Springfield, IL…Today Illinois House of Representatives voted to support Governor Pritzker’s amendatory veto of SB2800, the budget bill previously passed just after midnight on June 1st. State Representative David Friess (R-Red Bud) offered this statement after the vote:
“Today offered more evidence of the financial chaos that has plagued Illinois for decades. After dropping a 3000-page budget just minutes before the vote on June 1st, we come to find that the budget was filled with not just $1 billion in pork projects for Democrats, but numerous drafting errors. The budget was so large, that not even the drafters knew what was in it before we were asked to take a vote. It took weeks for these errors to be found. This level of incompetence is astounding. Our counties and municipalities are held to a higher standard than that State government. Counties and municipalities must publish their budgets for 15-30 days before adopting. Where they provide transparency and public debate, the State of Illinois does not.
In addition, the majority party instituted a rule change to allow for remote voting knowing they would not have the votes to pass this bill unless they did so. Remote voting was instituted in the Senate specifically for COVID-related purposes. To institute this rule as COVID is ending makes a mockery of the lawmaking process. The people of Illinois deserve better.”