Will County Gazette

With the state soon expected to receive as much as $7.5 billion from the federal government’s $1.9 trillion relief bill, state Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) is calling on state lawmakers to be more efficient in running the state.

 “We still need to realize that the house is on fire and that the fire needs to be put out and a temporary bump in money misused is the right thing to do,” Batinick said.

While the windfall is still not enough to cover the state’s bill backlog, Comptroller Susana Mendoza said she and Gov. J.B. Pritzker have agreed the funds should be prioritized to pay back recently borrowed federal monies.

The state has borrowed as much as $3 billion from the federal government during the pandemic. Batinick said it makes sense to pay back that money, but adds the planning shouldn’t end there.

Batinick argues real change won’t come until the state starts to deal with its structural imbalances that keep it from operating more efficiently