Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, the Speaker of Illinois House of Representatives, talked with The 21st in the hour before Governor JB Pritzker's 2022 State of the State and budget address. He addressed everything from taxes to fighting crime.

Governor  Bruce Rauner delivers his budget address to a  joint session of state lawmakers on Wednesday at the Illinois Statehouse in Springfield. And two east-central Illinois lawmakers hope the speech will the start of successful budget negotiations.

On the 21st: Just before Governor Rauner delivered his third budget address, we broadcast live from inside the Statehouse. We heard from those directly affected by the historic budget stalemate and brought you analysis of what to expect.

Democrats have been saying Gov. Bruce Rauner has never proposed a balanced budget — shirking his constitutional and statutory duty. Rauner rejects that critique. Reporter Brian Mackey assesses their claims.

On the 21st: We got a preview of Governor Rauner’s upcoming budget address and learned what social service agencies that rely on state funding hope to hear. We also discussed a recent letter signed by hundreds of conservative evangelical leaders denouncing President Trump's immigration executive order and learned about two new initiatives aimed at providing food to those in need.