Illinois legislature goes late into the final day of it's scheduled session without voting on a budget, despite declaration from Democrats a day earlier that an agreement was in place.
SPRINGFIELD — More than 24 hours after Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Democratic legislative leaders announced an agreement on a state budget that would provide $1.8 billion in election-year tax relief, state lawmakers on Friday night had yet to take any action to approve the plan.
Democrats also touted the more than $200 million they want to spend on new public safety initiatives, including efforts to recruit and retain law enforcement officers. That’s on top of $240 million — mostly from federal coronavirus relief money — for violence prevention programs. But in an election year, the Democrats in recent weeks have made efforts to convince the public — through legislative proposals destined to play a roll in campaign advertisements — that they’re taking a tougher approach to carjackings and other crimes. According to the Chicago Police Department, there were 1,852 reported carjackings in the city in 2021, more than triple the number two years earlier.
Republicans contended that owners of stolen vehicles already have ways to avoid paying such fines, and the bill does nothing to go after perpetrators.