Illinois Governor Proposes Big Cuts to Services for Some of the State's Most Vulnerable
Gov. Quinn made a grim budget request today. His proposed budget includes $2.2 billion in spending cuts and again relies heavily on borrowing ($4.7 million) and not paying the state's bills ($6.3 billion). $1.3 billion of the spending cuts would be in the area of education with a 17 percent across-the-board cut.
As an alternative to cutting education spending by $1.3 billion—unimaginable in an election year—Gov. Quinn proposed increasing the individual income tax rate by one percent of income, from three to four percent. The $3 billion in proceeds from this increase would all go to education—$1.3 billion to eliminate the proposed cut and $1.7 billion to pay back bills.
Gov. Quinn has not proposed any means to avoid the $900 million in spending cuts he proposes to non-education programs.
Equally disappointing, Gov. Quinn's proposed budget includes no long-term plan for eliminating the state's $13 billion revenue shortfall and getting out of our fiscal mess. Rather, it appears to be a "take what you think you can get" budget built on diminished expectations of what can be accomplished in an election year.
All of which means big cuts in services to some of our most vulnerable populations. For example, mental health services will be cut by over $50 million. The Illinois Department of Human Services estimates that as a result, 70,000 people, including 4,200 children, will lose their mental health services; 4,000 mentally ill people will have to leave their state-subsidized housing; 3,800 mental health jobs will be lost; as many as 87 mental health agencies may close; and persons not eligible for Medicaid, such as the formerly incarcerated, will be unable to access mental health services.
The Governor's proposed budget now goes to the General Assembly.