FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                          June 26, 2009

Springfield, Ill…The state’s Democrat leaders adjourned a special legislative session and made plans to return the following week, but made no progress toward adopting a Fiscal Year 2010 budget proposal, despite the fact the end of the current fiscal year is rapidly approaching.

Frustrated by the lack of progress, Senate Republicans offered an alternative “bridge” budget, which would keep state government functioning and social service programs operational. State Senator Dan Duffy (R-Lake Barrington) said they decided to offer the temporary proposal because negotiations that should have been going on back in March are only now beginning to take place. As was the case when Rod Blagojevich was governor, the current Governor and his fellow Democrats who control the state legislature have been unable to agree on any plan.

The Republican proposal would roll spending back to the previous year’s levels, which is seen as more equitable and manageable than the budget approved in May. The May proposal, adopted on partisan votes with no Republican support, slashed human service spending by 50%, while increasing funding in other areas.

Senator Duffy said the bridge budget proposal would still require sacrifice, but it is shared and manageable sacrifice that will give the Governor and legislative leaders an opportunity to identify areas of state government that could be reasonably cut or reduced.

Senator Duffy said that for years Senate Republicans have fought for reforms to the state’s Medicaid and pension systems as a way to save state dollars, while also improving the quality of care and the viability of Illinois’ retirement systems. Republican lawmakers also believe that structural, ethical and campaign-related reforms are essential to resolving the underlying problems facing Illinois – including ending the political gerrymandering of the state for partisan political purposes.  

As budget negotiations continue, Senate GOP lawmakers have been frustrated because Gov. Pat Quinn and his Democrat colleagues have sought to increase taxes without any discussion of cost-savings and government reforms.

The severe cuts contained in the partisan budget measure adopted in May were designed to create a backlash, which they did. More than 5,000 state service providers and their beneficiaries rallied in the State Capitol on Tuesday, demanding a resolution. But, while it prompted fear and anger among social service providers and their clients, the budget did nothing to advance a responsible solution or address the underlying problems facing Illinois government.

As the start of the new fiscal year approaches, Gov. Quinn appeared to be revising his position on budget cuts. He had been traveling throughout the state warning of how these cuts would impact service providers, but on June 24 he announced that he was not going to make those drastic cuts to social service spending. Quinn did not offer any explanation as to how he and majority Democrats plan to address the state’s budget problems when state lawmakers return to Springfield.

###