SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mike Simmons (D-Chicago) released the following statement Wednesday after the governor outlined his budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2026:

“Right now our work is direly urgent to ensure people all across Illinois have access to quality health care. We are also at a crossroads in expanding access to quality public transit. We also must reckon and actively take action to address our state’s housing crisis. Today’s budget proposal is a start and I look forward to the weeks ahead in discussions with my colleagues in the Senate and House as we work to ensure these priorities are addressed in the final budget. 

“I am happy to see today’s proposal includes additional funding to the Medical Debt Relief Pilot Program that I spearheaded last year, which would erase medical debt for 300,000 Illinois residents. I am committed to fighting for this program and ensuring all communities have access to quality health care as a top priority. 

“Millions of people across Illinois depend on mass public transit and all our transportation networks to be safe and efficient. I remain committed to the commuters and travelers in Illinois who rely on our network and I look forward to collaborating with my colleagues to protect and provide for all communities that depend and build their livelihoods on and around our state’s transit infrastructure, programs and services.”

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