DANIEL BETHERS
A legislative forum hosted by the Quad Cities Chamber on Friday found one clear point of consensus from Illinois Q-C lawmakers: cuts are coming.
In November of 2024, the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget projected a $3.2 billion deficit for the 2026 fiscal year which begins on July 1, 2025. Gov. JB Pritzker is set to give his State of the State in February, where he’ll lay out his budget plans.
“We’re going to lose programs,” Rep. Gregg Johnson, D-East Moline, said. “We lost a couple of programs last year…which really broke my heart. …I will find out how we get our fair piece of the pie, but no doubt it’s going to be a difficult year.”
Rep. Dan Swanson, R-Alpha, said in a November letter from the Deputy Governor for Budget and Economy Andy Manar requested state agencies start looking at reducing grants, winding down programs and eliminating vacant positions, among other preparations for a the projected budget shortfall. He noted, though, that the budget process is controlled by the Democratic-majorities in both chambers.
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From left to right Sen. Li Arellano Jr., Sen. Mike Halpin, Rep. Dan Swanson, Sen. Neil Anderson and Rep. Gregg Johnson, answer questions from the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce at Bally’s Quad Cities Casino on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025.
DANIEL BETHERS
As an example of how this can affect residents, Swanson mentioned a recent time the Western Illinois Area Agency on Aging stopped receiving funding from the state, threatening a source of funding for local senior centers. His support helped reestablish funding, but not every agency is likely to escape harm in a significant budget cut.
Last year, the general assembly avoided a shortfall at the last minute by expanding sources of revenue through increases on tax rates and cuts on tax credit programs.
“No offense to my friends on the other side of the aisle, but we’ve been saying …this is going to happen (for a while) and here we are,” Sen. Neil Anderson, R-Andaluisa, said.
Tackling the projected budget shortfall, Anderson said, is going to take work from both sides of the aisle since cuts are the only way they will be able to balance the budget this year.
Freshman lawmaker Sen. Li Arellano Jr., R-Dixon, recounted his orientation, where a clip of a pension discussion from nearly a century ago was shown to incoming senators. Arellano was newly elected in the November, 2024, election. The clip, he said, was pondering the danger of how aggressively the state was handling pensions and how it could impact in the future.
“(A fix) hasn’t happened in 30 years or 50 years or 100 years," he said. "If Illinois had even Wisconsin’s funding levels we would have $7 billion more every year going into mental health, infrastructure, tax relief, local government …now there’s battles over childcare …early education …but we can’t afford those things and even less so this upcoming year.”
Housing
To the Chamber’s concern that the Illinois Quad-Cities’ housing market is not competitive with Iowa’s, Anderson and Arellano had only agreement.
The two criticized the state’s building and zoning regulations, saying they repel construction companies and drive migration to Iowa.
Arellano said the state’s debt is putting pressure on municipalities through decreasing local government distributive fund and personal property replacement tax allocations, causing increased property and motor fuel taxes.
He pointed out recent pension discussions on elevating public employee’s Tier 2 pension benefits to match federal Social Security benefits would incur a “mammoth price-tag,” that municipalities would be directly impacted by.
Sen. Mike Halpin, D-Rock Island, favored medium-income housing construction tax credits as a solution, freeing up lower tiers of housing.
Swanson noted the effectiveness of the Quad City Land Bank Authority at returning dilapidated properties to functional housing stock through community investment.
Higher education funding
Halpin, singled out for his role Higher Education committee and new role as chair of the Appropriations Educations Committee, explained a proposal for an evidence-based higher education funding formula, replicating what was done with K-12 schools in 2017.
The new formula would take into account student enrollment, actual cost of education and socioeconomic and minority composition of student bodies rather than increasing or decreasing funding to schools across the board.
“It’s particularly important to (the Quad-Cities area) because Western Illinois University has a very good share of underrepresented students that cost more to educate and need additional non-academic supports,” Halpin said. “They would stand to benefit from a formula that takes those things into account.”
The formula is still being developed to make sure it’s “truly equitable” to all universities. It’s projected to cause a $135 million annual increase to the state’s higher education contributions, likely subjecting the legislation to negotiation.
