 Lawmakers returned to the state Capitol on Monday to patch together
a budget plan to fix a $13 billion deficit for the fiscal year set
to begin July 1. Legislators face a May 31 deadline to pass a budget
before a supermajority vote is needed, requiring Republican support.
State Sen. Dan Kotowski, D-Mount Prospect, said the budgetary
stalemate gives lawmakers unique ability to ensure responsible
spending by the state.
"The fact is that we have an opportunity this week to transform
and reform how we conduct the business of state government," he
said.
The proposed cuts include operations expenses at both the
executive and legislative level, as well as $300 million from the
education budget. The lawmakers have also targeted retiree health
benefits by asking state retirees to pay premiums.
This year's budget spotlight has focused on education, as last
year's $1 billion federal stimulus infusion has dried up. Although
Quinn's budget proposal calls for $1.3 billion in education cuts,
the governor developed the income tax hike as a way to avoid the
budgetary loss. But the group of lawmakers said the state's
education expenses need to be reined in to match budgetary
realities.
State Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora, who chairs the House
Appropriations Committee on Elementary and Secondary Education, said
school districts can afford to cut back on grants and other
administrative expenses, which can save up to $300 million.
"I went into my school districts ... and right away within a
matter of six to 12 months, I was able to save them close to $3
million -- now, those were all non-employee costs that I dealt with
and insurance," she said. "How many more school districts do we have
out there that are not spending their money wisely?"
She said she feared not enough education funding was going toward
students.
"When I talk to the budgeters, they're saying that for every
dollar we spend on education, 80 percent goes into administration,
only 20 percent goes to the kids," she said.
All told, the group wants to cut $400 million from elementary,
secondary and higher education.
The group is also looking to enact several budgetary reforms to
save the state money in both the short and long term. State Sen.
Susan Garrett, D-Highwood, said the state can save $300 million by
renegotiating, cutting and or rebidding existing state contracts, a
process that can continue to generate savings in the future.
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All of the group's measures are being injected into the budget
process through committees and amendments to other budget proposals.
Although Democrats have large majorities in both the House and
Senate, it's unclear if the group's proposals will gain the votes
necessary to pass.
The coalition led by state Rep. Elaine Nekritz, D-Des Plaines,
and Kotowski began meeting through conference calls following the
legislature's May 7 adjournment due to stalled budget negotiations.
The lawmakers say they have met with party leaders and Quinn to
discuss the cuts.
The governor said he met with coalition members last week, and he
welcomes any proposed cuts. He is skeptical, however, that the
proposals can achieve majorities in the General Assembly.
"I told them that just about all of the things that they've
talked about, I've tried already," he said. "If there's a renewed
vision by the members of the legislature, both houses' majority
vote, that we can get done, then it's fine with me."
The group of lawmakers has yet to reach out to the other side of
the aisle, saying they want to focus on the "majority" in the
General Assembly. If they are unable to win over other Democrats,
more compromise may be needed to attract Republican support, they
said.
Quinn said he is prepared to enact cuts via executive order if
the General Assembly is unable or unwilling to reduce spending.
The coalition also includes Reps. Karen May, D-Highwood; Karen
Yarbrough, D-Broadview; Carol Sente, D-Vernon Hills; Sara
Feigenholtz, D-Chicago; Paul Froelich, D-Schaumburg; and Sen. Naomi
Jakobsson, D-Champaign.
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By BILL McMORRIS]
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