SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Governor J.B. Pritzker presented the Illinois State of the State and Budget Address on Wednesday with a focus on building fiscal progress with budget investments in healthcare, education and economic development.
This was Gov. Pritzker's sixth address. He focused on topics including early childhood, K-12 Education, higher education, human services workforce, consumer protection and network adequacy, medical debt, maternal health, grocery tax, combatting homelessness and asylum seekers response.
The Fiscal Year 2025 Operating Budget can be found .
The Fiscal Year 2025 Capital Budget can be found .
The Fiscal Year 2025 Budget in Brief can be found .
The 2025 Fiscal Year proposed budget toplines provided can be found below...
The Healthcare Initiatives can be found below...
The FY25 Proposed Budget Highlights can be found below...
Below you will find remarks prepared for delivery for the State of the State and Budget Address...
Governor J.B. Pritzker delivers the State of the State and Budget Address...
A number of organizations and state leaders responded after Pritzker's address.
Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton's response...
Today, Governor Pritzker reaffirmed what he has demonstrated every day for the last five years: leadership matters. The 2024 State of the State and Budget Address continues our administration’s fiscal responsibility to the people of Illinois.
Building on our record of five balanced budgets and nine credit upgrades, the proposed FY25 budget will further our work to uplift and invest in Illinois� working families. Budgets bring hard decisions, but Governor Pritzker is particularly good about centering compassion in his leadership. The proposed FY25 budget will give more children access to pre-school, more students can attend college tuition- and fee-free, and more entrepreneurs can pursue their dreams. The proposed budget also addresses an endemic issue for Black women � maternal mortality. The new Birth Equity Initiative proposes $23 million to invest in decreasing pregnancy-related deaths in Black women through community-centered approaches. Our administration’s commitment to Illinois� financial health goes hand-in-hand with our dedication to healing communities across the state. The future of Illinois is bright, and I can’t wait to see what strides we’ll make next.
The Illinois Primary Health Care Association said...
Today, Governor Pritzker delivered his sixth annual State of the State and Budget Address to the Illinois General Assembly and the people of the State of Illinois. We were pleased to hear the Governor reiterate his commitment to strengthening Illinois� healthcare system and addressing health related social needs.
We are thankful that the annualized community health center Medicaid rate increase, as well as funding for the Equity and Representation in Health Care Act (ERHCA), was included in the Governor’s proposed budget. Both measures make necessary investments in community health centers to strengthen service capacity and the ability to attract and retain healthcare professionals in underserved communities.
We share in the Administration’s commitment to health equity. As the association representing the state’s largest network of primary care providers in medically underserved areas, we stand ready to support the effort to improve maternal health outcomes and reduce racial disparities. Further, we echo Governor Pritzker’s praise for community-based models of care as a vital part of the solution to eliminating racial inequities in birth outcomes and pregnancy-related mortality. In particular, we uplift his recognition of IPHCA member organization, PCC Wellness, whose birthing center was among the first in the nation to offer birthing options at a community health center.
We also applaud the Governor for his leadership on reducing barriers to accessing care such as introducing utilization management reforms and accountability measures for network adequacy requirements. Additionally, we are excited to hear about plans for enhancing food access as well as increased investment in housing and early childhood development which are important social determinants of health.
Lastly, as funds begin to flow to ramp up efforts to transition migrants to more permanent housing, health centers will continue to be instrumental in easing the transition. From helping our new neighbors connect to a medical home, to accessing care, and to beginning to build roots in the community, health centers have played a key role in providing health screenings, immunizations, prenatal care, and medications among other services and would benefit from increased investment to sustain their efforts as well.
In recent years, the Association has proudly partnered with the Administration and the legislature to advance value-based care, improve health equity, and respond to public health and humanitarian crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and migrant arrivals. IPHCA looks forward to continuing to work together with the Governor, his administration, and the General Assembly to ensure that all Illinoisans have access to high-quality, integrated care so that they are equipped to live well and thrive.
The Illinois State Board of Education sent in a response...
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) today applauded Governor JB Pritzker’s fiscal year 2025 budget proposal for reinforcing Illinois� nation-leading commitment to education. Governor Pritzker’s FY 2025 budget proposal announced today includes critical increases for Evidence-Based Funding, expanding preschool through the Smart Start initiative, Career and Technical Education (CTE), and special education Mandated Categorial grants; as well as continued funding for the Teacher Vacancy Grant and Computer Science Equity Grant; and new funding to support the implementation of the state’s literacy plan.
