SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Gov. JB Pritzker will present his sixth budget proposal during the State of the State address Wednesday afternoon. You can expect more investments in early childhood education and resources to address the migrant crisis.
Gov. JB Pritzker will likely suggest a $75 million boost for the Early Childhood Block Grant to create space for 5,000 more young children to start preschool. The Democrat's Smart Start Illinois program helped get nearly 6,000 more kids in preschool programs last year.
"If you want to change the trajectory in a positive way of the population of the state, invest in the very youngest children and their families," Pritzker said.
The governor said the Illinois State Board of Education is well on its way to eliminating preschool deserts by 2027. The Fiscal Year 2024 budget also included $130 million to increase wages for childcare workers and enhance the quality of early childhood programs.
"When we educate our children, we set off a domino effect," said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. "Education leads to opportunity which leads to prosperity which leads to stability and so on."
However, Democrats and Republicans know the state is facing a $890 million deficit heading into the next fiscal year. The Pritzker administration spent more than $640 million to address the migrant crisis this year.
Pritzker has already announced that he will propose using $182 million in state funding to help Cook County and the city of Chicago handle the crisis.
The governor told reporters last week that thousands of asylum seekers continue to come to Chicago in desperate need of support and Congress refuses to act. Pritzker stressed that the state, county and city will have to do more to keep people safe.
Although, many local Republican lawmakers in the Illinois Freedom Caucus argue the Pritzker administration should stop providing resources for new arrivals.
"Members of the Black community in Chicago feel like these migrants are getting reparations at their expense," said Rep. Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur). "They're being taken care of. They're being provided food, shelter, phones, money and transportation while members of their community are being overlooked."
Lawmakers have also floated many different plans for tax credits to help Illinois families struggling to get by. Democrats hope to see Illinois become the fifteenth state to create a child tax credit.
Their $470 million plan could provide families earning less than the median income $300 per child. Preliminary estimates by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute show roughly 60% of the money allocated for the new tax credit would go to Black and brown families.
"It might not sound like much to some, but this is money that is going directly into people's pockets that they get to decide how they want to utilize it," said Sen. Omar Aquino (D-Chicago). "Studies show they spend it right in their communities, so that small business that we also want to stand up is going to see a benefit too."
The proposal could help single parents making less than $50,000 or couples earning under $75,000. Experts believe the child tax credit could benefit 1.4 million children and generate over $1 billion for local economies.
Pritzker is scheduled to give his State of the State address in the Illinois House Chamber around 12:00 p.m. Wednesday. WAND News will have full coverage of the speech and reaction from lawmakers.
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