House, Senate pass FY23 budget

The Illinois Senate early Saturday morning voted 34 to 19 to pass HB900, the more than $46 billion FY23 budget as amended. The House voted 72 to 42 to concur with Senate on the budget around 6am this morning.

Meanwhile, the House voted 110 to 0 to pass revenue omnibus bill SB157, which includes a variety of the inflation and tax relief proposals. That bill was then approved by the Senate with a vote of 55 to 1.

On the floor, Senate Chief Budgeteer Elgie Sims (D-Chicago) celebrated how far the state has come since its budget impasse in 2017 and through the heights of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Republicans on the floor criticized the legislation for a variety of reasons, including the temporary nature of proposed tax relief plans, a lack of support for the Local Government Distributive Fund, and the progressive expansion of government spending.

On the floor, Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Champaign) called the budget “a missed opportunity” to make the state less expensive to live in and support families.

The bills now head to Gov. J.B. Prtizker for final approval.