On Wednesday, Governor JB Pritzker issued his first budget address before a joint session of the House and Senate. Following the speech, State Representative Steve Reick (R-Woodstock) issued the following statement:
“I was incredibly disappointed by the Governor’s refusal to seek real reforms to our pension crisis. He wants to extend the pension ramp by seven years at a cost of billions in interest payments, and essentially kicks the can further down the road. It is that kind of irresponsible behavior that created Illinois’ pension crisis, and the fact that he wants to use a ‘pseudo-pension holiday’ to help cover his spending plan is unconscionable.”
“This budget proposal relies on several new taxes from legislative initiatives that have not been approved yet, and an income tax plan that is currently unconstitutional. If his policy changes do not take shape as he has planned, there will be a gaping $2.6 billion hole in his budget. I find it utterly irresponsible that the Governor would build his budget around a wish list of controversial legislative proposals.”