>> Illinois lawmakers worked right up to that May 31st deadline to pass a 55.0 2 billion dollar spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year.

The budget includes ways to fill declining revenue with new taxes on sports, betting and nicotine products while increasing spending by nearly 4%.

State Democrats say the plan accounts for an uncertain future while Republicans say more cuts are needed to address what's ahead.

Joining us now are Republican State representative Dan, you gassy.

Who represents cities like Geneva and Saint Charles and on zoom.

We have Republican State Senator Don DeWitt who represents cities like Batavia and West Dundee, Democratic state representative will cause already representing communities like Logan Square in Portage Park and Democratic state senator algae Sims, who has constituents in Calumet City and South Holland.

Gentlemen, thank you all for joining us.

I know it has been a busy time for all of So as is usually the case, the budget was passed right at the deadline over the weekend.

And it may be a tough way start the discussion.

I know.

But is that the best way to do it doesn't hurt transparency and thoughtfulness when the budget happens so quickly like that, representative, you guess we'll start with you, please.

Absolutely.

I mean, does the worst way to pass a budget?

The public?

It's very we'll time to find it much less.

We who are in the minority party when the budgets given to us.

>> few hours before a committee hearings to be held to whether or not we're going to pass a budget out and close to the House floor.

Our people have very little time to look at the public has no time to look at.

And within 24 hours, we're voting on the floor and there's been amendments that again do not go to committee representative because same question to you.

>> Yeah, result of this budget is very similar to the budget.

The governor introduced in February, which has been a matter of public record for some time, but also say it's really important for us make accurate projections for this year because of budget the forecast.

So we need the April tax receipts from April 15th have forecast of what our tax revenues are going to look like for next year.

And we don't have the all that stuff until early to mid-May.

So really we have a crunch or 2 or 3 weeks at the end of session.

We have to use those forecast to make the most accurate predictions we possibly can.

And that's why we're off.

And that director of the deadline.

>> So we've got both sides of the aisle represented here tonight.

And thank you all for joining us.

Do you think this was a collaborative process?

Senator sends, I'll start with you.

>> Absolutely.

we've met with our colleagues on the other side of the aisle for several times.

We not not just in our committee hearings, but means afterwards to identify issues.

The issues of concern commonality.

So we did have we did have discussions across the aisle with Echo representative is already that much of much of what's in this budget.

been out there for months.

It is.

It is process of trying to get to the deadline.

But I'd also remind this is not uncommon.

Our colleagues in Indiana pass their budget it 02:00AM.

So it is not an uncommon practice.

>> Senator, do it.

>> Well, I appreciate LG's perspective.

We do get our opportunity to insert what we believe priorities in the budget process.

There's a couple of things that really think show what kind of budget we passed this year for the first time.

And as far back as I can remember, there were Democratic votes against this budget.

There were also a number of Democrats who simply chose to take a walk.

They decided that was a good time to go pick up a cup of coffee on the break room.

Any budget that starts out with 1 billion dollars in tax increases that only get passed on to our residents along with an expansion of over a billion dollars and the ability to borrow money.

Those are not good indicators that we're dealing with a good budget.

And I that process needs to change moving forward.

>> Okay.

Let's talk about go ahead connections.

so in the house, there were 0 meetings between the Democrat budget.

Here's and our budget.

Here's.

>> They weren't interested in hearing what we had to say.

Macomb be mentioned in her final speech that for the first time since she's been leader, there was no meeting between the 4 leaders and the governor this year.

First time.

Don't know why.

>> Representative already is that?

Is that your experience?

>> You it's not accurate at Our budget leaders met regularly throughout session with the Republican Party leaders, Representatives Buckner and thought of an extensive meetings with the Republican budget leaders of course, our badges man through a process of appropriations hearings and the various appropriations committees, which are bipartisan and public meetings that which our Republican colleagues have a great deal of input to offer and we heard those objections.

I mean, for Britain, some of them into the budget that you see to that.

Okay.

>> I want to talk about the tax increases that Senator do wit mentioned Senator Simms.

Tell us what you all did, please, how are you raising the revenue that the state needs this year?

>> Well, there's a there's a but several several options that were built into this budget won't there.

I think reality is these the revenue, the revenue impact current was built into 3, 3 brought pockets, tax collection.

One was choices, one on ones, probably government other.

But in collection bucket, you have tax amnesty program where when we did this several years ago, was estimated that about 2, about 200 million dollars could be captured.

So adding so that that includes corporate corporate, corporate and individual filers who have not not pay taxes will now have the opportunity to cook to collect to 2 simple as Texas then you have what's called there was under current law.

There is a transfer from sales tax dollars into the role for weeks now pause that to make sure that those dollars remain available.

We have a there's there.

This is kind of walking.

There is a joins tax collection.

But tax collection point we we we from the George Plan to the fair game plan which allows for us to capture more more dollars.

