 Quinn spent more than a third of his 27-minute speech to the House
and Senate recounting past state efforts to revitalize the Illinois
economy.He briefly mentioned his proposal to reduce by $552
million Medicaid reimbursements to nursing homes and hospitals for
the care of the poor and disabled. He called for the elimination of
regional offices of education to save $14 million, the eventual goal
of consolidating the various 868 school districts to save $100
million, and an increase in financial aid to need-based college
students.
That was it in terms of details -- unless you count the $8.75
billion borrowing measure he is counting on lawmakers passing in
order to pay off a backlog of $10 billion in unpaid bills and other
obligations for the current fiscal year.
"He just doesn't paint a strong narrative to bring people along,"
said Kent Redfield, a professor of political studies at the
University of Illinois-Springfield.
Quinn most likely won't bring Republicans along to vote to borrow
the $8.75 billion, which he claims "is not, not new borrowing." Any
borrowing proposal needs a three-fifths majority vote to pass in
both chambers, thereby requiring the support of some Republicans.
"Now if you don't agree with our debt restructuring plan, tell us
which payments you would eliminate to pay $8.7 billion in overdue
bills today -- which programs? Put it out there for all of us to
see," Quinn said. "Saying 'no' is not enough unless you are willing
to offer real alternatives."
At a budget briefing for the media on Tuesday evening, budget
director David Vaught underscored the need to pay off the bills.
"If you don't pay $10 (billion) or $11 billion in debt, it's
still there -- that's the problem. We can't just let that sit there
forever," Vaught said. "It's been incurred. It was based on
contractual obligations the state entered into, and we have to pay
it. The idea that you just carry that over, and carry that over
outside a normal payment cycle, is not acceptable. That's why the
governor proposed the debt restructuring plan. Let's restructure it
and pay it off."
Just how much to borrow is likely to be a bone of contention
throughout the legislative session, since Republicans are still
smarting from a 67 percent personal income tax increase passed by
Democratic lawmakers during the lame-duck session last month.
House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego, acknowledged that the
idea of borrowing will have to be "explored" but wondered if
Democrats may also balk at the $8.75 billion figure.
"I would suggest it's not being embraced by those on the other
side as well, because they know it's a huge number," Cross said.
However, it was one of the few numbers mentioned in Quinn's
speech. Most of the details of the $35.4 billion spending plan were
skipped over, leaving the average resident to depend on information
the media culled from Tuesday's budget briefing.
Education funding for transportation is slated for a $95 million
cut, a move that local districts can handle, according to Quinn's
chief of staff, Jack Lavin.
"When you see layers of layers of administration -- you see 240
superintendents making more than the governor of the state of
Illinois makes -- I think that they can afford to tighten their
belts and be able to pay for transportation," Lavin said.
[to top of second column] |
The budget also cuts $107 million by eliminating the Illinois
Cares Rx prescription drug program that helps senior citizens
supplement the Medicare program. Seniors are again targeted with the
elimination of the Circuit Breaker program, which offers grants to
help pay property taxes and license plate fees, in an effort to cut
$24 million.
Public safety also is targeted by cutting $10 million from a
training program for new state troopers.
The top three governmental priorities of health, education and
public safety did not escape the budget knife, but Quinn also took
on another sacred cow -- legislative scholarships handed out each
year by every member of the General Assembly. Past selection of
recipients has shown the financial aid often goes to family or
friends of the politically connected.
"College scholarships that are paid for by the taxpayers of
Illinois should only go to those who have true financial need for
them," Quinn said.
However, the budget proposal also calls for hiring more than 550
new state workers at an as yet undetermined cost, while still
calling for an apparent $53 million cut for new social services
field workers to handle a growing caseload.
"There will be some slow growth and already has been in some
areas," said Vaught. "When we're running a capital program, for
instance, to give you two or three examples, you need more engineers
at IDOT (Illinois Department of Transportation). When you're adding
nursing home inspectors under the nursing home reform law, you need
more nursing home nurses that you're going to add. When you have a
larger prison population and you have overtime problems at
Corrections, you've got to stem the attrition there. So, there's
going to be hiring in all those areas."
The plan also adheres to the 2 percent spending cap implemented
with the passage of the state income tax hike, coming up with about
$1.4 billion to spare, according to the governor's budget documents.
However, Republicans claim the proposal spends $1.7 billion more
than the current budget.
"Right there, it says we need to focus on controlling spending,"
said Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, R-Lemont.
Although the income tax increase is expected to garner close to
$7 billion annually, the fiscal landscape still appears bleak, as
the state grapples with a current unemployment rate of 9.3 percent.
Add in a public employee pension system that's underfunded by at
least $80 billion, and the picture doesn't get much brighter,
according to Redfield.
"We're still not going to be able to get out of this without a
train wreck," Redfield said.
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By MARY MASSINGALE]
ISN reporters Ben Yount and Andrew
Thomason contributed to this report.
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