Representative Williams recently shared the following legislative update regarding the end of the spring session:

Dear Friends and Neighbors:

This weekend, the Illinois General Assembly wrapped up the 2025 Spring legislative session with the passage of a balanced budget that uses our shared Democratic values as a foundation – prioritizing public education, supporting critical human services and investing in communities – while pushing back on the dangerous and reckless policies of the Trump administration.

In the face of the economic instability coming out of Washington, we balanced the budget with a combination of cuts and progressive revenue sources, while maintaining our focus on long-term fiscal responsibility and economic growth for Illinois. We directed more savings to the Rainy Day fund. And we passed a difficult budget without raising property, income or sales taxes.

Some budget highlights include:

• Continued focus on education funding via further investment in K-12 via the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) model, funding for higher education and MAP grants, and robust funding for early childhood education.
• Increased funding for healthcare and human services for the most vulnerable, including more funding for low-income health clinics, a grant program to help manage prescription drug costs, programs to assist patients in Illinois with access to reproductive healthcare services, and mental health services.
• Continued investment in public safety, including gun violence prevention programs and other public safety tools, and additional funding for non-profit security grants for places of worship and other institutions.
• Tools to spur economic development in Illinois, such as tax credits for smaller companies making capital investments in Illinois, updates to existing business development incentives to attract and retain business in Illinois and initiatives to improve the investment in our workforce now and into the future.

With the uncertainty ahead on the federal level, the budget provides tools to ensure that we are able to address crisis points in real time as the actions of the current administration wreak havoc on communities most in need, jeopardize public health and safety and put other important federal regulations in limbo.

TRANSIT UPDATE

Thank you to all who reached out to me regarding transit over the past several weeks and months. It has been – and continues to be – a top priority for me. Your engagement provided me and my team a voice to push for a reliable, efficient and safe transit system in Chicago and beyond.

Unfortunately, the Spring session adjourned without the passage of a fix to transit – and like many of you, I am extremely disappointed in this outcome.

Despite the relentless advocacy and hard work of our House transit leaders, Reps. Kam Buckner and Eva-Dina Delgado, the Senate’s transit bill passed over to the House just minutes before the midnight deadline – too late to thoroughly vet and vote on such a sweeping proposal.

However, I remain optimistic. The crisis continues, but so does our commitment to fix it and make our transit system one our city can be proud of. The stakes are high – so many rely on the CTA every single day that we simply must get it done. I anticipate returning to Springfield on or before the Fall veto session to address transit.

I continue to stand with our community in pushing for the necessary governance and policy reforms and a revenue package which will elevate transit not just in Chicago, but throughout Illinois.

As always, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions, comments or feedback. I can be reached directly at ann@repannwilliams.com or (773) 880-9082. My staff and I are here to assist.

Ann M. Williams, State Representative -11th District
Assistant Majority Leader