SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) — Included in Illinois’ new budget announcement is an additional $20.5 million in rebates toward the purchase of an electric vehicle after the last round of rebates proved so popular the funding ran out.
Gov. JB Pritzker laid out the new budget in his State of the State address on Wednesday.
The budget proposal totals up to $49.6 billion in spending and plans for a $300 million dollar surplus.
Included in the budget was the new funding for EV rebates and an additional $10 million for high school vocational training for the electric vehicle workforce.
Funding for the previous EV rebate ran out in January 2023. The Illinois Electric Vehicle Rebate Program offered $4,000 off the price of a new EV, and $1,500 off the cost of an electric motorcycle, with money made available from the Illinois Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, in the amount of $17,909,043.51.
Also included in the budget address was the announcement of Smart Start Illinois, a plan to increase early childcare options across the state. Pritzker estimates his policy proposal will cost $250 million for the 2024 fiscal year budget.
Pritzker also wants to continue increasing money for MAP Grants — or the grants given to students who can’t afford college on their own; increase funding for the Department of Children and Family Services by $54 million; and spend $350 million on reducing homelessness.