a new governance and funding structure for the six-county regional transit area, which includes Chicago, and the counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will. On the Senate Transportation Committee, on which I serve, detailed hearings and bipartisan discussion have been taking place for the last 18 months. Unfortunately, the proposal ultimately brought forward near the end of session was heavily skewed toward Chicago and Cook County and became less about fair and equitable board representation and shared decision-making and funding responsibility, and more about a Chicago takeover of mass transit with suburban riders and taxpayers footing the bill. A last-minute amendment to the bill also added a statewide delivery tax of $1.50 for almost every item delivered to a home in Illinois, adding downstate residents to the mix for funding a transit system most of them probably will rarely, if ever, use.
With the majority of the collar county board chairmen/women opposed to the final version of the bill, Senate Democrats did push the measure through. Luckily, the transit bill stalled at that point. It was not brought up for a vote in the House.
While this was a small victory, we must remain vigilant on this issue. Lawmakers could be called back to Springfield over the summer to seek House approval, or it could be brought forward during this fall’s veto session. I would encourage you to contact every member of the House of Representatives and urge them to oppose the transit bill. Our work on this measure is not finished and I will continue pushing for amendments that bring the transit bill back to its original intended purpose of fair and equitable board membership and voting authority, and a funding system that is not unfairly punitive to any segment of the region.
Several High Profile Bills Fail to Cross Finish Line Prior to Adjournment
While the budget and its supporting documents are on their way to the Governor’s desk, several high profile bills failed to advance prior to adjournment. However, like the transit bill, these issues remain “alive” and could be brought up during a summer session or during veto session. Some of those measures include:
- State funding to help the Chicago Bears move to Arlington Heights
- Legalizing Assisted Suicide
- Allowing community colleges to offer four-year degrees
- Banning mobile phone use by students in K-12 classrooms
- The Homeschool bill
Mark Your Calendars for Wilcox Outreach Events!
Don’t forget that this summer’s community outreach events kick off on Thursday, June 26, with an ICASH Unclaimed Property Event in Fox Lake. These ICASH events are incredibly popular, and my office’s running total for cash returned to constituents stands at $3,406,150.95! In most cases, the recipients didn’t even know they had cash or property waiting for them!
Please mark your calendars now for these upcoming events and visit the Events page of my website regularly to be kept up to date about events taking place near you.
- June 26: ICASH Unclaimed Property Event, Fox Lake Public Library, 255 East Grand Avenue, Fox Lake, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
- July 15: Conversations Untapped, Spirit Water Brewery, Distillery, and Taproom, 3300 Three Oaks Road, Cary, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
- July 23: Conversations Untapped, Rivalry Ale House, 945 Main Street, Antioch, IL, 5:30PM – 7:00PM
- August 16: Document Shredding Event, Office of State Rep. Steve Reick, 1072 Lake Avenue, Woodstock, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- October 14: Senior Resource Fair, Grand Oaks Recreation Center, 1401 IL-176, Crystal Lake, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM