Dear Friend,

At long last we have a state budget! The House and Senate came to an agreement Wednesday night on a state budget for the new fiscal year which began July 1. Governor Quinn immediately signed the budget that restores funding to most social services and ensures the continuation of critical state programs for the entire fiscal year. 

While this is not an ideal budget, it is the best we could do in these tough economic times.

I know many of you have been concerned about funding social services and I want you to know that I’ve been equally troubled by the deep cuts that originally threatened these agencies. A group of legislators and I actively advocated for these community based programs during several meetings with Governor Quinn. It is imperative these programs continue to be funded in order to provide services to families around the state.
 
The budget will also meet the state’s pension obligation for the fiscal year. I recently met with a group of educators who were rightfully concerned about their pension.
 
Another victory is that the budget does not include the proposed 50 percent state income tax increase. During a struggling economy when jobs are lost, 401Ks have shrunk and home foreclosures continue to rise, now is not the time to increase the income tax.
 
As part of the budget deal, lawmakers will take 12 unpaid furlough days throughout the next year. Earlier this year we voted against a pay raise. In another cost saving measure, we approved legislation for lawmakers to take four unpaid furlough days. However, during the budget negotiations House Republicans fought to increase the furlough days to 12. This idea was the number one suggestion on the new website www.ReinventIllinois.com, which I told you about last week.
 
As we move forward, reforms will continue to be a top priority of mine. We must change the culture of spending and corruption in government. If you haven’t had a chance to check out www.ReinventIllinois.com yet, I highly suggest doing so. Knowing what is most important to you helps me make decisions on legislation in Springfield.
 
Sincerely,

Suzie Bassi