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Local Lawmakers React to Budget Address

Local lawmakers say there's a long way to go in coming to an agreement on a new state budget.

The comments come after Gov. Pat Quinn delivered his annual Budget Address to the legislature Wednesday. It includes big cuts to education, but still spends more than House revenue estimates expect to bring in.

Republican Senator Dave Luechtefeld of Okawville says the budget is definitely bleak, but he says lawmakers and the leadership must come together to make things better.

"The facts are, we're in trouble, and it's hard to put a good spin on that. We have probably more debt than we had before the income tax passed. That tells you something about the condition of the state."

Freshman GOP Representative Charlie Meier of Okawville says he was disappointed with what Governor Quinn had to say.

"Illinois is in a terrible financial situation. We are bringing in more revenue now, but it seems to me that he's got that money all spent everywhere else. We're not paying off our current bills. The $350 million cut to schools - that's really not across the entire state of Illinois because it's in transportation. That only affects southern Illinois."
 
Governor Quinn says even though the proposed budget makes tough cuts to education he's preserving a few areas, like early childhood education and some college scholarships. The governor's budget address calls for about $400 million in cuts to education.

Democratic Representative Jay Hoffman says he was disappointed that there are some areas where spending isn't going down, and says there is a lot of work left to do.

"We shouldn't just spend all that money. We have back due bills of $9 billion. We have a pension system that's unsustainable. We're going to have to pass some pension reform that's going to provide stability for that pension system."

Rep. Mike Bost says the plan lacks details, and hits his part of the state harder than others.

"He didn't talk about a lot of issues. And at the same time, where he says he's spending more money, if you'll look at what he's doing to downstate schools - downstate schools get transportation costs cut tremendously."
 
Rep. John Bradley, who chairs the House Revenue Committee, says the Governor's budget doesn't just lack detail, it doesn't use accurate numbers.

"Our revenue estimate is based on facts and reality. We went through an open, inclusive process of developing revenue estimates. We used actual figures, we brought in experts, we asked for input from anyone and everyone that wanted to testify. We did so in a bipartisan manner, and got nearly universal support for the number we had. The governor's office participated in a couple of those, and their number was all over the place.  I'm glad he finally arrived at a number - it's not right."

Democratic Senator Gary Forby says while he's disappointed with the spending plan, he was pleased to see Quinn support fracking.

“I haven’t agreed with the governor on many issues, but I agree with him that now is the time to bring fracking to Southern Illinois. Hydraulic fracturing has the potential to bring thousands of jobs to the region and grow our tax base.”
 
Governor Quinn stressed the necessity for state lawmakers to quickly pass pension reform.  The state is currently in a nearly $100 billion pension hole.
 

Jennifer Fuller joined Capitol News Illinois in July 2023 as the organization’s broadcast director. She will oversee the launch and operations of CNI’s new broadcast division.

Contact Jennifer Fuller at jfuller@capitolnewsillinois.com
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