“I applaud Gov. Pritzker for his continued commitment to Illinois� students and his recognition of the critical importance of thriving, well-funded public schools to the strength of communities all across Illinois,� said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Tony Sanders. “His FY 2025 budget proposal includes significant and critical funding increases for education, while balancing a tight fiscal environment. U.S. News and World Reports already ranks Illinois number five in Pre-K-12 Education, number two in College Readiness, and number eight in Preschool Enrollment. The Governor’s advocacy and leadership for education in FY 2025 will take Illinois even closer to our goal of being the best state in the nation to raise family.�
The governor’s FY 2025 budget proposal advocates for significant increases to education funding to continue making Illinois the best place to raise a family, including:
- $350 million increase for Evidence-Based Funding to continue providing school districts with reliable and predictable increases that afford school districts much-needed stability;
- $75 million increase for the Smart Start initiative to further expand access to preschool and close gaps for low-income children and families;
- $45 million for the second year of the Teacher Vacancy Grant Pilot Program to continue strengthening the teacher pipeline;
- $10 million increase for Career and Technical Education to support growth in CTE enrollment and to ensure all systems experience level or increased funding as ISBE implements the new, more equitable CTE funding formula;
- $30 million increase for Mandated Categorical grants to raise the proration level for specific special education line items;
- $3 million for the second year of the Computer Science Equity Grant Program to further expand access to computer science education; and
- $3 million in new funding to support the implementation of the recently adopted .
ranks Illinois fifth in the nation for Pre-K-12 Education, second for College Readiness, eighth for Preschool Enrollment, eleventh for NAEP Reading Scores, and twelfth for Education overall. CNBC ranks Illinois second in the nation for Education.
The Transportation for Illinois Coalition responded with...
The Transportation for Illinois Coalition, an umbrella organization of business, labor and infrastructure groups that advocates for federal and state transportation funding, today issued the following statement in response to Gov. Pritzker’s proposed Fiscal Year 2025 budget plan:
“We are disappointed in and cannot support the Governor’s budget proposal to cut transportation funding after just a few years of Rebuild Illinois� important investment in our state transportation infrastructure.
The Governor’s proposal calls for the Road Fund to cover $175 million in spending on public transportation operations in the Chicago region that have been historically paid for by the state’s General Revenue Fund. Road Funds are dedicated for road, bridge, and transit capital improvements. We cannot support this proposal and ask the Legislature to reject any plans that pit transportation needs against each other.
The $175 million loss in road funding would multiply to more than a $1 billion impact in lost road and bridge improvements over the next few years. After decades of inadequate funding, Governor Pritzker and the Legislature invested billions of dollars to improve thousands of miles of roads and bridges � including the largest road program in state history this year. Illinois cannot afford to move backward now.
This policy change does not include any new money for transit operations, nor does it fully meet the need for transit operations. What this proposal does is take money away from other transportation needs, making it impossible to deliver on the promise of sustainable transportation for all modes of transportation.
We encourage the Governor and Legislature to develop and support a new state budget that strongly funds all our transportation infrastructure. Rebuild Illinois is working to put our state on a better path, and we must not bring that progress to a halt this summer.�
TFIC Co-Chairs:
Patrick Hosty, Executive Director of the Chicago Laborers District Council-LMCC Kevin Burke, Executive Vice President of the Illinois Asphalt Pavement Association
The Illinois Senate Republican Leader John Curran stated...
“The Governor just proposed raising taxes on every Illinois family struggling to make ends meet to fund the non-citizen welfare state he created. We have made it clear that the citizens of this state are our priority, while today, the Governor made it clear they’re his piggy bank. Our focus will remain on providing meaningful financial relief to the people of Illinois .�
The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce issued the following response...
“The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce commends Governor Pritzker for introducing a budget that reflects his continued efforts to improve the state’s finances and advance economic development opportunities throughout Illinois. However, we are concerned about the lasting impact proposed revenue generators will have on small businesses still working to recover while facing existing regulatory and financial burdens. We appreciate Governor Pritzker including in his budget a $500 million capital appropriation for quantum development that will allow for potential future federal funding opportunities and support development of an incubator site and related equipment that will generate industry growth and jobs for years to come. We also applaud the governor for his focus on addressing our pension system, which continues to be the most significant fiscal challenge facing the state. As we look ahead at addressing this issue as well as significant budget gaps at both the state and city level, growing our tax base and investing in infrastructure designed to spur economic development and innovation must be a top priority. The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce stands ready to work with Governor Pritzker and elected officials to champion initiatives that support forward-looking ventures like tech and quantum, build a strong foundation on which businesses can grow and thrive, and help bolster Illinois� strong workforce to move the state forward towards a brighter economic future.�
The Illinois Association of Rehabilitation Facilities responded with the following response...
“We appreciate the Governor and his administration working with the disability community and ultimately deciding not to pursue a proposed decrease in hours for Direct Service Professionals (DSP) in the proposed budget, an action that would have had severe consequences for the many people our members serve. It’s clear through communications with individuals with disabilities, frontline staff, disability providers, and legislators, they understood that decision would have taken Illinois backwards after our recent progress to better fund services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
With this decision in mind, and while the Administration is simultaneously seeking to exit the Ligas Consent Decree and proposing to increase state revenues, we are deeply concerned that the Governor’s budget proposal does not include any increases in wage rates for DSPs. We do not see a path to exiting the consent decree, of which the state has been out of compliance since 2017, without minimally achieving full funding of the Guidehouse rate study, which indicated higher wages and benefits for frontline staff as its top priority.
Disability service providers throughout Illinois continue to face serious pressures and obstacles to attracting DSP workers to provide services, including additional increases in the minimum wage this year and next to $15 an hour on January 1, 2025. Regrettably, the proposed budget’s lack of a DSP wage rate increase represents a significant step backwards in our ability to provide competitive wages and benefits for frontline staff.
