West Cook News

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Democratic leaders reached a significant milestone by agreeing on a $50.6 billion state budget.

But progress halted as lawmakers adjourned without presenting the measure for a vote on May 24.

“The Senate and the House have agreed to give us the tools to manage the program properly,” Pritzker said in a report from the Chicago Tribune. He added that it “allows us to provide health care for the people who are on the program now and make sure that we’re continuing the program going forward, but in a budget-friendly way so that everybody gets the health care that they need.”

Following the conclusion of a legislative session that guaranteed the extension of talks into the upcoming weekend, a spokesperson for Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) revealed that the legislation was currently under thorough review by all involved parties. The objective was to ensure that the proposed legislation accurately reflected the agreement that had been reached.

State legislators had the authority to extend the deadline for final budget approval until May 31, granting them the opportunity to secure a majority vote. But any budget approval beyond that date would necessitate a three-fifths vote in favor from both the House and Senate. Experts swiftly noted that the existing Democratic supermajorities in both chambers were robust enough to comfortably meet the heightened requirement.

Pritzker had also allocated an additional $1.1 billion to account for the escalating costs of his Medicaid-style program for noncitizen immigrants. The influx of immigrants to the city of Chicago has surged, intensifying the strain on the state budget and amplifying the financial pressure faced by Illinois.

Currently, the program covers noncitizen immigrants aged 42 and above, regardless of legal status or possession of green cards, provided that they have not fulfilled the required five-year waiting period for eligibility in traditional insurance programs designed to assist the indigent population.

In an update, Pritzker signed the budget into law Wednesday in Chicago, a WLS report said. The $50.6 billion plan is the largest ever for the state.