The Fiscal Year 2022 budget is a responsible, balanced spending plan that protects the state’s most vulnerable Illinoisans, pays down the state’s debts, and helps our communities recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The FY2022 budget:
- Helped earn improved state credit outlooks and/or upgrades from all three rating agencies (Moody’s, Fitch, S&P)
- Repays $2 billion emergency Federal Reserve loan early, saving taxpayers tens of millions of dollars
- Stays current on the state’s bills, with bill payment delays at their lowest levels in years.
- Closes four tax loopholes worth $655 million to the state and $42 million to local governments
- Includes $7.6 billion in total evidence-based funding for k12 education
- Preserves state university operations funding at $1.2 billion
- Fully funds the $9.8 billion General Funds pension contribution
- Utilized $1 billion in federal funds to fund critical infrastructure investments in water projects, sewer projects, and statewide broadband
Creates a more inclusive and comprehensive history education for public school students, making Illinois the first state in the country to ensure Asian American representation in K-12 public education.
Encourages victims of crime to report crimes and assist in the investigations and prosecutions of criminal activity by increasing consistency and transparency between law enforcement and victims.
Amends the current property tax code to expand the value of key tax exemptions and increase eligibility for senior property tax relief.
Expands background checks to include all gun sales in Illinois, requires firearm dealers to store sales records for twenty years to help solve crimes, and creates a stolen gun database to track illegal guns.
Strengthens existing protections to hold health insurers accountable for discriminating against those with mental health and substance use disorders by wrongly denying coverage of care.
Empowers families to provide greater support for loved ones receiving treatment in mental health facilities by allowing access to critical information about their care and discharge plan.
Expands the Illinois Human Rights Act to protect family and loved ones of people with disabilities from discrimination.
Ensures that long-term care facilities have appropriate staff, technology, and other capabilities in place to prevent the social isolation of facility residents.
Amends a provision of the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act to crack down on predatory practices that drive up cost of care for those seeking mental health or substance use disorders.
Removes all costs and fees for disability claimants seeking to obtain medical records in order to apply for benefits including Veterans’ Disability benefits, Social Security Disability benefits or aid to the Aged, Blind or Disabled benefits.
Allows patients discharged from the hospital with certain medications used in the operating room or ER department that would otherwise have to be discarded, improving quality of care, lowering costs, and mitigating potential drug shortages.
Provides that the Department of Human Services conduct a public information campaign to educate immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and other non-citizens residing in Illinois of their rights under the U.S. Constitution and Illinois laws.
Amends Illinois law to ensure abused, abandoned, and neglected immigrant youth can apply for a special immigrant juvenile visa up to age 21 as provided by federal law.
Authorizes Cook County Public Defender’s Office to represent immigrants who lack legal representation in deportation proceedings.
Classifies crimes committed against a person because of their actual or perceived citizenship as a hate crime.
