Senator Collins: Governor’s Budget is a St. Valentine’s Day Massacre

“The governor steered us into a quagmire and has no roadmap to the other side.”

SPRINGFIELD, IL – Illinois State Senator Jacqueline Collins issued the following statement following Gov. Bruce Rauner’s annual budget address:

“What we heard today, in the words of a colleague, was a St. Valentine’s Day massacre,” Collins said. “The governor’s rosy rhetoric belies the negative consequences of so many budget cuts.”

In addition to outright eliminating certain after school programs and initiatives that help university students, the governor’s 2019 budget proposal reduces spending on Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, mental health services, and Redeploy Illinois, which has focused on keeping youth out of prison.

“Gov. Rauner himself has pointed out that the situation for the African American community in Illinois is dire, with the worst unemployment rate in the nation and worse-than-average showings in every quality of life indicator,” Collins said. “These are the root causes of violence in our communities. It is broadly understood that we combat the blight of violence through education, through attention to mental health, through job opportunities. This budget proposes the exact opposite.”

Collins added that the budget proposal also does little to address the state’s unpaid backlog of payments owed to the vendors who have provided services to the state of Illinois, a figure that has grown rapidly during the governor’s tenure.

“The governor steered us into a quagmire and it is apparent that he has no roadmap to the other side,” Collins said. “I hope the General Assembly can come together, as we have before, to provide a responsible alternative.”