Members of the Illinois Freedom Caucus have filed a lawsuit challenging what they describe as an unconstitutional process used to pass the state’s $55 billion budget package near midnight.
State Senator Andrew Chesney, who is leading the legal effort, criticized the rushed process. “The people of Illinois deserve an honest process,” Chesney stated. “Instead, they got a budget rammed through in the middle of the night with no time to read it and no debate. That’s not transparency. That’s not democracy. And it sure isn’t constitutional.”
The Illinois Constitution mandates that every bill must be read on three separate days in each legislative chamber to promote transparency and accountability. The Freedom Caucus claims this requirement was ignored, with lawmakers using unrelated bills as vehicles for last-minute amendments, then voting on thousands of pages of spending with little notice.
“This process is a slap in the face to the taxpayer in Illinois, often fast asleep resting before a good day’s work while their government spends their tax dollars,” Chesney added.
State Representative Adam Niemerg echoed the criticism, saying, “The money being spent belongs to the people. We need an open, transparent and fair budget process. What is happening is wrong, and this lawsuit is calling the Democrats on their unconstitutional budget process.”
Other plaintiffs in the lawsuit include Representatives Blaine Wilhour of Beecher City, Chris Miller of Hindsboro, Brad Halbrook of Shelbyville, Jed Davis of Newark, and David Friess of Red Bud.
The lawsuit was filed in Sangamon County Circuit Court and seeks to challenge the legality of the budget’s passage and the broader legislative practices that enabled it.
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