Governor Bruce Rauner's second round of proposed cuts includes suspending money for the University of Illinois' Cooperative Extension and its related programs including 4-H clubs and funding to soil and water conservation districts.
U of I extension receives funding through the state Department of Agriculture. Extension communications director Steve Wald says these funds are significant because many of them are matched by local counties.
He says the proposed suspension of funding also includes money to support county fairs, which comes at a bad time considering we are heading into the fair season.
Wald says they will make contingency plans in case the cuts come about. But, he believes the extension service can be part of the budget solution because it brings in federal resources and much of its programming is built on growing the state economy.
Barring a budget deal, the suspension of funds would begin on July 1.
