East Central Reporter

An Illinois representative believes the numerous bills passed in the early morning hours as the clock wound down on the latest legislative session aren't good for Illinois families or businesses. 

Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich), who is in his first term, said the tactics to get the last-minute legislations passed — including the state budget — went until almost 3 a.m. on June 1. 

"In the early hours this morning, the legislature passed a budget of over $42 BILLION," Niemerg wrote in a June 1 post on his Facebook page. "We have a lot of work to do to fix the corruption problems in our state, reform how we budget and prioritize the things that working families are wanting for their state government."

The $42 billion budget took away job-creating incentives and raises tax rates for businesses, Niemerg said on his website. He also took issue with the fact that the budget didn't include additional money for the Illinois Department of Employment Security to help those who lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying it took benefits away from the "people who need them most" while including automatic pay raises for state legislators.