Springfield, IL… State Representative Jennifer Sanalitro is expressing reservations over the FY2024, $50.4 billion dollar budget which was passed by the Illinois General Assembly in the early morning of May 27th.
“As lawmakers, it is our duty to serve the residents of Illinois, and a big part of that is carefully evaluating the budget to ensure it truly represents the best interests of all citizens,” said Sanalitro. “Our aim should be a budget that both sides of the aisle can be proud of.”
“However, this budget does not meet that standard. It was created without any input from the 40 members of the minority party, despite us representing each of Illinois’ 102 counties.” said Sanalitro.
Sanalitro respectfully questions the priorities of this budget, citing the fact that it hides Medicaid costs by kicking half of the payments into next year, shortchanges local governments by shifting hundreds of millions of dollars from the Personal Property Replacement Tax into the General Revenue Fund, and fails to extend the Invest in Kids Tax Credit Scholarship program. “We must remember our obligation to the people of Illinois during these economically turbulent times, and voting for a budget with these glaring issues does not achieve the long-term stability our state needs,” said Sanalitro.
Sanalitro also expressed concerns with the budget appropriating $550 million for a healthcare program for undocumented immigrants – which costs them nothing out of pocket – and uses your tax dollars. “This is yet another example of bad decisions from State Government leaving hard working Illinoisans left to pay the bill.”
Sanalitro calls for a more collaborative approach to governing: “I really wanted to come home and tell the people of my district that I proudly voted ‘YES’ for the annual budget, however it lacks both transparency and proper fiscal responsibility and for these reasons, and the reasons outlined above, I had to vote against it.”
State Representative Sanalitro pledges to continue working alongside her colleagues, regardless of political affiliation, to achieve a responsible and fair budget that serves all of the citizens of Illinois.
For more information about the budget or to schedule interviews, please contact State Rep. Jennifer Sanalitro at 630-349-0645.
Rep. Sanalitro is the State Representative for House District 48, which includes the communities of Addison, Bensenville, Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, Elk Grove, Hanover Park, Itasca, Medinah, Roselle, Schaumburg, and Wood Dale in suburban DuPage and Cook counties.