Inside:
- Three-year budget forecast paints worrisome picture
- House misses another chance to pass ethics reform
- Five Swanson bills still moving in the House
- More news
Three-year budget forecast paints worrisome picture
Illinois’ non-partisan fiscal agency, the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (CGFA), is out with another report on the state’s longer-term fiscal prospects and it does not look good.
In the medium term, Illinois’ fiscal outlook is somewhat pessimistic when considering growth patterns and revenue projections for the next three fiscal years. The state’s “structural deficit,” which is the locked-in spending that goes above and beyond available revenues, is a big part of this year’s budget and is likely to continue into next year. CGFA projects that the state will run $277 million short of funds to meet the amount of spending required by this year’s budget (which runs through June 30).
The longer-term numbers are more concerning. As the state continues to spend more than it takes in, the deficits grow – and with them comes the threat of more tax increases to pay for all the spending. CGFA saw a $1.877 billion shortfall in 2026, ballooning to $3.199 billion in 2027 and growing still more in 2028 to $4.323 billion.
There was room for some hope, however. CGFA pointed out that if policymakers act responsibly and restrict the growth in state spending to 1.2%, which is a policy routinely imposed in the private sector when cash flows are falling short, the deficit is much smaller and might even approach true balance in 2027.
We are still two months from the end of session and the likely last-minute reveal of the budget. There is still time to make responsible choices and spend taxpayer money much more wisely than before. We must do so.
House misses another chance to pass ethics reform
Last Friday was the deadline to have bills moved out of House committees and onto the full House floor for further discussion. I was proud to have five of my bills make it past this first step and continue through the process. Unfortunately, while there were over 600 bills which made it onto the House floor for consideration, only 64 of these had Republican sponsors – a ratio of 90-10 in favor of Democrats. Most Republican bills were not even called up for hearings in committee.
One type of bill which is notably absent from those we started considering on the House floor this week was an ethics reform bill. In spite of the recent conviction of former Speaker Mike Madigan, once the most powerful politician in Illinois, the House still did not show any interest in passing bills to change our system in Springfield and prevent corruption.
There were many anti-corruption bills introduced this year, including a proposal to make outgoing members wait longer to become lobbyists and to prevent politicians from using their campaign funds to pay for legal bills stemming from corruption charges. Sadly none of these bills, or the many others that were proposed, were among those which emerged from committee and made it to the House floor.
This was a significant missed opportunity.
Five Swanson bills still moving in the House
I filed 15 new bills in this year’s spring session. I would have liked to have seen all of them pass in committee and keep advancing, but not all of them made it. I am glad to tell you about the five bills that are still moving.
House Bill 46 will help ease the child care shortage in Illinois by directing the state to provide documentation to translate applications for child care licensure.
House Bill 1149 requires Illinois higher education institutions to develop a policy about awarding academic credit for training which was conducted as a firefighter. State law already provides such credit for EMT training, this bill would extend credits to firefighters.
House Bill 1754 directs the Department of Public Health to provide educational materials regarding alpha-gal syndrome data on its website and undertake an awareness and educational campaign for community members, local health departments and medical providers on the signs and symptoms of alpha-gal syndrome, including education on proper procedures by which to order a test for diagnosis of alpha-gal syndrome.
House Bill 2631 changes the Illinois Code of Military Justice to update some definitions.
House Bill 3388 adds to the definition of “fire department vehicle” to include certain off-road vehicles and watercraft that are designated or authorized by local authorities for fire department use.
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