This spring, with the leadership of Representative Michelle Mussman and Senator Karina Villa, we will pursue an increase in DSP wages of $3 an hour, to help us stay ahead of these pressures and put us more in line with the progress envisioned by the Guidehouse study two years ago.
We hope the Governor and Legislature will recognize the ongoing struggles of service providers and support this wage increase in the final budget later this spring.�
The Illinois Manufacturers' Association responded with...
“Manufacturers applaud the Governor’s continued focus on workforce development and desire to create a skilled workforce to match modern manufacturing jobs. His proposals to create a new Chief Workforce Officer, enhance funding for world-class manufacturing academies and further invest in workforce training programs will help prepare Illinoisans for good, middle-class jobs while bolstering our economy. We also strongly support the ongoing effort to grow game-changing quantum technology in Illinois, which can help manufacturing supply chain and production process challenges,� said Mark Denzler, President & CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers� Association. “With slowing tax revenue, it’s vital that we find ways to foster economic development while maintaining fiscal discipline to avoid revenue shortfalls and ensure stability for businesses and families.�
58th District State Senator Terri Bryant stated...
“Once again, the Governor has shown that he will continue to prioritize his radical noncitizen welfare agenda over the needs of Illinois families. He’s spent two billion dollars of taxpayer money on programs for noncitizens over the last two years, money that should have been spent on lowering costs for Illinoisans and aiding our state’s most vulnerable citizens.
“To add insult to injury, he now wants to use Illinoisans as the piggy bank for this noncitizen spending by raising taxes by more than a billion dollars. It is utterly outrageous for the Governor to demand the people of our state fund this migrant crisis he actively sought to create. It is time for lawmakers to prioritize Illinois families and urge Governor Pritzker to end his noncitizen welfare agenda.�
Illinois 115th District State Representative David Friess stated...
“The majority party’s overspending is spiraling out of control, putting a severe strain on Illinois� financial future. We must have a balanced, responsible budget to secure a better tomorrow for all of us. Illinois citizens are paying the price for this overspending, and we need to put it to an end.�
State Representative for the 117th District Patrick Windhorst issued a response as well...
After listening to Governor JB Pritzker deliver his 6th annual Budget and State of the State Address, House Republican Floor Leader State Representative Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) says he is looking forward to the legislature engaging in good-faith negotiations to settle on a spending plan for FY 2025. The combined Budget and State of the State Address revealed Gov. Pritzker’s plan to spend $52.7 billion, which is a $2.29 billion increase compared to the FY24 enacted budget � a 4.5% increase. Gov. Pritzker proposed increasing spending for the ongoing migrant housing and health care crisis in Chicago. The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget has projected that the State of Illinois may face a budget deficit of $775 million if spending cuts are not made.
Windhorst says the Budget Address marks the start of the process, not the end.
“The Budget Address is often considered the real ‘start� of the Legislative Session. We know now what the Governor is thinking, where his priorities are, and we are learning how our colleagues are reacting to those priorities,� Windhorst said. “In recent years, the legislature has been controlled by supermajorities of Democrats who have unfortunately gone behind closed doors, negotiated budgets in secret, and dropped spending plans on lawmakers at the 11th hour with very little time for anyone to be able to read and understand hundreds of pages containing billions in spending. I sincerely hope this year will be different, but we will have to see as the Session unfolds if that is the case.�
Governor Pritzker spent a significant portion of his speech discussing the ongoing migrant housing and health care crisis that has cost the state of Illinois billions of dollars since President Biden ended Trump-era immigration policies. With no end in sight to the influx of immigrants coming from all over the world, Windhorst cautioned that Illinois taxpayers are tapped out, and can no longer be expected to cover the high cost of failed sanctuary state policies.
“I’m not in agreement with The Governor’s plan to spend hundreds of millions of dollars more on housing undocumented immigrants and paying for them to have top-of-the-line health care coverage,� Windhorst said. “Illinois taxpayers have been on the hook for billions of dollars in spending to cover the soaring costs of the Sanctuary City of Chicago’s failure to properly address this crisis. I disagree that more tax dollars should be spent in the coming fiscal year on this failed experiment. We must repeal sanctuary city and sanctuary state policies, and President Biden must take action to close and secure the southern border. That’s the only real way we will stem the tide and end this crisis.�
Windhorst says one major piece missing from Pritzker’s spending plan is permanent tax relief for working families struggling under the weight of 40-year high inflation and high taxes.
“Inflation has come down from record highs, but it is still too high. Energy prices are too high. Taxes are too high. Our working families and individuals are paying the second-highest property taxes in the country. Our businesses are paying the 3rd highest corporate taxes in the country. People are tapped out,� Windhorst said. “I favor a budget that trims spending, provides permanent tax relief on groceries, medicine, gas, and school supplies, and prioritizes the care of Illinois citizens over spending billions on undocumented immigrants. I will continue to call for these changes as budget negotiations continue throughout the remainder of the legislative Session.�
