State Representative Norine Hammond issued the following statement in response to Governor JB Pritzker’s Fiscal Year 2023 Budget and State of the State address:
“Two years ago, Governor Pritzker was pushing for a $3.6 billion graduated income tax hike, threatening drastic cuts if his tax hike wasn’t passed. In November 2020, Illinois voters rejected the Governor’s tax hike. Today, the Governor unveiled a rosy budget picture where, despite not raising the income tax, he has all the revenue he needs to spend even more.
“State spending would increase $2.5 billion under Pritzker’s budget plan, outpacing our long-term revenue outlook. It seems clear that the Governor isn’t telling the whole story here, which is that federal ARPA dollars are being used to prop up State spending. When that well runs dry, Pritzker’s Bailout Budget will leave Illinois taxpayers holding the bill for all of this spending.”