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State Week: A status check on Illinois budget talks

State Week 23 logo (capitol dome)
Brian Mackey
/
NPR Illinois

Illinois lawmakers are set to wrap up the session by May 31. But they still need to pass a budget. Better than expected revenues has taken some pressure off the negotiations, but there is still a lot of work to do before a fiscal plan can be approved. We discuss some of what is under consideration.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson came to Springfield this week to push for more revenue. Does the mayor have the clout of some predecessors?

Our panel features Sean Crawford along with Professor Emeritus Charlie Wheeler and Capitol News Illinois reporter Ben Szalinski.

The former director of the Public Affairs Reporting (PAR) graduate program is Professor Charles N. Wheeler III, a veteran newsman who came to the University of Illinois at Springfield following a 24-year career at the Chicago Sun-Times.
Ben joined CNI in November 2024 as a Statehouse reporter covering the General Assembly from Springfield and other events happening around state government. He previously covered Illinois government for The Daily Line following time in McHenry County with the Northwest Herald. Ben is also a graduate of the University of Illinois Springfield PAR program. He is a lifelong Illinois resident and is originally from Mundelein.
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