Democratic state lawmakers voted late Saturday, just minutes before their midnight deadline, to send Gov. JB Pritzker the final piece of a $55 billion budget balanced with a combination of spending cuts and an estimated $800 million plus in tax increases, including hikes on tobacco products, vaping and online sportsbooks.
The governor’s office touted the spending plan as Pritzker’s “seventh consecutive balanced budget that continues to get the state’s finances back on track.”
The General Assembly adjourned its spring session without passing legislation to address the $771 million fiscal shortfall faced by Chicago-area mass transit, and also took no action on proposals to help the Chicago Bears relocate to a new stadium in the northwest suburbs.
