Illinois finally has a budget. For the first time since 2015, the state has a spending plan after the Illinois House voted yesterday to override Governor Bruce Rauner’s vetoes of a budget package. Lawmakers approved the bill to raise taxes by a 71-42 vote. They needed 71 votes to override a veto. The spending bill passed 74-37. The override brings an end to the nation’s longest state budget crisis since the Great Depression. The income tax increase means individuals will pay 4.95 percent instead of 3.75 percent. The corporate rate jumps to 7 percent from 5-and-a-quarter percent.
In a statement, Governor Bruce Rauner said the approved budget plan is “not balanced, does not cut enough spending or pay down enough debt, and does not help grow jobs or restore confidence in government.” Rauner stressed that Illinois still desperately needs property tax relief and term limits.
Voting was delayed for several hours as authorities investigated a report of a woman throwing a powdery substance in the governor’s office. One person was taken into custody. The Capitol went on lockdown while a HAZMAT crew inspected the office before the building was declared safe. Rauner was not at the Capitol at the time of the incident.