By Kevin Lee Illinois Statehouse News
SPRINGFIELD – Lawmakers are getting a sense of deja vu with regards to this year’s budget.
Last year, the General Assembly and Gov. Pat Quinn passed a budget using a combination of billions of dollars in borrowing as well as millions of dollars in fund transfers to help meet some of the state’s obligations.
Quinn signed off on the budget after his appeals for a tax increase fell short in the legislature. The Illinois Senate passed a tax increase proposal but the Illinois House decided to ignore it.
This year, the budget deficit is deeper and Quinn is again calling for more revenue through what he’s calling a “surcharge” aimed at funding schools. But lawmakers give the 1 percentage point increase in the income tax a slim chance of passage.
State Rep. Pat Verschoore, D-Milan, said his colleagues and the governor are going to struggle with tough decisions during the final days of the legislative session.
But state Sen. Matt Murphy, R-Palatine, doesn’t think Quinn is going to go through with cuts to education. Murphy thinks this budget will include nominal cuts while relying heavily on borrowing.
State Sen. Gary Forby, D-Benton, said he doesn’t like the state to borrow money because the state has to pay back the money with interest.
Illinois faces a $13 billion budget shortfall and faces a structural deficit – state expenditures are outpacing revenues coming into the state.
Lawmakers have neglected the structural deficit for years, which has worsened in part because of the national recession.
The General Assembly isn’t expected to fully address the deficit by May 7, the scheduled end of the legislative session.
State Rep. Chuck Jefferson, D-Rockford, said an income tax increase is a difficult vote to make before November’s general election.
Jefferson added that lawmakers cannot afford to think about their political futures when considering a tax increase.
But state Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, said state government has to first implement controls in spending, pay freezes and more furlough days.
Many lawmakers think they will pass a temporary budget with enough money for state agencies and programs to stay afloat, before addressing the structural deficit next year.
State Rep. Jim Watson, R-Jacksonville, is still hopeful he and his colleagues can come up with substantial solutions.
Dear Lawmakers,
Please communicate to us how you are working to correct the red ink in Springfield without just throwing in the white flag on living up to your responsibilities. We ask that you face the fiscal responsibilities in front of you by adjournment time in May.
As concerned citizens of Waterloo Community Unit School District No. 5, we ask, “When are you politicians, and when are you elected officials?” We plead that you be the latter all the time, or we question your role in Springfield.
The next fiscal year starts July 1. School starts at the end of August. For 20,000 teachers (of which 41 are from Waterloo), the schoolchildren and other Illinoisans who depend on the services they provide, waiting until November doesn’t cut it. We are entitled to answers now. Schools cannot operate on a 6-month budget; I ask you, “is the education of our children worth one-half your efforts?”
Respectfully,
Rebecca L. Madden
Dear Senator,
Please communicate to us how you are working to correct the red ink in Springfield without just throwing in the white flag on living up to your responsibilities. We ask that you face the fiscal responsibilities in front of you by adjournment time in May.
As concerned citizens of Waterloo Community Unit School District No. 5, we ask, “When are you politicians, and when are you elected officials?” We plead that you be the latter all the time, or we question your role in Springfield.
The next fiscal year starts July 1. School starts at the end of August. For 20,000 teachers (of which 41 are from Waterloo), the schoolchildren and other Illinoisans who depend on the services they provide, waiting until November doesn’t cut it. We are entitled to answers now. Schools cannot operate on a 6-month budget; I ask you, “is the education of our children worth one-half your efforts?”
Respectfully,
Rebecca L. Madden
Education should be top priority for this state. Education is the foundation of success. If you educate properly, the children should have ambission to attend college; which would in turn lower our Medicaid payouts and increase our value in the economy. I’m not sure the resolution to this issue, but I can assure you borrowing with interest payments is NOT the answer!!!!
Where is all the money from the Casinos going?I thought a big portion of that was supposed to go to our schools?Please don’t take away from our schools any more those kids in there now are the one’s gonna be running our country when we’re seniors.Education is our most important weapon to use rebuilding this great country and replacing those individuals in our government now making these bad decisions.
We would like to know why is the education is put off while the things that is important to you, such as a raise is done right away. We would like you to get this taken care of for our children. We are raising 2 of our grandchildren. One gradulate this year and got excepted to Lincoln Techinal college. He couldn’t get this far without an education a good one. Our 9 year is going to be in 4th grade and we want him to be able to get the best they are. But the representatives has to help us get this for our children. This needs your attention before May when you leave and not in November when you come back.
I think it is not responsible to keep putting off budget decisions for the next time. If american families saved, budgeted and spent like the government we would be in terrible trouble as individual households. We, as families, are hurting and struggling enough. We cannot afford to keep getting taxed to cover the irresposibilities of the past and we cannot continue to deplete our children of programs that provide excellent educational learning and family value experiences. How are our children going to learn how to provide new and innovative solutions to out current problems as our “Future Generation” if we don’t give them the VERY BEST LEARNING TOOLS now as children that AMERICA has to offer. We, as a country, need to learnin order to fix problems you have to start at the beginning, planning and preparing for the future, not just in the short term.
Our State Legislators, Representatives, Senators, ect. have abused the State’s budget for a number of years now. It really makes me mad to know that now I am going to have to pay higher taxes because of this abuse. Guess what, elected officals, Illinois tax payers are getting really tired of this. You all made this mess and you all should be the ones to figure it out, without abusing any more of our tax dollars. You can start by cutting out your own FAT.