SPRINGFIELD, IL (Chambana Today) – Some Illinois House Republicans and one Senator are taking Democrats to court over how the state budget was passed last week.
Legislation is supposed to get three readings on three separate days in each chamber. Instead, Chesney claims, Democrats take unrelated bills, gut them, and insert the budget, thereby bypassing this process.
“…year after year, Springfield insiders bypass that rule by gutting unrelated bills and stuffing them with bloated, last-minute spending, often just hours before lawmakers are forced to vote,” said Chesney, (R-Freeport), in a news release. “This year, Illinois Democrats replaced a single-sentence bill with an over 3,300-page amendment and took a final action vote in less than 48 hours, violating and making a mockery of the constitutionally-mandated three reading rule.”
“When voters had time to study the tax hike proposal and speak out, they crushed it at the ballot box,” said Chesney. “That’s what real transparency looks like. The Democrats pushing these secretive budget deals know their schemes wouldn’t survive daylight. That’s why the build the budget behind closed doors and ram it through without proper scrutiny. It is precisely why the Illinois Constitution requires three readings on three separate days.”
The House members also listed as plaintiffs are State Reps. Chris Miller (R-Hindsboro), Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City), Adam Niemberg (R-Dietrich), Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville), Jed Davis (R-Newark), and Davis Friess (R-Red Bud). They are all members of the Illinois House Freedom Caucus, who had been vocal during the Spring and other legislative session on the budget-making process.