[moorhosj1]

Not hearing much from the "fiscal conservatives" on the budget/pension front. Credit rating agency's have plenty of positive things to say.:

The governor’s proposals are likely to meet with approval by credit rating agencies leaving Illinois poised for positive rating news this calendar year as its credit slowly normalizes.

To the state’s credit, they’ve unwound many of the one-time budget maneuvers implemented before and during the early months of the pandemic, and have also continued progress in paying down the bills backlog to much more sustainable levels,” said Eric Kim, Fitch’s lead analyst on Illinois. “There are some proposals in the executive budget that clearly target the state’s biggest credit challenges.

In general, any additional money that goes to reserves or pays down long-term liabilities that are coming from excess revenues we view positively,” said Moody’s lead Illinois analyst Matthew Butler. “We are not losing sight that Illinois still faces more long-term liabilities and cost pressures than other states but given current revenue performance the state is able to take additional positive steps forward.