Illinois residents will see higher taxes and Illinois lawmakers will see bigger paychecks.
Some Democrats said the Illinois legislative session that went into overtime and wrapped up Sunday evening was historic. Others said lawmaker increased taxes and gave themselves a pay increase.
Lawmakers passed the highest-spending state budget in history with increased fees and taxes. The state tax on gasoline will double from 19 to 38 cents a gallon. Annual vehicle registration fees will rise by $50 for most vehicles. And also approved was a $1 per pack hike in cigarette taxes. The budget spends “approximately $40.6 billion in General Funds expenditures as well as $66.5 billion in Other State Funds including operations and capital, for a total of $107 billion in appropriations,” according to a budget fact sheet.
Details of the budget didn’t surface until Friday and it was subsequently passed by the House hours later. The House and Senate over the weekend then passed the nearly 1,600-page spending plan and the various implementation bills that increased various taxes and fees to pay for it.
The Senate wrapped up Saturday after passing gambling expansion and a doubling of the gas tax to pay for infrastructure. Before they left Saturday, the House failed to take up a Senate measure to freeze lawmaker pay. That means lawmakers will be getting a 2.4 percent pay raise – about $1,600 added to the base pay of $67,800.
State Sen. Jason Plummer, R-Edwardsville, said it’s offensive to taxpayers.
“The legislature is taking a pay increase while increasing gas taxes, while increasing fees and taxes on our businesses, on our residences, it’s absolutely offensive and I’m frankly embarrassed to be a legislator with stuff like this happening,” Plummer said. “I apologize to the taxpayers for what’s happened this year.”
But, after the Senate adjourned, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said lawmakers worked hard this session.
“These legislators did an outstanding job, you saw how hard they worked,” Pritzker said.
“I call on the Illinois House Democratic Caucus to bring us back into session to approve [a freeze to lawmaker pay],” state Rep. Tim Butler, R-Springfield, wrote in a Facebook post. “Outside of that option, I call upon Gov. J.B. Pritzker to issue an amendatory veto of the budget implementation act to add a denial of the COLA/pay raise to Illinois House and Senate Members.”
Pritzker said lawmaker pay is a legislative issue. Regardless. he said with all the major measures passed, the session was historic.
“And of course there are some people who will disagree, that’s OK, but the important thing is that all of us here, many people came together to accomplish really big things for the state and the working families of the state are going to feel the positive effects of it.”
Democrats passed a statewide minimum wage hike, expanded child care assistance eligibility, approved a budget, capital plan and legislation to legalize marijuana. However, to pay for the budget and capital plans, residents will face higher taxes, including higher costs at the pump when the state’s gas tax doubles.
The Senate Sunday passed the infrastructure bill to double the state’s gas tax and increase vehicle registration fees the day after the House rushed the bill through in overtime.
The state’s gas tax would increase immediately if the governor signs it.
State Sen. Martin Sandoval, D-Chicago, said the gas tax will be doubled and indexed to inflation going forward, meaning the gas tax will increase every year.
“We’re going to increase gas revenues from here on out,” Sandoval said.
Ten Republicans Senators voted for it. The night before in the House 20 Republicans jump on board.
State Rep. Blaine Wilhour, R-Beecher City, who voted against it, said the GOP votes provided cover to the Democrats in districts Republicans should be winning.
“And I just don’t really see anything substantial on the table there to put 20 votes on the table for a gas tax increase,” Wilhour said.
Other measures the legislature passed over the weekend before adjourning included legalizing sports wagering, six new casinos, tax increases on tobacco, taxes on health insurance claims and abortion expansion.
Lawmakers passed nearly 600 bills to the governor this spring. Bills must be sent to the governor within 30 days of passage. As of Sunday afternoon, five bills had been sent to Pritzker’s office. Bills will likely be sent in stages. Pritzker has 60 days to sign or veto bills when he gets them. If he doesn’t act, they become law.
Lawmakers are off for the summer. They’re back this fall.
