A southern Illinois lawmaker is hopeful that Governor Pat Quinn's calls for facility closures doesn't pass legislative muster.Sen. John O. Jones says Quinn can't make the closures or the cuts all by himself. The Mt. Vernon Republican says the governor needs lawmakers to go along with the plan. Jones says this may be a negotiating tactic:
"We're going to have to make some votes in the General Assembly, and quite frankly Murray Center and the lab over by Kaskaskia College - that may be why those are included right now. A little negotiating with John O Jones and John Cavaletto, and maybe I can get their votes on some Medicaid reforms and some pension reforms... and maybe we can just possibly keep Murray Center Open."
The Murray Developmental Center in Centralia is one of 14 state facilities Quinn wants to close. The center employs more than 500 people. Governor Quinn stated several times in his speech that the legislature must work with him to make necessary changes to the budget- including pensions, Medicaid and overall state spending.
