SPRINGFIELD — Illinois’ latest budget misses the mark in several key areas, according to one independent nonprofit fiscal analyst.

State lawmakers sent Gov. JB Pritzker a $55.2 billion budget on May 31 that raises $1 billion in new revenue and increases spending by more than $2 billion in fiscal year 2026 compared to the current year.

But the head of one of Chicago’s top nonpartisan government research organizations said lawmakers made too many short-term decisions to balance the budget in fiscal year 2026 that could make future fiscal years more challenging.

“It’s an incomplete budget,” Civic Federation President Joe Ferguson told Capitol News Illinois. “It does not add in any meaningful way to discuss any structural issues the state has. It’s a maintenance budget.”

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