Kankakee Times

Following the passage of the FY25 budget, State Representative Jackie Haas (R-Kankakee) issued a statement expressing her concerns.

“The FY25 budget is yet another unbalanced, highly partisan budget that does not benefit the people of Illinois,” said Rep. Haas. “At a time when Illinoisans are struggling to buy groceries and gas, we should be lowering taxes to help the hardworking people of our state, not increasing the tax burden. Instead, this is the largest budget in state history at over $53 billion."

Rep. Haas also criticized a provision in the budget that includes a raise for lawmakers. “Voting for a lawmaker raise right now is frankly appalling and shows how out-of-touch Democrat lawmakers are. A pay raise usually comes after a job well done, not after raising taxes by $1 billion.”

She further expressed her frustration with what she perceives as a lack of bipartisan cooperation in crafting the budget. “I am deeply frustrated by the lack of bipartisan cooperation on this budget yet again. Republican lawmakers were once again shut out from budget discussions despite our ongoing offers to be a part of the process, in addition to our caucus representing all or part of all 102 counties in the state. Our state budget is for everyone, and all constituents deserve representation when it’s being crafted, regardless of their zip code.”

For more information about Representative Haas, visit RepHaas.com.

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