State budget money earmarked for a high school sports facility in House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch’s district is drawing GOP ire.
The $40 million in funding will go toward a facility that will be constructed at Proviso West High School in suburban Hillside. Welch is an alum of the school, and defended the inclusion of the funding in the $55 billion budget passed by lawmakers over the weekend.
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WATCH HERE“There’s infrastructure projects in the budget all over the state, and yes one of them is for a majority-minority district that the speaker happens to represent, and I’m proud of that,” he told NBC 5 Political Reporter Mary Ann Ahern.
Welch defended the project, comparing it to providing funds for a hotel and other amenities in the Tinley Park entertainment district, as well as new bridge construction in Kane County.
Tony McCombie, the top Republican in the House, blasted the project and its price tag.
“$40 million because he is the speaker and is playing favoritism, picking winners and losers,” she said. “I would probably bet the farm that there is not another school in the entire state that’s getting $40 million.”
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Members of the Proviso school board told NBC Chicago the community will still have an opportunity to provide input, as the project remains in the information gathering phase.
Welch said that the project isn’t just for the school’s use, but will be available to the entire community for a variety of sports.
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SIGN UP “It’s a complex for youth baseball, youth softball, soccer, tennis, volleyball, and track,” he said.
State Republicans have blasted the spending included in this year’s budget, and have criticized Democrats for raising specific taxes and revising revenue estimates in an effort to ensure that the budget would be balanced for the seventh consecutive year under Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
McCombie said that the money being allocated to the Proviso project, which will allow the school board to skip the customary step of issuing bonds via a public referendum, could have been spent elsewhere.
“That $40 million could have went to a lot of other places that are in need,” she said.
The final budget agreements passed over the weekend in Springfield are still awaiting Pritzker’s signature.
