(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Governor JB Pritzker's budget address Wednesday is likely to show a very different fiscal outlook for the state in the coming year.
The governor's budget forecasters had predicted this fiscal year would end in July with more than a billion-dollar surplus while the next year would have a $900 million deficit. That's unless things change in the upcoming budget debate in Springfield.
A report from that office three months ago found the ongoing migrant crisis is partly to blame as well as greater needs for the elderly, education, health care and pensions.
Just last week, the governor announced he'd spend $182 million dollars in next year's budget on services for new arrivals such as housing.
"I'm eager to hear more about the governor's proposed budget and look forward to continued discussions on pairing expenditures on this crisis with investments in longstanding issues facing our communities like homelessness, food insecurity and job opportunities," Senate President Don Harmon said in a statement.
House Republican Leader Tony McCombie said earlier this month during a press conference that GOP lawmakers' top concerns for the budget are no new taxes, tackling pension debt, improving state agency efficiency, funding education, and prioritizing services for Illinois citizens.
"All of these are priorities that will help with our fiscal sanity here in the state," she added.
Pritzker and the democratically-led legislature will either need to make some cuts or find new revenue after years of COVID relief funds from Washington that helped the state improve its credit rating have run out.
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