Rauner vetoes permanent tax hikes, Senate overrides
The Illinois General Assembly passed a budget, including the largest permanent tax hike in state history, without structural spending reforms. Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed the plan on Independence Day, and the Senate voted to override the governor’s veto. The package now heads to the House for an override vote.
Members of the Illinois Senate celebrated Independence Day by passing a record-breaking tax increase to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s desk.
Rauner quickly vetoed the tax hike and the underlying budget plan.
The bills then returned to the Senate, where members successfully voted to override the governor’s veto of the tax hikes and spending plan.
The override of the tax hike portion of the budget passed on a 36-19 vote, with one Republican voting yes, state Sen. Dale Righter. Righter also voted in favor of the tax hikes in order to send the bill to the governor in the first place.
The package will now head to the House, where it will require a three-fifths majority vote to override the governor. A supermajority of House members on July 2 passed the budget bills to the Senate with a vote to spare, with 15 Republicans signing onto the tax hike portion of the plan.
If the House successfully overrides Rauner’s veto, the budget package will become law. The personal income tax rate would increase to 4.95 percent from 3.75 percent and the corporate income tax rate to 7 percent from 5.25 percent.
House Speaker Mike Madigan said he will not call an override vote July 4, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Despite a 32 percent income tax hike, the budget package is devoid of any structural spending reforms to slow growth in the cost of government.
A statewide poll conducted in May by Fabrizio, Lee & Associates and commissioned by Illinois Policy revealed nearly two-thirds of Illinoisans surveyed opposed a budget that included a state income tax hike.
The following is the Senate roll call for the override of SB 9, which includes the permanent income tax hike:
Democrats voting yes (35): Aquino, Bennett, Bertino-Tarrant, Biss, Bush, Castro, Clayborne, Collins, J. Cullerton, Cunningham, Haine, Harmon, Harris, Hastings, Holmes, Hunter, Hutchinson, Jones, Koehler, Landek, Lightford, Link, Manar, Martinez, McGuire, Mulroe, Muñoz, Murphy, Raoul, Sandoval, Silvertstein, Stadelman, Steans, Trotter, Van Pelt.
Republicans voting yes (1): Righter.
Democrats voting no (2): T. Cullerton, Morrison.
Republicans voting no (17): Althoff, Anderson, Barickman, Bivins, Brady, Connelly, Fowler, McCann, McConchie, McConnaughay, Nybo, Rooney, Rose, Schimpf, Syverson, Tracy, Weaver.
Republicans not voting (3): McCarter, Oberweis, Rezin.