The majority of a capital plan that will invest in Illinois’ public infrastructure was approved this week by Gov. Rauner; however, he also used his line-item veto authority to remove several projects contained in the proposal.
Rauner’s message on his bill action focused largely on the benefit of continued investment in public infrastructure and its critical importance to economic development. Among the line-items vetoed by the Governor are earmarks for things like Capitol building renovations.
Explaining these line-item vetoes, the Governor said, “We must also ensure that our limited taxpayer dollars are spent wisely, and that we prioritize funds for critical deferred maintenance. In light of the General Assembly’s unbalanced budget and the need for additional savings, I am vetoing earmarks, including Capitol building renovations, in order to make those funds available for other priorities.”
The legislation will be implemented with the Governor’s changes unless the House chooses to vote to restore the funding that was vetoed.