By and large, the members of the Illinois House representing the Knox County area didn’t vote in favor of the state budget passed in the dead of night Wednesday morning in Springfield.
On the House floor during debate, State Representative Norine Hammond had some harsh words for Democrats who allegedly crafted the largest spending plan in State history, saying they maybe need to add some more funding in next year’s budget..
“We just can’t keep going to the taxpayers to solve your spending addictions,” Hammond (R-Macomb) told House Democrats. “Maybe we should add a new line item in the FY 26 budget, for spending addiction for treatment services for the Democratic supermajority.”
Hammond says some of the programs in the budget help some of the neediest Illinoisans. But she says things like a new Department of Early Childhood, for example are not at all necessary. She says what have been budget negotiations in the past, are not that way any more.
State Rep. Travis Weaver (R-Peoria) claims the spending plan his chamber approved and sent to the Governor’s desk could have addressed issues with deferred maintenance at state-owned or operated properties, for instance — like in the historic Henry County community of Bishop Hill.
“People from all over the state, just like the folks in Bishop Hill, aren’t asking for freebees. They’re not asking for handouts. They’re just asking the state to take care of the things that it owns,” said Weaver, on the House floor. “They’re asking the state to take care of what it currently has. And, requests like those from Bishop Hill come from folks all around the state.”
Weaver says while it may be a good idea to spend money on any of a number of programs and services, there’s one question Democrats just aren’t asking: “Can we afford it?” He says Illinois residents are tired of it, and are moving out of the state because of it.
State Representative Dan Swanson says funding needed for local soil and water conservation districts, for instance, isn’t coming in this spending plan.
“Because of that, I’ve heard from many of these soil and water conservation districts that layoffs will occur, and the services that have been long provided to the ag industry and to the local farmers are not going to be there,” said Swanson (R-Alpha).
Swanson says farmers like him are going to have a tougher time being stewards of the land they use to farm on.
He also says he’s disappointed with all the taxing and spending going on in the budget.
