Will County Gazette

Illinois state Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) fears Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s new fiscal year budget does nothing to address the issues that have left the state in such a financial rut.

“We’re still going backward, still not even paying any interest on a pension debt bill that continues to swell,” Batinick told the Will County Gazette. “I’ve said it before: until the Democrats curb their insatiable appetite for spending, Illinois will not be financially stable. We have to come up with a plan that pays the debt now. That should be our top priority.”

Pritzker spent much of his recent state budget address pushing the progressive income tax idea he has promoted since his days as a candidate.

While the governor continues to insist the new tax will only mean higher rates for the state’s wealthiest residents, Batinick is among a growing number of GOP lawmakers who question the truthfulness of those words. Either way, the veteran lawmaker argues there’s no commitment to addressing what he sees as the state’s biggest issues.

“No one in Springfield is taking our debt as seriously as they should,” he said. “The governor is proposing a nearly $4 billion tax increase and only 5 percent of that will go toward pensions. If they were serious, at least half of that would go to pensions. Instead, it’s just for more growth of government.”

In the end, Batinick said this year’s address had a familiar ring to it.  

“Last year, the governor proposed skipping pension payments in his budget address,” he posted on his website. “This year’s address wasn’t much different. It was not a serious proposal to tackle the state’s biggest issue. Our pension debt is serious and it will continue to build until we address it.”