State Senator Collins: Governor’s Budget Ignores Important Realities
SPRINGFIELD, IL – Illinois State Sen. Jacqueline Collins, D-Chicago, called out several inaccurate statements Gov. Bruce Rauner made in his address on a budget that would feature a $4.6 billion spending deficit.
“As the Senate continues to negotiate a budget agreement, I’m disheartened by several statements the governor made that mischaracterize facts or utterly ignore important realities,” Collins said. “These soundbites and slogans don’t get us closer to compromise and may actually hurt ongoing negotiations.”
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Rauner Claim #1: “It’s why we’ve been working for two years to pass a truly balanced budget, to create equal access to strong schools and good jobs.” |
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FACT: The governor’s two previous budget proposals weren’t balanced. The budget he proposed this year is also unbalanced. |
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Rauner Claim # 2: “When it comes to higher education, we understand the hardship being felt by students who rely on state assistance to go to college. That’s why we’re proposing a 10 percent increase to MAP Grant funding – so those students can focus on learning, and not their next tuition bill.”
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FACT: MAP grants, college grants for needy students, aren’t receiving state funding now. Public universities are also going without state aid. The governor recommended funding higher education at the level it was a few years ago, but his administration has failed to introduce legislation to do this. |
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Rauner Claim # 3: “Together, let’s look at each regulation we have, at every law we pass, and ask ourselves a simple question: how does this impact job creators?” |
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FACT: Governor Rauner’s plan cuts after school programs like Teen Reach. Cuts like these not only meet local violence with inaction, but also mean the most vulnerable schoolchildren have less access to the educational opportunities they need the most.
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Rauner Claim #4: “We know the challenges facing human services … that is why our proposal increases support for Child Care and other programs that assist children, senior citizens, and our other most vulnerable residents.” |
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FACT: Governor Rauner has called every year for eliminating funding for afterschool programs for at-risk youth, homeless prevention services and programs that help autistic children.
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Rauner Claim # 5: “Job creators and relocation firms tell us that rooting out fraud and abuse from the worker’s compensation system and getting highest-in-the-country property taxes under control are two of the most important ways to make Illinois more competitive. Very high workers’ comp insurance costs in the private sector continue to drive businesses out of state – and in the public sector, they contribute to higher property taxes. Changes are necessary to attract employers and create new jobs.” |
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FACT: The General Assembly approved workers compensation reforms in 2011 to improve our business climate by reducing employer costs while preserving workers’ rights. An article published by the Illinois State Bar Association called the new laws the “broadest reform to Illinois workers’ compensation law since 1975.” The reforms resulted in declining costs to employers. |
