SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – 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 oth
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – 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 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: 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?
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