Governor JB Pritzker exercised his item and reduction veto powers to remove approximately $500.4 billion in spending that was mistakenly included in Illinois' Fiscal Year 2027 budget, according to reporting by Capitol News Illinois. The most significant error involved a typographical mistake that inadvertently appropriated $500.25 billion to the Chicago Westside Branch NAACP for operating expenses. The governor noted that the unusually large total reflected in his veto message was driven primarily by this single error. Without the correction, the state's budget would have been nearly nine times larger than intended. According to the governor's message to the General Assembly, a review conducted with legislative budget leaders identified a number of appropriation lines that either contained errors or duplicated spending already included elsewhere in the budget. The Fiscal Year 2027 spending plan, contained in a bill exceeding 3,700 pages, was approved during the early morning hours of June 1. The Senate passed the measure shortly after 3 a.m., followed by House approval approximately one hour later. Multiple amendments were filed during the final stages of negotiations, contributing to a number of mistakes making their way into the enrolled bill. In addition to the $500.25 billion typographical error, Governor Pritzker used his item veto authority to eliminate numerous appropriations totaling tens of millions of dollars, including funding for various operational grants, educational programs and other initiatives. He also exercised his reduction veto authority to scale back several appropriations affecting agencies and legislative operations. The Illinois Constitution permits the governor to veto or reduce individual appropriations without rejecting an entire budget bill. By using these powers, the administration and legislative leaders were able to correct errors without requiring the General Assembly to return to Springfield before the new fiscal year begins on July 1. Capitol News Illinois provided the source material for this article.
Governor JB Pritzker exercised his item and reduction veto powers to remove approximately $500.4 billion in spending that was mistakenly included in Illinois' Fiscal Year 2027 budget, according to reporting by Capitol News Illinois.
The most significant error involved a typographical mistake that inadvertently appropriated $500.25 billion to the Chicago Westside Branch NAACP for operating expenses. The governor noted that the unusually large total reflected in his veto message was driven primarily by this single error. Without the correction, the state's budget would have been nearly nine times larger than intended.
According to the governor's message to the General Assembly, a review conducted with legislative budget leaders identified a number of appropriation lines that either contained errors or duplicated spending already included elsewhere in the budget.
The Fiscal Year 2027 spending plan, contained in a bill exceeding 3,700 pages, was approved during the early morning hours of June 1. The Senate passed the measure shortly after 3 a.m., followed by House approval approximately one hour later. Multiple amendments were filed during the final stages of negotiations, contributing to a number of mistakes making their way into the enrolled bill.
In addition to the $500.25 billion typographical error, Governor Pritzker used his item veto authority to eliminate numerous appropriations totaling tens of millions of dollars, including funding for various operational grants, educational programs and other initiatives. He also exercised his reduction veto authority to scale back several appropriations affecting agencies and legislative operations.
The Illinois Constitution permits the governor to veto or reduce individual appropriations without rejecting an entire budget bill. By using these powers, the administration and legislative leaders were able to correct errors without requiring the General Assembly to return to Springfield before the new fiscal year begins on July 1.
Capitol News Illinois provided the source material for this article.