Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Hopes Gov. Rauner’s State of the State Addresses Ending the Budget Impasse

Illinois Legislative Black Caucus to host press conference following the State of the State address

SPRINGFIELD, IL – The State of the State address is an opportunity for the governor to tout his record of accomplishments, but this year will be far from usual as the state enters its unprecedented eighth month without a budget.

Members of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus are eager to hear how the governor intends to end this budget stalemate as thousands of seniors, college students and the most vulnerable in our state have gone underserved. Additionally, the state is months behind on unpaid bills, which has forced numerous businesses to close their doors, reduce services and lay off workers.

Following Governor Rauner’s State of the State address, members of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus will hold a press conference to give their reaction to the governor’s State of the State address.

The press conference will be held in the Capital, 3rd floor – in front of the Senate Chamber following the State of the State address (Gov’s SOS address begins at 12 and should last about 30 or 45 mins).

Below is a list of statements from ILBC members on what they expect to see in the upcoming State of the State address:

Senator Toi Hutchinson (D-Olympia Fields) comments:

Senator Jacqueline Y. Collins (D-Chicago)

Representative Carol Ammons (D-Urbana)
https://soundcloud.com/larryluster/rep-ammons-state-of-state-react-raw-25-
jan-16

Representative Andre Thapedi (D-Chicago)

Illinois has gone without a budget for an unprecedented seven months. Black communities around Illinois have witnessed the devastating effects of not having a budget. The Black Caucus believes that the governor’s inability to scale back his anti-worker agenda has led to our current fiscal impasse.

The Legislative Black Caucus is chaired by Assistant Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford, (D- Maywood), and consists of 31 black legislators – 10 senators and 21 representatives.