SPRINGFIELD - State Senator Michael E. Hastings (D-Frankfort) offered the following statement in response to Governor JB Pritzker’s proposed state budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

“This is a good starting point as we start budget negotiations,” Hastings said. “It is crucial that we remember to be cognizant of the recent federal assistance we received while crafting this year’s budget and use this time to prepare for when this assistance is no longer available.”

The budget proposal builds upon the state’s promise to allocate money toward the K-12 education evidence-based funding formula, and it increases funds for early childhood education, state universities, and career and technical education programs.

“Our educators have overcome severe struggles and made endless sacrifices to ensure our children are not left behind throughout this pandemic,” Hastings said. “We must continue to ensure students, educators and support staff have the necessary tools to be successful in our classrooms.”

Additionally, the proposed budget allocates additional funding for three cadet classes to hire and train 300 new troopers to address the rising need of law enforcement officers across the state, particularly in the Chicago metropolitan area. There has been great progress made on addressing the historic FOID card backlog – and an additional $7 million in funding has been proposed to help ISP work toward eliminating the backlog altogether.

“The safety of our law enforcement officers should remain a priority,” Hastings said. “Every day police officers risk their lives to keep ourcommunities safe, now it is our turn to step up and give our law enforcement officers the assistance needed to do their jobs.”

Hastings looks forward to further budget negotiations to craft a responsible bipartisan budget that prioritizes the needs of families of the 19th District.