🏛️📣 End of Session Updates: The State Budget
Dear Neighbor,
A little after 5am on Wednesday morning, the House adjourned the spring legislative session.
As usual, I'll be sending a few email updates describing some of the most important pieces of legislation we passed this year, and some of the projects I worked on that are headed to the Governor's desk.
We'll start with the budget. This is the biggest thing we do every year. This year we passed a budget that will raise and spend around $53 billion. The overwhelming majority of that budget went to a few big categories, as it does every year: around 20% to K-12 education; 20% to human service programs; 20% to healthcare, mostly through the Medicaid program; and 20% to fund our retiree pension systems. The rest goes to higher education, public safety, and other government purposes.
This year, we made a few key changes I'd like to highlight.
We invested an additional $350 million in public education, targeted at the lowest-income school districts in the state. We provided $1/hr pay raises to DSPs (the workers who provide in-home care for people with disabilities) and childcare providers — jobs that are so chronically underpaid that no one wants to do them, leaving people sitting on waitlists for vital services. We created a $50 million child tax credit for low- and moderate-income families. We provided $182 million to support new arrivals, supplementing investments from the City of Chicago and Cook County. We increased our funding for homeless prevention to $290 million, including significant new investments in court-based rental assistance to help people keep from getting evicted. And we invested $200 million in afterschool programs and summer jobs to keep young people engaged in a positive way and help prevent violence in our communities.
These vital new programs, plus the natural growth in our budget from things like rising employee salaries and increased costs, required us to raise some new revenues. Fortunately, we were able to do so without hitting the bottom lines of working families. Instead, we capped deductions and loopholes for the biggest and most profitable corporations in our state, and taxed profits for online sports betting operations. Those changes are projected to generate over $800 million in new revenue to fund our priorities.
I was proud to vote for this budget. We taxed hugely profitable corporations and invested in our schools, our workforce, and our families in need. There's certainly more to do — plenty of worthwhile programs didn't get as much money as they need. But the budget is balanced, it's fiscally responsible, and it reflects the values of our state.
In our next installment, I'll highlight some of the key pieces of legislation that passed the legislature this spring.
In the meantime, if you have any questions about the budget, please don't hesitate to ask!
Sincerely,
Will
Coffee and Conversation with Ald. La Spata and Rep. Guzzardi
Join Rep. Guzzardi and Ald. La Spata for a free cup of coffee to discuss ongoing policy work and your neighborhood and community concerns on Saturday, June 8 from 10am to 12pm at Cafe Mustache, 2313 N Milwaukee Ave. RSVP here!
Health Coverage Updates
All individuals who receive health coverage through the State of Illinois’ Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults (HBIA) and Health Benefits for Immigrant Seniors (HBIS) programs need to submit their renewal paperwork before June 14 or they may lose coverage effective July 1, 2024. Members can find their renewal due date and confirm their correct mailing address at abe.illinois.gov in “Manage My Case” or by calling 1-800-843-6154.
Kelvyn Park Job Fair
On Friday, June 14, from 2-5pm, there will be a job fair at Kelvyn Park Fieldhouse, 4438 W Wrightwood Ave. Whether you're an employer seeking top talent or an individual looking to connect, this event is for you!
Summer EBT
Summer EBT provides families with school-aged children with a monthly grocery benefit to feed their children for three summer months, June, July, and August, when children are not receiving free or reduced-price meals at school. In summer 2024, families will receive a one-time benefit of $120 for the summer for each eligible child. Benefits are distributed on an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card and can be used at authorized retail stores. For more information on eligibility and how to apply, visit wegotyouillinois.org/summer-ebt.