Will County Gazette

Rep. David Welter (R-Morris) recently criticized Democrats for passing the FY23 budget in the middle of the night, and explained why he voted no.

“Illinois Democrats just passed a bloated and unsustainable budget while most of you were sleeping," Welter posted on Facebook. "The 3,400+ page amendment dropped at midnight The budget was put up for a vote at 5:30 a.m. and passed. Make no mistake, they do this in the middle of the night to avoid public scrutiny! This is not how you should govern. The people of Illinois deserve better! This budget is largely built on the federal bailout dollars that won’t be there next year. I voted NO.”

The Illinois legislature passed the Fiscal Year 2023 budget early in the morning on April 9, WIFR reported. The Senate passed the $46.5 billion budget by a vote of 34-19, and the House passed it by a vote of 72-42. The budget allocates $12 billion for education spending, $8.8 billion for Human Services, $2.2 billion for public safety, and $1 billion for the state’s rainy day fund.

The budget will freeze Illinois’ motor fuel tax at 39 cents per gallon and will suspend Illinois’ 1% sales tax on groceries, according to NBC5. The budget also includes property tax rebates of up to $300 per household. Illinois Democrats have praised the budget “for its impacts on taxpayers and its commitment to remaining balanced.”

Republicans have been critical of the budget, WAND reported. 

“This budget includes $1.6 billion in pork projects in Democrat-only legislative districts," said Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer (R-Jacksonville). "These include all sorts of things like a ‘pilot program’ for a guaranteed minimum income for women in East St. Louis. This and all of the other projects amount to election-year bribes for their re-election, paid for by all Illinois taxpayers.”