Dear Neighbors,

Last week we heard Governor Pritzker present his FY25 budget at the State of the State. This is the first step in the budgeting process, and now the negotiations start in the General Assembly.

The Governor’s budget was balanced and had promising investments in communities throughout Illinois, but we must ensure we’re meeting the challenges of our state while equitably serving our constituents. We shouldn’t have to choose between being a responsible state and being a compassionate state; we can and should choose to be both.

I would like to see the FY25 budget continue to invest more in domestic violence services, especially with the potential federal funding cut to VOCA (Victims of Crime Act). Illinois rape crisis centers are fundamental in supporting survivors of gender-based violence, and we cannot let these services go underfunded.

The Governor’s remarks are just the beginning of the process and there are many months ahead where we’ll be going line by line and ensuring that we get the best deal possible for the people of the 85th district.

Continue reading for some highlights of what the Governor included in his budget.

Sincerely.

Healthcare is top of mind for many people in our community, that’s why I’m pleased to share that the Governor has committed to improving access to healthcare by:  

• Retiring $1B of medical debt that unfairly burdens working families 

• Improving maternal healthcare to reverse the worrying rise in maternal mortality rates

• Investing in community based birthing centers

• And providing funding to bring Illinois’ consumer-focused health insurance marketplace online.

Equally important to our district is housing affordability where the Governor has some exciting proposals, including: 

• Important new tools to help communities control property taxes

• A major $360M investment in affordable housing

• An increase in $50M for HOME Illinois to prevent people from losing their housing

• And $104 million in new funding for the Community Care Program to provide in-home care for an estimated 69,000 seniors. 

The Governor also unveiled his plan to support children’s education by: 

• Increasing school funding by $1 billion statewide 

• Committing to a historic expansion of early childhood education

• And expanding MAP grants to help make college accessible for our youth

Many constituents have discussed their concerns with the pension system with me. The Governor laid out some more information:

• The FY25 budget proposal fully funds the certified pension contribution of $10.1 billion from the General Funds

• The State contributed an additional $700 million above certified amounts to the systems across FY22 and FY23

  • These contributions will save taxpayers an estimated $2.4 billion by FY45

  • First time since the 1994 plan was enacted that the State provided contributions above certified amounts

• Illinois is benefiting from reductions in its pension liabilities from the pension buyout program – so far reducing liability by an estimated $2.0 billion

• FY25 contribution to SERS is estimated to be $40 million lower and to TRS $96 million lower than it would have been without the program

• Investment returns, on average, have exceeded expectations over the last 5 years

• These actions help to reduce the share of the General Funds budget going towards pensions, before the significant reduction in 2046

If you have questions about the Governor’s proposed budget, please feel free to reach out to my office. To read more about what’s included click here.