Halpin added he is personally working on legislation to help the university recover from “some difficult decisions they’ve had to make over the past year or so.”
Illinois state Senator Michael Halpin joined state Rep. Gregg Johnson, shown speaking, as he reads a resolution to celebrate Wendt Funeral Home in Moline for being one of the oldest funeral homes in the United States.
Entry 4669
Relationship to Illinois: In the fall of 2004, I lived in Chicago and was studying industrial design at UIC. My great grandfather, Harry James McCartney was an engraver in Chicago. He worked downtown at the Sears, Roebuck and Co where he illustrated and engraved images of lamps, heaters, and other household accessories that were printed on the pages of the Sears mail-order catalogue. His father was James A. McCartney, a civil war veteran from Illinois. He became the IL Attorney General from 1881-1885.
Explain the meaning behind your flag: The 21 red + white stripes represent Illinois as the 21st state of this union. The blue field with the six-pointed white star represents Chicago. The negative space between the blue and white fields form the shape of an I to represent Illinois.
ILLINOIS SECRETARY OF STATE
Entry 4321
Relationship to Illinois: The students who worked on this flag are high school students living in Illinois named Johnna and Spresalynn.
Explain the meaning behind your flag: The state butterfly, the Monarch, is the focal point of this flag that includes 21 stars for Illinois being the 21st state (the large star represents Illinois). The orange represents success, determination, and creativity while the blue stands for trust, loyalty, and sincerity and strength.
ILLINOIS SECRETARY OF STATE
Entry 4220
Relationship to Illinois: Born and raised. From 1984-2002, I spent my childhood in central Illinois, I’ve lived and worked in Bloomington/Normal for 26 of my 40 years of life. My dad, sister, niece, and the majority of my aunts and uncles are still here. All of my grandparents are buried here. I found out about this commission only days ago after spending two years abroad. I found this old design from 2016 just today. It needs works. It lacks our current eagle, perhaps to be placed in white silhouette above the star.
Explain the meaning behind your flag: This slice of Old Glory is also a nod to the French flag, banners which both stood here. A single star shines our contribution to the union. Abe’s silhouette reminds us of our past. The red field highlights our present: Illinois’ most iconic border, formed by the mighty Mississippi. It’s steady flow, as progress itself, cuts through our banner in white leading us ever to the future. The flag still lacks any representation of our Illiniwek and Miami heritage, which should be added by their progeny.
ILLINOIS SECRETARY OF STATE
Entry 4129
Relationship to Illinois: As someone born, raised, and educated in the state of Illinois, I am proud to call Illinois home and plan to do so for life. I believe strongly that my character and view of the world as a citizen and as an architect has been shaped by the cultural, geographic, economic, historic, and architectural diversity of our state.
Explain the meaning behind your flag: The four dark blue bars in this submission represent the four geographic features that hold the greatest geographic, economic, and historic significance in the creation of Illinois: Lake Michigan, the Mississippi River, the Ohio River, and the Chicago River/ Illinois River system. The corn kernels and 21-pronged gear that form our state flower, the violet, represent the agricultural and industrial foundations of our state and its status as the 21st state admitted to the Union.
ILLINOIS SECRETARY OF STATE
Entry 3754
Relationship to Illinois: I’ve lived here for nearly 10 years and have grown to love this state. It’s an excellent place to settle down, with welcoming people who have always made me feel at home. From stunning city views to beautiful countryside, my appreciation for this state has deepened.
Explain the meaning behind your flag: A large gold star in the center draws attention, much like the standout features of our state. Gold color symbolizes out the richness in our state, people, land and views. A horizontal blue line symbolizes lake Michigan, separating the sky from the rich land. Two smaller lines add a neat, elegant touch. The central circle abstractly represents the view from above Abraham Lincoln’s hat.
ILLINOIS SECRETARY OF STATE
Entry 3679
Relationship to Illinois: Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been proud to call Springfield my home. I come from generations of Illinoisans and have chosen to raise my family here as well. I’ve spent much of my life exploring the state and experiencing its wonders firsthand what I’ve found is there is much to what makes Illinois great: our rich history, our landscape, our variety of people and the places they live. My designs reflect these qualities in a way that can hopefully inspire others to share my pride for my home.
