On Tuesday, June 6, Governor JB Pritzker brought his “budget amplification tour” to the City of Freeport. The Freeport visit is one of many across Illinois the Governor is using to garner support for the $50.6 billion budget just passed by the General Assembly. The budget passed despite bipartisan opposition. In response to the visit, State Senator Andrew Chesney (R-Freeport) issued the following statement:
“The residents of Northwest Illinois are not in agreement with spending hundreds of millions of dollars on free healthcare for illegal immigrants and on welcoming centers specifically for them. They also do not favor massive pay raises for politicians. The Fiscal Year 2024 budget prioritizes non-citizens over citizens and ensures politicians who just received a 16% raise in January are getting another 5.5% boost in pay. Governor Pritzker and his Democratic allies have their priorities backward. Citizens should not be taking a back seat to those who are in this state illegally or to greedy politicians.
“This budget increases spending on education, which I favor, but fails to offset the increase with corresponding property tax relief. Those who pay property taxes in the 45th District know we have some of the highest tax rates in the state. Some residents in this region pay an over 4% tax rate on their properties. Nothing in this budget reduces that burden.”
