West Central Reporter

In a May 19 Facebook post, Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer (R-Jacksonville), targeted Democrats, who despite having a supermajority could not get a budget done before a deadline they set for themselves.

Davidsmeyer also shared a link to a news release posted on his website, which also included a link to a YouTube video of a press conference where he criticized Democratic lawmakers for failing to come up with a budget in the final days of the spring legislative session.

“We are on top of the budget deadline that the Democrats set for themselves, and I believe that Republicans truly have a role to play in this,” Davidsmeyer said in the video. “We’ve offered our services; we’ve offered to be here. We’ve offered to be at the table.”

Davidsmeyer said during the press conference that lawmakers failed to make any progress toward a budget.

“We don’t even have a bill to put the budget into,” he said in the video. “So now we’re going to be here longer. But we can do it the right way. We have time.”

Davidsmeyer noted lawmakers now have about a week to get a budget approved.

“We have to look at the projections that have been put out on revenue estimates,” he said. “Once again, we’re at a point where we are no longer having an open discussion on major issues. We don’t have an open discussion on any of the issues I’ve mentioned. We have not had an open discussion on the budget.”

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker unveiled his budget on Feb. 15, according to a press release.

“The last time I stood here seems like a lifetime ago,” the governor said at the time. “So many fiscal challenges laid ahead. And so much progress has been made. What was once an Illinois with $17 billion in overdue bills is now an Illinois that pays its bills on time.”

Pritzker also said that while the state once went years without a spending plan, it has passed four consecutive balanced budgets.

“What was once a state with no cushion to protect it in an economic downturn is now an Illinois on track to have a $2.3 billion Rainy Day Fund,” he said. “What was once an Illinois with a credit rating on the verge of junk status is now an Illinois getting credit upgrades. Our fiscal progress is remarkable. Remember the $230 million in College Illinois debt? Paid. Remember the $900 million in group health insurance debt? Paid. How about the $800 million Thompson Center liability? Paid.”

Pritzker also said in February that the state’s short- and medium-term liabilities have been paid off as of the current fiscal year.

“Our budgets are built on a solid foundation of normalized state revenue and more efficient management of state resources,” he said. “We have used our surpluses to chip away at our long-term liabilities too, including $500 million more into our pension stabilization fund over the last two years and my proposal this year to increase that by another $200 million. The percent of the budget needed to meet our statutory obligations has declined as our revenues have grown and our fiscal fortunes have improved.”

The governor’s budget can be viewed on the Illinois Office of Management and Budget website.

Davidsmeyer represents Illinois’s 100th District, according to his website, joining the House in December 2012, and being sworn in for a full term in January 2013. He also served on the Jacksonville City Council, as chairman of the Public Protection Committee, and most recently as chairman of the Finance Committee. He has also served as an officer at the Chamber of Commerce, as well as the rotary, and library board.