Springfield, Ill. (AP) — Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed state budget heavily reliant on federal assistance because of revenue lost to COVID-19 restrictions on commercial and social interaction. But even short of revenue, Democrats who control the General Assembly sent the Democratic governor a $42.9 billion spending plan, 7.5% larger than the current year’s outlay. It takes effect July 1. The legislation relies on billions of dollars in hoped-for federal assistance and allows borrowing up to $5 billion from a federal COVID-19 relief fund. Republicans wanted spending cuts, but Democrats said balancing the budget with cuts would be too drastic.
