Illinois Valley Times

State Sen. Win Stoller quizzed a top government official about the inner workings of the Governor’s Office of Management during a recent Senate Appropriations, Revenue and Finance Committee hearing.

“Can you give some background as to why some (employees) are funded through GRF and others are funded through other sources?” Stoller asked Director Alexis Sturm about the agency’s 60 employees. “I was looking at some of the headcount numbers, correct me if I’m wrong, but it looks like you have about 60 employees and 34 are funded through GRF and the other 26 are (paid from) other funds.”

With Sturm filling lawmakers in about how and why other operating funds are used from such sources as the Capital Development Fund, the Build Illinois Bond Fund and the GATA Fund, Stoller moved on to raising questions about the money left from the roughly $7.5 billion in ARPA funds received by the state.

“I would have to check but there's probably about $7.5 billion that has been unspent,” Sturm said. “More has been appropriated but that's what's the unspent balance is. It’s in the state’s Cure Fund.”

Sturm said of the at least $8.3 billion allocated to the state in total, about $3.5 billion remains uncommitted. He later said nothing has been decided as of yet when it comes to how those funds will be used, though the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund and support for the healthcare industry, small businesses and public health needs have all been identified as potential uses.

Stoller’s questions came just days before Gov. J.B. Pritzker delivered his annual budget and State of the State address at the Old State Capitol, where he proposed a $45.4 billion spending plan.

While saying that the plan would save taxpayers as much as $1 billion in tax cuts while increasing resources for public safety, the governor said, "the state of our great state is strong, unbreakable and enduring.”

Pritzker also highlighted several state initiatives that he said have improved the state’s overall financial standing, brought two credit upgrades and reduced a backlog of bills.

“I made a promise that day,” said Pritzker. “I said budgeting will not be done any more by taking the state hostage, or by court orders, consent decrees and continuing appropriations but instead by debate and compromise and a return to regular order.”

By the governor’s accounting, the state ended the most recent fiscal year with a $1.7 billion surplus. Pritzker also highlighted the “Illinois Family Relief Plan,” a tax reduction plan that his office said will save Illinois residents $1 billion by eliminating a 1% sales tax on groceries for the next year and keeping the gas tax unchanged over that same period. The plan also includes a one-time property tax rebate.

“The Family Relief Plan can’t solve all the challenges of global inflation, but we can do our part to alleviate some pressure on Illinois’ working families,” he said.

Pritzker’s plan also includes $9.6 billion in contributions to the state's pension systems, along with $1.4 billion in pension buyouts, marking the first time in more than three decades that the state will provide additional contributions to the state pension systems.