>>> ILLINOIS COULD SOON SEE CHANGES, 565 OF THEM TO BE PRECISE.

THAT'S HOW MANY BILLS STATE LAWMAKERS PASSED IN THIS SESSION, WHICH ENDED ABOUT 3:00 A.M.

EARLY SATURDAY.

JOINING US NOW TO TALK ABOUT WHAT SOME OF THOSE MEASURES WOULD DO, AND WHAT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY DIDN'T GET TO DO, IS ONE OF THE POWERFUL LEGISLATORS WHO CALLS THE SHOTS DURING SESSION, SPEAKER OF THE ILLINOIS HOUSE DANIEL CRISWELL.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US, SPEAKER.

A QUICK NOTE THAT NEITHER OF THE REPUBLICAN LEADERS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY WERE ABLE TO JOIN US THIS EVENING.

WE ARE WORKING TO GET THEM ON THE PROGRAM FOR NEXT WEEK.

LET'S GET RIGHT TO IT.

THE BUDGET DID PASS THE HOUSE.

AS YOU ALLUDED TO EARLIER, A SUPER MAJORITY, HISTORIC, 78 DEMOCRATIC MEMBERS.

THERE WERE SOME HICCUPS AND THE MAIN POINT OF CONTENTION WAS OVER HOW MUCH HEALTHCARE FOR UNDOCUMENTED RESIDENTS.

THE BUDGET ARRIVES ON GOVERNOR JB PRITZKER'S SLICING SPENDING AT A HALF BILLION DOLLARS.

CAN ACTUALLY REDUCE SPENDING BY THAT MUCH, AND HOW?

>> FIRST, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME ON THE SHOW.

WE PASSED A FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE AND COMPASSIONATE BUDGET.

THIS IS A BUDGET THAT'S GOING TO TAKE CARE OF PEOPLE ALL OVER THIS STATE, AND THERE'S ALSO A PROGRAM CALLED HEALTHY BENEFITS FOR IMMIGRANT ADULTS.

THESE ARE FOLKS THAT ARE HERE, THEY'RE WORKING, THEY'RE PAYING TAXES.

IF THEY WERE SICK, WITHOUT THIS PROGRAM, THEY WOULD GO GET HEALTHCARE AND EMERGENCY ROOMS.

IT WOULD COST US ALL A LOT MORE MONEY.

THEY ARE RECEIVING THEIR HEALTHCARE AND THERE'S A PROGRAM FOR MEDICAID ELIGIBLE, THAT THEY ARE ALLOWED TO GET HEALTHCARE THROUGH.

>> HOW CAN IT BE CUT BY THAT MUCH, THOUGH?

IT'S HUGE, ABOUT HALF.

>> THERE'S A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT THEY DO THAT ARE ELIGIBLE FOR FEDERAL MATCH AND THE GOVERNOR, THROUGH THE TOOLS THAT WE PROVIDED HIM, WILL BE ALLOWED TO CONTAIN THE GROWTH OF THE PROGRAM.

>> YOU'RE CONFIDENT IT WILL BE THAT MUCH, THAT GREAT?

>> WE ARE VERY CONFIDENT WE GAVE THE GOVERNMENT THE TOOLS HE NEEDS TO MANAGE THE PROGRAM.

>> WE JUST HEARD ABOUT THIS CITY COUNCIL BATTLE OVERSPENDING ON MIGRANTS AND ASYLUM SEEKERS.

THE STATE BUDGET WAS ABOUT $42 MILLION AND GIVES CHICAGO AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET HELP IN THE EFFORTS THAT REALLY COULD BE CONSIDERED A DROP IN THE BUCKET.

WHAT IS THE STATE'S RESPONSIBILITY HERE?

>> IN 2017 REPRESENTATIVE WELCH PASSED A LAW CALLED THE TRUST ACT.

THE TRUST ACT MADE ILLINOIS THE MOST LAWFUL STATE IN THE COUNTRY.

WE ARE A WELCOMING STAY.

CHICAGO IS A WELCOMING CITY, AND WE CAN'T JUST TALK THE TALK.

YOU HAVE TO WALK THE WALK AND WE BELIEVE IN HELPING PEOPLE.

>> WHY NOT MORE, THEN?

>> WE ALSO HAVE TO DO IT IN A FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE WAY.

WE DO HAVE A WHOLE HOST OF THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO BALANCE, AND I THINK IS WAS THE RIGHT WAY OF GOING ABOUT IT.

WE ARE NOT IGNORING NEW ARRIVALS.

WE ARE ACTUALLY BEING CONSISTENT WITH OUR VALUES AND WELCOMING THEM TO THIS GREAT STATE.

HOPEFULLY THEY'LL STAY AND WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING A PARTNER IN THIS ENDEAVOR IN YEARS TO COME.

>> THE BUDGET HAS A LOT.

