This week, Governor JB Pritzker delivered his annual State of the State and Budget address to a joint Session of the General Assembly. The speech marks the first time the annual address was delivered in person to the General Assembly since 2020 due to COVID.
The Governor offered ambitious spending plans for the FY 24 budget, which included an increase in overall spending by nearly $3 billion. Revenue estimates are trending down. My thoughts on the Governor’s speech is included in my press release and video reaction below.
It is my pleasure to serve the people of the 118th district in Springfield. If I ever may be of service to you, please feel free to reach out to my Marion or Carbondale office any time!
Rep. Jacobs: Illinois on Track to Spend More while Revenues Head South
SPRINGFIELD – 118th District State Representative Paul Jacobs (R-Pomona) says Illinois is on track to spend more money than it takes in if the General Assembly adopts Governor JB Pritzker’s proposed budget. The Governor delivered a combined Budget and State of the State speech to a joint Session of the General Assembly on Wednesday.
“I heard a lot of promises to spend big money on new programs today, but I can’t help but notice that revenues are going down,” Jacobs said. “This is not a sustainable way of budgeting. What small business or family budget can sustain spending more than they’re taking in? There may be some laudable goals and programs that are worth looking at, but the basic financial principle that you can’t spend more than you’re taking in should be the basis for budget making in Illinois.”
Major spending increases by area include:
• $572 million to preK-12 Education
• $219 million to Higher Education
• $224 million to Public Safety
• $912 million to Human Services
• $709 million to Healthcare/Medicaid
“The people I serve are demanding inflation relief, electricity rate relief, and relief at the gas pump. The people I serve are demanding tax relief. We have to ease the financial burden on working families and stop the runaway spending that has caused inflation in the first place,” Jacobs said. “I am strongly in favor of a line-by-line review of the Governor’s proposal. The right place to do this review is in the appropriations committees in the House and Senate. A speech is just a speech. Now it’s time to get to work to ensure we are responsibly spending the peoples’ money, and not obligating our state to programs that we won’t be able to afford in the future.”
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As the new 118th district boundaries have taken effect, I have opened an office in Marion and Carbondale to serve the needs of the residents of my new district. It is my honor to serve you. My staff is available at the following locations to assist you with any state-government related needs!
District Office – Marion
600 Halfway Rd. Suite 103
Marion, IL 62959
(618) 559-7018
District Office – Carbondale
206 W. College, Suite 2
Carbondale, IL 62901
618-534-9880
Springfield Office
234-N Stratton Building
Springfield, IL 62706
217-782-0387
Rep. Paul Jacobs
http://www.ilhousegop.org/