Explain the meaning behind your flag: The outline of Abraham Lincoln symbolizes liberty, opportunity and the equality of all people. The outline of Illinois symbolizes the pride we share for our state. The circle of 21 stars represents our communal togetherness and honors our state being the 21st to join the USA. The white star symbolizes Chicago and its upper-right location. Dark blue represents our blue-collar attitude and industrial power. Gold represents our prairie and agricultural history. White represents our bright spirit.
ILLINOIS SECRETARY OF STATE
Entry 2752
Relationship to Illinois: I have lived in Illinois for my entire life (40 years). I grew up in Naperville and then moved to Chicago where I lived for about 18 years before moving to Des Plaines.
Explain the meaning behind your flag: My flag uses a silhouette design of the state of Illinois as the focal point. I always felt Illinois had a distinct outline. 21 stars circle the state to symbolize it being the 21st state to enter the Union. Additionally, I used the circular design to symbolize Illinois being a kind of center of the country, whether it is geographically or from Chicago serving as a hub for train and air traffic. Finally, the blue edges represent the Mississippi River and Lake Michigan which flank the state.
ILLINOIS SECRETARY OF STATE
Entry 2246
Relationship to Illinois: My connection to Illinois runs deep. My ancestors came from Ireland in the early 1900s and settled in Gridley, IL, where they farmed corn, soybeans, and raised livestock. My father grew up on that same farm, while my mother was raised in Champaign. They met at Illinois State University, where I also earned my Bachelor of Arts in graphic design. I’ve lived in Illinois my entire life, and its agricultural landscapes and small town values make me proud to call Illinois home.
Explain the meaning behind your flag: The 21 stripes represent Illinois as the 21st state and reflect its agricultural roots, resembling rows of crops and the open prairie. Three six-pointed stars represent the state’s three regions*northern, central, and southern*and their 18 points reference Illinois’ founding in 1818. A sun on the horizon, also featured on our current state flag, represents renewal. The colors — Blue for unity, Green for agriculture, and Yellow for a bright future — honor Illinois’ history and natural beauty.
ILLINOIS SECRETARY OF STATE
Entry 896
Relationship to Illinois: My late wife Maureen Thomas (1952-2023) was born and raised in Oak Park, Illinois.
Explain the meaning behind your flag: The idea of mine is simply an embellishment to the existing flag (helps to save money on an entire new design). Placing red and blue vertical bars on each end (with a narrow white stripe in between the colors) eliminates the ‘seal-on-bedsheet’ look. Not overly imaginative, but practical and economic.
ILLINOIS SECRETARY OF STATE
Entry 200
Relationship to Illinois: I am 18 years old and a lifelong resident, born in Moline and currently living in Rock Island. My parents were also born and raised in this state.
Explain the meaning behind your flag: The flag is divided into 7 stripes, in a pattern of white and blue alternating. The biggest blue stripe represents Lake Michigan while the smaller blue stripes represent the state’s various rivers such as the Mississippi and the Illinois. The center blue stripe contains 20 smaller stars surrounding a center star, which represent Illinois as the 21st state. The small white stripes represent the state’s industry and commerce while the bigger white stripes represent the state’s agriculture.
ILLINOIS SECRETARY OF STATE
Centennial Flag
The Centennial Flag was created to commemorate 100 years of Illinois’ statehood. The flag consists of 10 stars on each side of a white and blue banner with a larger 21st star to represent the state being the 21st to be admitted to the Union.
ILLINOIS SECRETARY OF STATE
Current Flag
The first official flag of Illinois was adopted in 1915, almost 100 years after Illinois became a state in 1818. Lucy Derwent of the Rockford Daughters of the American Revolution chapter placed the Great Seal on a plain white background. In 1969 the word “Illinois” was added to the bottom of the flag, becoming the flag that is recognized today.
ILLINOIS SECRETARY OF STATE
Sesquicentennial Flag
The Sesquicentennial Flag was created to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the state. This flag is dark blue with an outline of Illinois in the middle of a white “I.” The center is surrounded by 20 five-pointed stars with a larger 21st star to represent that Illinois was the 21st state admitted to the Union.
ILLINOIS SECRETARY OF STATE
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