WE HAVE COVERED SOME OF THAT, BUT ONE OF THE ELEMENTS THAT IT DOES IS IT GIVES YOU AND OTHER EDGES LEGISLATORS PAY RAISES TO BASE PAY FOR A MEMBER OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, NEARLY $90,000.

I'M TOLD THAT HAS PROMPTED NOT JUST NEGATIVE FEEDBACK BUT EVEN DEATH THREATS FROM CONSTITUENTS.

EXPLAIN WHY IS THE 5.5% RATE DESERVED?

>> YOU MAY RECALL THAT I WAS PART OF A LAWSUIT YEARS AGO WHEN FORMER GOVERNOR BRUCE RAUNER INTENDED TO STOP THAT AND THE COURTS RULED IN FAVOR OF THE LEGISLATURE.

HE COULD NOT STOP OUR PAY.

THERE WERE OTHER LAWS AND JUDGES HAVE RULED THAT WE CANNOT WAIVE OUR COLA.

IT'S UNCONSTITUTIONAL.

WHAT YOU ARE HEARING EVERY YEAR FROM THE OTHER SIDE IS A POLITICAL ARGUMENT THAT THEY KNOW COURTS HAVE ALREADY RULED.

>> IS THIS COLA, 5.5%?

>> THIS IS COLA AND A RAISE THAT'S DIFFERENT FROM THE COLA AND WE CANNOT WAIVE THE COLA.

COURTS HAVE RULED THAT.

SO I KNOW THAT THE REPUBLICANS ARE TRYING TO MAKE IT OUT FOR MORE THAN WHAT IT IS BUT OUR LAWYERS HAVE ADVISED THAT IT'S PROPER.

>> HAVE YOU RECEIVED DEATH THREATS?

>> I HAVE NOT.

>> GOOD.

SPEAKING OF REPUBLICANS, SENATE REPUBLICANS SAY THAT THEY WERE PART OF BUDGET NEGOTIATIONS, THAT IS NOT SO ACCORDING TO YOUR COUNTERPART IN THE HOUSE, AND THAT IS MINORITY LEADER TONY RICCARDI.

LET'S LISTEN.

>> REGARDLESS OF OUR WEEKLY MEETINGS, SPEAKER WELCH, YOU GAVE A FALSE HOPE FOR A NEW DAY.

A HOUSE REPUBLICANS WERE DENIED PARTICIPATION IN MANY THINGS, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, THIS YEAR'S BUDGET PROCESS.

>> IS THIS A CASE OF TO THE VICTOR GO THE SPOILS, OR CAN YOU GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF SOMETHING IN THE BUDGET THAT WAS CONTRIBUTED BY GOP INPUT?

>> FIRST OF ALL LET ME SAY THAT'S NOT A TRUTHFUL STATEMENT.

SHE WAS PERFORMING FOR HER CAUCUS AND HER FOLKS BACK HOME IN HER DISTRICT.

THE REALITY IS I MET WITH HER WEEKLY, SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE SESSION, AND WE ALSO HAVE REPUBLICANS AS A PART OF OUR WORKING PROCESS.

A BUDGET WILL BE WORKED ON IN A VERY BIPARTISAN WAY.

ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO AND ONE OF OUR WEEKLY MEETINGS I ASKED THE LEADER IF REPUBLICANS WERE ACTUALLY GOING TO VOTE ON THE BUDGET AND I ACTUALLY SPECIFICALLY SAID, CAN YOU AT LEAST ALLOW YOUR LEADERSHIP TO VOTE ON THE BUDGET.

AFTER THAT, SOMETIMES MEETINGS THAT WERE TWICE, THRICE A WEEK ENDED.

SHE NEVER GOT BACK TO ME IN RESPONSE TO MY QUESTION.

THE FIRST TIME THAT I FOUND OUT THEY WERE AGAINST THE BUDGET WAS WHEN THEY VOTED AGAINST THE BUDGET.

SO WE WERE VERY DIRECT IN WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO DO.

WE WERE WORKING WITH THEM.

THEY WERE PART OF OUR PROCESS.

WHEN I ACTUALLY ASKED HER TO COMMIT REPUBLICANS ON THE BUDGET, ALL COMMUNICATIONS STOPPED ON HER PART.

THIS IS A BUDGET THAT HELPS THE ENTIRE STATE.

EVERY UNIVERSITY IN THE STATE IS IN A REPUBLICAN DISTRICT.

UNIVERSITIES RECEIVED 7% INCREASES ACROSS THE BOARD.

>> SCHOLARSHIP FUNDING, INCREASING -- >> $1 MILLION MORE IN THAT.

AIM HIGH SCHOLARSHIPS ACROSS THE BOARD.

>> MERIT-BASED ONES.

WE'RE ABOUT AT TIME.

I WANT TO GET ONE MORE JUST QUICK YES OR NO QUESTION.

DOES ILLINOIS NEED A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT CODIFYING THE RIGHT TO AN ABORTION?

IT'S SOMETHING THAT COULD BE ON THE 2024 ABOUT IT,