Hoffman Responds to Governor’s Budget Address

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – In the moments after Gov. Pritzker’s Budget Address to a joint session of the Illinois General Assembly, State Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, issued the following statement:

“Governor Pritzker provided an open and honest assessment of the state’s fiscal position in his address today, and I am ready to work in a bipartisan manner to craft a balanced budget to put Illinois back on the right track.

“Last year, the governor and the legislature worked in tandem to identify areas of excessive spending to reduce the state’s debt burden on taxpayers. We successfully budgeted to streamline agency operational costs and improved efficiencies to provide better financial stability and pay down the enormous backlog of unpaid bills.

“While Illinois is certainly on stronger financial ground than it has been in several years, there are still tough decisions ahead as lawmakers work toward greater financial responsibility. We need to continue prioritizing the state’s financial needs above partisan division to overcome budgetary shortfalls and other financial inconsistencies. I am committed to passing a budget plan that reduces that tax burden felt by local families while also ensuring our finite resources are invested in programs our families care about, like public safety and education, maintaining our promise to pensioners and true property tax relief.

“I look forward to working in good faith with the governor and legislative leaders in Springfield to ensure we are making the best possible use of taxpayer dollars.”