SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — State Rep. Matt Hanson, D-Montgomery, passed a compassionate and responsible budget that braces Illinois against the chaos and uncertainty in Washington, by making smart cuts to the cost of government and bureaucracy in order to invest the state’s limited resources in critical services for families and seniors.
“There wasn’t anything simple about delivering a balanced budget this year, but we pulled together and got it done,” Hanson said. “We did what we’d expect to see our leaders at the national level doing, acting with compassion and responsibility. Sadly we aren’t seeing that, and that’s a real shame. But we can only focus on the things we can control, and I think we’ve done a good job in that regard.”
The Hanson-backed budget includes $193 million in operational cuts among other savings and efficiencies. These dollars are redirected to better support family priorities, including new investments in schools and healthcare. The forward-thinking budget increases Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) for schools by $307 million, strengthening public education across the state and helping close funding gaps in under-resourced districts. It also includes reserve funds that can be tapped if future decisions in Washington cause additional economic strain in Illinois.
In addition, Hanson supported generational reforms to Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) regulations, a measure aimed at better addressing the burden of rising property taxes, increased wages for critical direct service and in-home care professionals, promoting safe gun storage, maintaining support for first responders and public safety, supporting after-school programs and funding community-based violence prevention.
“This was an emergency, but we got in front of it and created a budget that enables Illinois to move forward despite partisan attempts to kneecap us,” Hanson said. “Illinois families deserve to know that their representatives are working on their behalf to continue building a brighter future in spite of the difficulties.”