CHICAGO - State Senator Emil Jones III (D-Chicago), Deputy Majority Leader of the Illinois Senate, issued the following statement in response to the passage of the Fiscal Year 2022 budget:

“The budget that passed the legislature, most importantly, is balanced and responsible. I’m proud we continued to fund health care and education, as both are important to the lives of so many people in this state.

“Additional Medicaid funding for community health workers, psychiatric rate increases for safety net hospitals, doulas and home-visiting programs will help make these services available to families in Black and Brown communities. This budget also preserves access to OB/GYN and other specialty services in safety net hospitals, helping reduce disproportionate rates of maternal mortality in the Black community.

“We also increased funding for schools with the greatest need. Students at these schools not only deserve access to the same resources as other students, they often need extra help. Continuing to increase our investments in education is the surest way to guide Illinois to a brighter future.”