By Patrick Yeagle
Illinois could be drawing closer to a state budget, with the Illinois Senate passing several pieces of legislation collectively dubbed the "grand bargain."
Lawmakers in the Senate voted yesterday to pass parts of the legislative package, including budget appropriations, changes to state procurement practices, a gaming expansion bill and pension changes for the Chicago Public Schools system.
The Senate is expected to vote today on tax increase legislation, changes to state employee pensions and more.
Below are the various bills in the grand bargain package, with their topics and status.
| Bill | Topic | Status |
| Senate Bill 1 | education funding reform | Awaiting vote |
| Senate Bill 3 | local government consolidation | passed 42-14 on Feb. 28 |
| Senate Bill 4 | bonds to pay state vendors | awaiting vote |
| Senate Bill 5 | Chicago teacher pensions | passed 35-22 on Feb. 28 |
| Senate Bill 6 | six-month budget appropriations | passed 42-16 on Feb. 28 |
| Senate Bill 7 | gaming expansion | passed 31-26 on Feb. 28 |
| Senate Bill 8 | procurement changes | passed 41-16 on Feb. 28 |
| Senate Bill 9 | tax increases | Awaiting vote |
| Senate Bill 10 | Allows certain municipalities to sell/transfer share of state revenues | Awaiting vote |
| Senate Bill 12 | Workers compensation changes | Awaiting vote |
| Senate Bill 13 | Property tax freeze | Awaiting vote |
| Senate Bill 16 | State employee pension changes | Failed vote on Feb. 28, placed on postponed consideration |
Each bill contains a clause tying it to the other bills, meaning if one piece of the package fails to pass, the remaining pieces don't take effect.
If the Senate passes its package, all of the bills must still receive approval from the House and from Gov. Bruce Rauner before taking effect.
Contact Patrick Yeagle at [email protected].
