Rock Island Today

State Representative Dan Swanson (R-Alpha) voted against a taxing and spending proposal presented to the Illinois House early Wednesday morning. “Continuing to raise taxes and increase spending in an endless cycle is terrible policy and is completely unsustainable,” Swanson stated. “Since 2020, the state budget has ballooned from near $40 billion to now over $53 billion. We are long past the point where we have to stand strong for the taxpayers of Illinois and say ‘Enough!’ We cannot continue on this path of expecting taxpayers to pay for these annual spending sprees.”

Swanson’s opposition followed the introduction by statehouse Democrats of a Fiscal Year 2025 budget that proposes $2.6 billion more in spending than last year’s budget and raises taxes by $1 billion to cover costs. The budget includes funding for a cost-of-living pay increase for legislators and allocates more than three times as much funding for non-citizens compared to services for Illinois veterans.

The final draft of the 3,389-page budget was made public over Memorial Day weekend and was voted on during the night. It represents the largest spending bill in Illinois history, surpassing last year's record.

Residents of the 71st District can find more news about the General Assembly and information about upcoming events on Rep. Swanson’s legislative website at repswanson.com.