10 questions to ask Ill. lawmakers about budget

[July 28, 2009]  SPRINGFIELD (AP) -- Illinois officials passed a new state budget this month. It relies on borrowing billions of dollars, leaving bills unpaid until next year and promising to cut spending somewhere, somehow, by the end of the year. As in so many other years, an agreement came only after weeks of wrangling as state government neared shutdown.

Now legislators have gone home until their October veto session. Many will make local appearances, hold town meetings and cut the ribbons on new projects.

Here are 10 questions that Illinois taxpayers might ask the next time they have a chance to talk to their local senator or representative:

QUESTION: Why did legislators give Gov. Pat Quinn broad authority to cut the budget instead of doing it themselves? Isn't it your job to decide how to spend tax dollars?

BACKGROUND: Normally, the budget spells out in detail how much money each state program will get. This year, with Illinois facing an $11.6 billion deficit, officials faced an extraordinary challenge in deciding how to spend scarce dollars. Lawmakers ended up approving part of the budget as lump sums that Quinn can spend however he wants. In addition, they've given him authority to cut spending by at least $1 billion and up to $2 billion.

QUESTION: Since state spending will have to be reduced, which programs do you think should be cut?

BACKGROUND: Despite giving Quinn most control over the budget, individual legislators can still speak out on where to cut. The State Board of Education, for instance, has slashed funds for after-school, gifted and early childhood services. Do legislators agree with that? If not, should the money come from parks? Prisons? Mental health?

QUESTION: Did you vote for or against borrowing $3.5 billion to pay day-to-day government expenses? Is it responsible to take on years of debt for routine costs?

BACKGROUND: Officials decided to take out a five-year loan and use the money to make the state's annual contribution to government pensions. That meant the tax money that would have gone to pensions could be used for other expenses. Borrowing to pay ordinary costs is usually considered a bad idea -- roughly comparable to a family taking out a second mortgage to buy groceries and pay the telephone bill.

QUESTION: How do you propose to make that $3.5 billion payment next year?

BACKGROUND: The state is supposed to contribute money to pension systems every year. That means next year Illinois will have to come up with the $3.5 billion it borrowed this time around, plus a roughly $600 million payment on this year's loan.

QUESTION: If you favor a tax increase, do you think that alone will solve the state's budget problems? If not, then where are you willing to cut costs?

BACKGROUND: Gov. Pat Quinn's proposed tax increase would have generated about $2.8 billion; the Senate approved a $5 billion increase. Neither would have come close to filling the deficit. But some advocates for the increase have been slow to spell out how else they would address the budget problem.

QUESTION: If you oppose a tax increase, where can the state responsibly cut enough spending to put the budget back on sound footing?

BACKGROUND: Illinois could fire every state employee and not make a dent in the deficit. Cutting Medicaid spending in half wouldn't solve the problem. Reversing the last five years of spending increases wouldn't do it. Any plan to balance the budget without higher taxes would require major choices about what state government should and should not be doing.

QUESTION: Do you support or oppose the suggestions for cutting Medicaid costs that were presented by the governor's Taxpayer Action Board?

BACKGROUND: The cost of providing medical care to the poor and disabled has nearly doubled over the past decade, to $11.2 billion, and could reach $15.7 billion in another five years. An advisory board appointed by the governor says the growth could be limited by depending more on managed care (including care for the elderly and developmentally disabled), moving people out of institutions and into community care, negotiating lower rates with providers and more.

QUESTION: How many state employees should be laid off as part of the budget-cutting process?

BACKGROUND: Quinn proposed cutting 2,600 jobs, and that was when he was still counting on getting money from an income tax increase. Without that tax, the cuts could be even deeper. But Illinois has one of the smallest government work forces in America for a state of its size -- 122 employees for every 10,000 residents. Governing magazine says only Florida has fewer state employees per capita.

QUESTION: Does Illinois need to put formal limits on how much government spending can grow each year?

BACKGROUND: Government spending has climbed dramatically in Illinois. The main government fund reached about $31.7 billion in the fiscal year that just ended, up more than one-third in just six years, thanks to rising expenses and expanded services. Some government watchdogs want a cap on spending growth -- for instance, letting it climb only enough to account for inflation and any rise in Illinois population.

QUESTION: How big do you think the deficit will be when the next fiscal year begins in 2011?

BACKGROUND: Many pieces of this year's budget are one-time revenues -- they will disappear and leave a hole that must be filled next year. Examples include the $3.5 billion in borrowing and $3.2 billion from skipping bill payments. Officials could decide to borrow more or skip more bills; otherwise, they'll have to cut spending, increase revenue or find new budget tricks.

[Associated Press; By CHRISTOPHER WILLS]

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.