Gov. J.B. Pritzker took the first step Thursday in fulfilling his touchstone campaign pledge of making the wealthy pay more in income taxes as the billionaire proposed a graduated income-tax structure that he said would generate $3.4 billion in new revenue for the financially-strapped state.

Illinois lawmakers have two weeks to get together a spending plan. Officials from cities across the state are going on the offensive to keep lawmakers from balancing the budget by raiding their pockets.

Commentary - The lack of detail from Democratic candidate for governor J.B. Pritzker makes it unclear whether his graduated tax plan would lower taxes.

When out campaigning, Governor Bruce Rauner has been making big claims about lowering taxes. But there was little follow-through in Wednesday's budget proposal.

As the governor and legislature have grappled in a historic death match over their views of how to sync our policy desires and our resources, many wonder if there is something especially daunting about budgeting in the Prairie State.