Senate Democrats prioritize education, health care and more in FY 26 budget

Building upon the responsible spending decisions the Illinois Senate Democratic caucus made and balanced budgets they’ve passed in recent years, they passed a smart spending plan Saturday to make Illinois a better place to live, work and raise a family.

“When we began negotiations for the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, we took a serious look at the crisis we are facing with the understanding that fiscal responsibility is about tackling what is in front of us,” said Senate Majority Appropriations Leader Elgie R. Sims, Jr.(D-Chicago). “This budget is simply that: a reflection of our priorities and the uncertainty that is in front of us.”

The Fiscal Year 2026 budget represents a number of shared priorities of the caucus, including investing in educating children, protecting our state’s most vulnerable, keeping communities safe, and more.

Highlights include:

Early Childhood Education

• $777 million for the Child Care Assistance Program to assist families across the state in affording child care
• $748 million for the ISBE Early Childhood Block Grant to extend access to support services and high-quality preschool slots for families with children up to age three
• $21.7 million to operate the Department of Early Childhood

K-12 Education

• Continues to fully fund the evidence-based funding model for K-12 education
• $1.3 million increase for career and technical education programs
• $35 million for after school programs
• $5 million for the teaching mentorship program, $30 million to the Teacher Vacancy Grant Pilot Program, and $8 million to the Minority Teachers of Illinois Scholarship to tackle the ongoing teacher shortage

Higher Education

• $721 million for Monetary Award Program (MAP) funding. In Fiscal Year 2026, a projected 151,000 students could benefit from MAP Grants – up from 126,864 in 2019.
• $50 million to the AIM High Grant Program
• $2.5 million for the Common Application Partnership Initiative – or Common App – to make applying for college easier and more streamlined

Violence Prevention and Public Safety

• Funding to hire and train 200 new state troopers – a total of two new cadet classes
• $180 million to the Restore, Reinvest, Renew (R3) program
• $70 million to build up the Reimagine Public Safety grant program
• $495 million to the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority

Health and Human Services

• $600 million for safety net hospitals
• $100 million for the child tax credit for eligible low-income families with EITC
• $15 million for the Medical Debt Relief Pilot Program
• $268 million for HOME Illinois

Economic Development and Infrastructure

• $5 million to the Illinois Grocery Initiative
• $75 million will go toward enhancing youth employment opportunities
• $7.5 million to the Fast-Track Workforce program to provide employee screening, recruitment and job training development to employers
• $10 million for the Made in Illinois program – a game-changing opportunity for small and mid-sized manufacturers to access up to $50,000 in matching funds to support innovation and strategic technological advancements

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