SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois lawmakers finally approved a new state budget early Saturday, sending it to Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker for his signature with just over a month to spare before it takes effect with the new state fiscal year July 1.

The Illinois House approved the $50.5 billion spending plan on a 73-38 vote just after 2:30 a.m. Saturday after it passed the Illinois Senate 34-22 early Friday.

The General Assembly delivered the budget to Pritzker more than a week late after lawmakers failed to meet a self-imposed May 19 deadline to adjourn despite Democrats controlling both chambers.

The budget makes “transformative investments” in early childhood and higher education, public safety, workforce development and mental health services, Pritzker said in announcing a budget agreement earlier in the week.

After the passage, Pritzker issued a statement saying “this budget reaffirms our shared commitment to fiscal responsibility while making transformative investments in the children and families of Illinois that will be felt for years to come.”

“I look forward to signing this budget making childcare and education more accessible, healthcare more affordable, and our state’s business and economic position even stronger,” the governor’s statement said.

House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch tweeted Saturday that “with this budget, we’re building a stronger economy and putting Illinois back on sound fiscal footing, while also making smart investments in priorities like education, healthcare, and local communities.”

State Representative Paul Jacobs (R-Pomona) cast a strong no vote against the FY 24 Illinois budget. Rep. Jacobs says the $50.7 billion spending plan supports flawed priorities and relies on tax increases on food, fuel, and medicine.

“Illinoisans are struggling under the weight of Biden inflation and the highest taxes in the nation,” Jacobs said. “The priorities expressed by Democrats in this budget favor undocumented immigrants, paying for taxpayer-funded abortions, and growing the size and scope of government. Taxpayers will be on the hook for future tax increases because of this budget.”

Jacobs says the budget process lacked transparency, lacks structural reforms to save taxpayer dollars, and prioritizes spending on non-citizens.

“Because this budget was rammed through by the supermajority over the course of a couple of days, there is no way that any legislator could have reviewed it line-by-line,” Jacobs said. “As a result, we have a partisan, one-sided budget. I voted NO.”

The issue of exploding Medicaid costs for undocumented immigrants has been a political football passed back and forth between Democrats and the Governor throughout the 2023 spring Session. Jacobs says he takes issue with Democrats handing power over to Governor Pritzker to manage the program.

“The Governor just ended his 1000+ days of COVID Executive Orders, and Democrats are now giving the Governor emergency rule-making authority to manage the program that pays for health care for undocumented immigrants. Giving this governor sole authority over decision making takes the legislature out of the process and denies our constituents proper representation,” Jacobs said. “That is wrong.”

State Rep. Dave Severin (R-Benton) voted against the FY 24 budget brought forward by Democrat supermajority lawmakers early Saturday morning.

“It’s business as usual, and it stinks,” Severin said. “The path of spending more than we take in is unsustainable. The tax hikes in this budget on food, gas, and medicine, and the gall of Democrats to raise pay for politicians tells me nothing has changed since the days of Mike Madigan. Tax hikes, over spending, kicking the can down the road, and ignoring Republicans has had disastrous effects on our financial condition and the bad behavior continues.”

Severin says he has argued for permanent tax relief to be part of any spending plan.

“Food, fuel, and medicine costs are out of control in this environment of Biden inflation,” Severin said. “I came to Springfield to work in good faith, to cut taxes for working families, and to pass a balanced budget that supports critical services while holding firm on stopping the growth of government. This budget expands government in ways that we will not be able to afford going into the future and sets Illinoisans up for guaranteed tax increases later on.”

Severin pointed out the issue of Medicaid coverage for illegal immigrants as a major point of contention.

“Democrats voted for more money for illegal immigrants, less money for individuals working to serve the developmentally disabled, more money for taxpayer funded abortions, and a pay raise for themselves,” Severin said. “If that isn’t bad enough, Democrats in the House and Senate also gave the governor unprecedented power to manage Medicaid to provide illegal immigrants health insurance using administrative rule making and issuing executive orders. Illinoisans have had enough of being ruled by executive order. I voted NO.”

House Republican Floor Leader State Representative Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) cast a no vote on an FY 24 Illinois budget early Saturday morning. Rep. Windhorst says the $50-plus billion spending plan is a reflection of Democrats supporting the wrong priorities at a time of economic suffering for Illinoisans.

“Our citizens are struggling under the weight of inflation, record food and energy prices, and high-interest rates. Life as an Illinoisan is already too expensive, and the FY 24 budget passed by Democrats will, unfortunately, ratchet up the pressure on middle-class working families,” Windhorst said. “This budget relies on the expiration of tax breaks for food, fuel, and medicine, gives the governor unprecedented power to manage Medicaid, and prioritizes undocumented immigrants over Illinois citizens. In other words, this budget is built on tax hikes on food, fuel, and medicine. That is wrong.”

A major sticking point in budget negotiations between Democrats has been the exploding cost of Medicaid healthcare for undocumented immigrants, with lawmakers and the governor disagreeing on who has the power to manage the program.

“In the end, legislative Democrats did what they have a history of doing, and that is turning over their responsibility to the governor and giving him unprecedented power to manage Medicaid through administrative rulemaking and executive orders,” Windhorst said. “This represents an abdication of responsibility that is reminiscent of the COVID-19 pandemic where Democrats refused to participate as a co-equal branch of government and left all the decisions to Governor Pritzker. That didn’t work out too well for Illinois families, and this action on Medicaid is likely to turn out the same for all taxpaying citizens.”

Windhorst says House Republicans were shut out of negotiations on the budget by supermajority Democrats.

“The Democrats went off on their own and refused to negotiate in good faith. If I was at the table, I would have been arguing for permanent tax relief, the restoration of Invest in Kids scholarship funding, and the rejection of politicians’ pay raises,” Windhorst said. “As long as the Governor and Democrats continue to abuse this process, shut out the other party, and insist on raising taxes and raising spending, they will alone bear the responsibility for the further degradation of our state’s finances and the continued outmigration of citizens from the State of Illinois.”

Windhorst voted against both the budget and the budget implementation plans.