And have it.

We are now in line with authority of states.

>> Sure.

And sorry.

I don't interrupt because I do want to get to sort of like the pocketbook and how that's going to affect Illinois and Zahn.

For example, $0.25 per 8 per wager for sports betting licensees first 20,000 wagers excepted $0.50 after taxes on tobacco products are going up as well as are vaping nicotine products.

And then there's and taxes that will impact businesses as well.

Senator, do with want to come to want mention are those are those are taxes on folks who make the choices to to engage in those activities.

So those are not broad based tax increases.

>> Those not bar Bay's revenue ideas, only those individuals meant.

As I mentioned the revenue plan breaks down those hills 3 bucks and items that you just mentioned.

But that bucket of choices.

So not not everyone as the sport's bettor or not everyone uses or tobacco products.

Clearly there are too few months.

source is representative I want to get our GOP members and go ahead.

>> Doesn't on way entice them better themselves that some sportsbooks DraftKings and all that incredibly profitable enterprise.

Your state.

>> And on the nicotine, you know, there's this growing growing growing use among young people of this and some of the encounters.

I'm sure you're familiar with that the team cars aren't taxed like other tobacco products.

And we know the Rays tobacco tax is a great way to drive east down, especially among young people.

And we're dedicating some of the revenue from the tobacco into tobacco, cessation, smoking cessation programs targeted young people to make sure they're not using unhealthy products.

>> Ok, and that's just to name a few.

There are others.

Representative, you gas first to you and then to Senator De Wit's.

Sure.

How is that?

How are these taxes among among others going to impact Illinois families?

They're going to hurt them at a time when they're struggling and they the Democrats tell us people are struggling.

This is going to increase costs on them and it may be because they choose you stack to back or a little bit of their leisure time is spent on spent on sports betting.

>> But the taxes on business with business gets hit with a tax.

They passed through that cost to consumers.

That's all well, a noise.

That's a broad based tax.

Whether they want to call it that or not.

The simple well, and you sit there God of this act on that list.

Simple.

And welcome back to use this is we have raise taxes again for record spending when we didn't need to.

We had record revenue the year before.

We could have kept spending at that level.

The race it again so they can spend on other projects push.

They're taking money out of the road fund, another dedicated fund.

So representatives kids already statement that we're dedicating these to certain causes means nothing.

They will take an sweep that money aside when they choose to spend it differently.

Senator sense.

>> Yeah.

And guess just speaks directly to the priorities that we that we outlined.

We have we are trying to make sure that that particularly those companies that are that are using these complex accounting schemes to avoid paying tax are making sure we are making sure that we recover that recoup that so that we can make the investments necessary to make a better quality of life for for working families.

That's what this is about.

This is not about trying to pass a that passes cost We are and we're not the ones who are saying that for those those those schemes that some of these some of these companies are engaging in to avoid taxation, should not should not be the case.

We shouldn't panic.

We should be making that every one of us participating.

So we are happy with their economies growing and it's great for everyone.

>> It centered way.

I want to give you the opportunity to go ahead and jump in.

Jump in here as well.

Before we move on.

>> Thank you, Brent.

This one my represented to guess is absolutely right.

Anybody who doesn't understand that these tax increases don't ultimately fall onto the shoulders of taxpayers and hardworking, Illinois across the state is simply trying to mask the fact that big businesses are going to be punished because they make so much money that is absolutely ludicrous.

Let's remember the governor's comments during his budget speech back in February.

He specifically made the statement.

If you expect to spend money on projects, you better tell me where you're going cut.

That didn't happen.

What happened was a billion dollars worth of tax increases.

8 more billion dollars in borrowing.

That's not how to build a budget.

We need to cut spending.

We cannot continue 40% increase in the state's budget sense.

Governor JB Pritzker came into office.

It took Syria years for this state to get to a 20 billion dollar budget.

And it's a very short time or over 50 billion dollars.

It's it's unsustainable.

And it affects every working, hardworking, Illinois, and across the state.

>> Just a couple of seconds left.

The one thing we didn't talk about here is public transit because funding for that is still unclear.

Senator sends likelihood that you are gonna have to come back to figure this out in about 15, 20 seconds.

>> Well, I think we'll come back when the world world called for us to come back.

We'll keep having the discussions.

We've passed the transit bill out of Senate.

It's in the hands of the House now.

So already in my colleagues there are continuing to have those discussions about what that package looks like.

come back when the time is right.

>> Granderson says in U.S. this is an additional.

One and a half billion dollar tax increase on top of the billion dollar tax increase that was passed for the budget.

Most of that burden will be borne by suburbanites.

It's nothing more than a bailout for CTA City then gentlemen, I would have to cut it off and we forward to having we look forward to having all of your back and your colleagues when we have to talk about this again.

>> I will leave the debates