On Wednesday, Governor JB Pritzker presented a proposed Fiscal Year 2021 Budget that increases State operating expenses by $2.2 billion. Following the Governor’s Budget Address, State Representative Amy Grant (R-Wheaton) issued a press statement:
“I appreciate the Governor’s interest in addressing wide-spread problems at the Department of Children & Family Services, but ‘more money’ isn’t necessarily the right or only answer. The Democrats who control Springfield are always quick to throw more money at problems, when perhaps a better approach would be a top-to-bottom audit of DCFS so that root causes of agency failings can be identified and remedied.
“With the booming economy across the country, Illinois is reaping the benefits of more people working and paying taxes, which creates more revenue through economic growth. There is simply no need to raise taxes, through the Governor’s graduated income tax plan or other taxing proposals, to balance the budget. We need to let economic growth drive our revenues and then live within those means.
“I take issue with the Governor’s approach for how he is selling his budget plan. He is essentially tying Illinois’ fiscal future to the passage of his graduated income tax proposal. His ‘pass my graduated income tax Constitutional Amendment or else’ rhetoric was a bullying tactic. It was not well-received by a great number of lawmakers listening to the speech.”