Illinois leaders sweat over tight budget; GOP wants more cuts

By Sean Reed | The Center Square
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – State legislative leaders from both parties spoke to the Illinois Chamber of Commerce about the broad state of legislation and their priorities Thursday in Springfield, as the end of the General Assembly’s spring session draws closer.

Remarks from Senate and House leadership were driven by the topic of affordability and the state budget, with some bipartisan agreement on the issue, but disagreement on how to help Illinoisans, as Democrats want to increase revenue and the GOP wants taxes cut.

House Minority Leader Tony McCombie, R-Savanna,said there is a lot of work she wants done to help businesses in the state. She criticized a variety of initiatives and legislation from across the aisle, saying there is uncertainty in the state’s taxes, regulation and the workforce.

“We can and we must do better. That starts with a more predictable tax environment and it also means stopping policies that make it harder to do business in Illinois. Unfortunately, we’re under an environment right now where people don’t want to work,” McCombie said.

The speaker told the crowd that a number of bills on businesses and their employees proposed by Democrats seem “ridiculous,” but could be a threat to businesses and the workforce.

“Temperature regulation, it’s too hot, it’s too cold, no need to work. A four-day work week, that’s 32 hours. You might be hired for a job that requires you to stand, but we want to give you the right to sit,” McCombie said.

As for the Democrat’s agenda, Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, said his top priority is to pass another balanced state budget by the end of May, despite the process becoming more difficult.

“The biggest challenge we face right now is one we don’t control, Washington. We’re dealing with a level of federal uncertainty that makes responsible budgeting much harder than it should be,” Harmon said. “I wake up almost every morning wondering if a rage tweet out of the White House is going to blow a billion dollar hole in our budget.”

He said cuts by the federal government – both proposed and in place – is estimated to be a decrease of around $61 billion if left in place over the next decade. The leader said he’s optimistic about the future for Illinois.

Senate Minority Leader John F. Curran, R-Lemont, said his party’s focus in the Senate, other than attempting to pass their agenda, is to improve legislation from the opposing party.

He signaled that he wants to continue to boost businesses through policy in Springfield, telling the chamber his party earned a major win stopping a proposed graduated income tax.

“The chamber led on that initiative,” Curran said. “We’re going to turn in the budget in May – and I’ve watched year in and year out, that desperation that last week for additional revenue to spend rather than to constrain and demand efficiencies.”