The Illinois Senate has approved a $50 billion state budget after several days of deliberations.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. --
But Republicans ultimately unanimously voted against the spending plan despite GOP lawmakers acknowledging their support for some of its components. Sims, in turn, gave a fiery defense of the plan after Republicans lobbed criticisms in floor debate. Members of his party cited Democrats' choice to not address the January 2024 expiration of a $75 million annual state tax credit program that funds private school scholarships, along with inaction on requested changes to the state's strictest-in-the-nation biometric privacy law as a sticking point in negotiations. That law has been the basis of dozens of costly lawsuits for businesses that unknowingly violate it.
That agreement was hammered out during House Democrats' roughly four-hour caucus meeting Thursday afternoon, which concluded at about the same time the budget amendments were filed. One major Pritzker priority funded fully in the Senate-approved budget is "Smart Start Illinois," a multi-year plan that aims to make childcare and preschool available to every three- and four-year-old whose family wants those services. For the upcoming fiscal year, that includes $250 million to increase the number of preschool slots available, stabilize the early childhood workforce and expand the early intervention and home visiting programs.
One major point of contention among both Republicans and Democrats during the budget-making process was a rapidly growing program that provides Medicaid-style health care coverage for noncitizens aged 42 and older who would be eligible for Medicaid if not for their citizenship status. The program is new as of 2021, and Democrats have now twice expanded eligibility from the original 65 and over population.
The Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus had pushed to expand the program to cover adults aged 19 to 41 and to allow it to grow without a spending cap. The expansion to younger noncitizens wasn't included in the final budget.
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