Ness Passes State Budget Focused on Cutting Costs, Government Waste

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Working to cut costs and support working families across the northwest suburbs, state Rep. Suzanne Ness, D-Carpentersville, passed this year’s state budget bringing direct relief to Illinoisans with no new taxes and no severe service cuts—while finding new government efficiencies to reinvest in resources relied on most.

“Splitting my time between our Carpentersville community and here in Springfield, I’ve heard countless personal stories of families and individuals across our state that are facing the unthinkable—the current cost-of-living challenge is not just affecting one neighborhood or one community—it’s affecting families statewide,” said Ness. “While the federal government pulls the plug on services helping families make ends meet, and where everyday seems harder and more expensive, I was proud to support this smart yet compassionate plan to set Illinoisans on a path forward in the year to come.”

Facing turmoil from the federal government that’s raised the prices of everything from groceries to gas, Ness is delivering a balanced budget crafted to be fiscally and socially responsible—while trimming $65 million in state government operations to reinvest in Illinois’ most critical state services at risk of federal funding losses or elimination. 

This notably includes a provision to provide direct relief to over 100,000 Illinoisans removed from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to receive a one-time credit of up to $500 and investing in affordable school lunches—so no Illinoisan goes hungry, with a goal of families connecting with food assistance agencies to reactivate benefits.

Additional highlights of the FY27 budget include:

• Freezing the state gas tax to address skyrocketing fuel prices.
• Supporting a back-to-school sales tax holiday to cut costs on clothing, office supplies and hygiene items.
• Investing more than $300 million in new funding for classroom education and full funding for after school programs, while restoring property tax relief grants for schools.
• Fully funding public safety initiatives including homelessness prevention and community-based violence prevention.
• Fully funding safety-net hospitals, with an additional $10 million dedicated to support Federally Qualified Health Centers for the most vulnerable families.

“I know there’s more work to do and I’m ready to get started,” said Ness. “Next step is to head back home to engage with our neighbors on how we can continue to make positive change for the lives of Illinoisans.” 

The Ness-backed FY27 budget was passed by House Democrats June 1 and concludes the spring legislative session.