Budget cuts and some ways forward
Tuesday, Feb 21, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* For all the talk about how badly unbalanced the governor’s budget plan is, there has been very little reporting on what’s actually in and isn’t in the appropriations lines. Here’s WTAX…
“The governor’s budget does not include funding,” said State Sen. Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) during a hearing the day after the speech, “for The Autism Program, homeless prevention, addiction prevention, ARC of Illinois, emergency food program – are those all zeroed out?”
“Those are not included in the governor’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2018,”
responded Scott Harry, the director of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget.
State Sen. Omar Aquino (D-Chicago) noted that three weeks prior, the governor referred to the quote “Nothing stops a bullet like a job.” Yet, Aquino pointed out, programs such as Teen Reach, crisis prevention, and jobs for youth are absent. Harry says the savings will be $60 million.
“How many lives will that cost the city of Chicago or the state of Illinois?”
Aquino asked.
“I don’t know,” responded Harry.
* The Illinois House Democrats claim they’re “outraged” by the governor’s proposed cuts, but they haven’t yet proposed a fully funded budget…
* Meanwhile, GOP Rep. Steven Andersson has some modest proposals…
The budget process does not have to be an “either/or” proposition. It does not have to be either A) we pass a budget with no reforms or B) we pass a budget with reforms. While, I certainly support initiatives such as property tax relief and term limits and other reforms, this budget impasse is doing serious damage to our state.
It is beyond time to find some common ground. A compromise approach might be to address the budget stalemate by only enacting reforms that directly impact the State Budget — only reforms that have an immediate monetary effect. For instance, procurement reform could save the taxpayers $500 million annually. Ideas such as exempting Universities from some education-related purchases and establishing a pool of approved vendors for certain purchases are just some of the ways the State can save money on purchases. This is a common-sense, money-saving reform that Democrats and Republicans can support.
Other reforms such as workers’ compensation reform, relief from state mandates and other reforms could also save millions of dollars. Refusing to act on these common-sense reforms and continuing the budget impasse, only means our budget deficit is only getting bigger and bigger each day. […]
No matter what, a basic reform would be to have a real budget process in which state agencies come to legislative Appropriations Committee meetings with specific information on how they could operate with 2 percent, 5 percent or 10 percent budget cuts. Instead, agency representatives come to these meetings and talk about all of the good work they do but provide no information on how they could operate with budget cuts.
Without a real dialogue about possible cuts it is impossible to prioritize our spending. This is why we need a more meaningful budget process. Of course, our agencies and programs provide great services, but we need to find out areas where we can afford to make budget cuts. Instead of “a one size fits all” cutting across the board, we need to establish budget priorities and make targeted spending cuts and focus on maintaining highly effective/low cost programs, and reducing ineffective/high cost programs. These discussions will be hard, but this is the only way we can have an informed understanding of how cuts are going to impact various state agencies.
* Related…
* Teen REACH among proposed Rauner budget cuts
- non - Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 2:12 pm:
Senior Services of Central IL which serves mostly lower income seniors over 60 relies on DOA for funding has cut hours and staff. Last time I checked they weren’t accepting any new clients. Too bad people keep getting older.
- Texas Red - Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 2:21 pm:
Andersson is not a freshman, he won in uncontested races for the 65TH Rep Dist in both 2014 and 2016
- blue dog dem - Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 2:21 pm:
We keep hearing bout ‘procurement reform’. We ought to be in the black by now.
- Jocko - Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 2:31 pm:
==reforms that have an immediate monetary effect.==
Reminds me of WFA (waste, fraud, & abuse), when you’re campaignin’ it’s everywhere. When you’re workin’, it’s hard to find.
- stop it - Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 2:35 pm:
nobody has been able to prove procurement reform will save $500 m and besides its savings in spending not a budget cut–time to stop using procurement reform as a budget discussion
- Harry - Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 2:35 pm:
“How many lives will that cost the city of Chicago or the state of Illinois?”
Aquino asked.
“I don’t know,” responded Harry.
***********************
Aye, there’s the rub–it’s not as if Aquino could respond with an authoritative estimate.
Few if any of these programs have been rigorously evaluated for effectiveness, it’s all anecdotal and everyone just chooses the anecdotes they like. Many people have a sense that some of them are somewhat effective, but no one can speak with authority because the analysis, by truly competent and truly impartial people, is never done.
- Last Bull Moose - Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 2:47 pm:
Departments run multiple budgets. Would be nice if they could run one with a 5 percent gain as well
Much of the budget is locked in through contracts, court orders, and Federal requirements. Most Departments have little discretionary spending.
Achieving savings in procurement requires people who want to be effective. We saved $2 million on a $4 million purchase by insisting on a competitive bid instead of using the CMS negotiated prices.
- Annonin' - Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 3:03 pm:
wonder if BigBrain and his allies could stop callin’ this stuff “reforms”? Reform suggests improvin’ conditions. The BigBrain plans just weakens non allies and enriches allies. Other changes are five or more years away.
- thunderspirit - Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 3:05 pm:
== “The budget process does not have to be an “either/or” proposition. It does not have to be either A) we pass a budget with no reforms or B) we pass a budget with reforms.” ==
While I like much of what State Rep. Anderson has to say here, I would kindly refer him to direct this particular line of reasoning to Governor Rauner, who has been the principal advocate for said either/or propositions.
- GA Watcher - Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 3:08 pm:
Isn’t Representative Andersson saying the same thing a number of posters on this Blog have been saying since Governor Rauner took office, i.e. show us the math on your turnaround agenda proposals? What’s newsworthy here is that it has finally come from a Republican legislator.
- Mama - Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 3:31 pm:
Strips care from 40,000 elderly residents. What are those 40,000 people supposed to do when they cannot take care on one’s self and have no family member to help them?
- Greg76 - Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 3:45 pm:
“Analysis based on current estimates of the illegal alien population residing in Illinois indicates that population costs the state’s taxpayers more than $3.5 billion per year for education, medical care and incarceration. That annual tax burden amounts to about $695 per Illinois household headed by a native-born resident.” from http://www.fairus.org/publications/the-costs-of-illegal-immigration-to-illinoisans-2007
- illini - Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 4:05 pm:
@GAWatcher - you kind of beat me to my point.
I have, over the past few weeks, been in touch with some new or fairly new downstate Republican members of the GA in both houses. After realizing that their feeble “Blame Madigan” retort and that typical political polemics was not going to work with me they started opening up.
To a great extent, I think they would concur with what Rep. Andersson has written. While they had their own thoughts, they realize that their continued opposition to all Dem principles and allegiance to all aspects of the TAA are not the answer to resolving this impasse.
And they have largely concurred that using “real and verifiable” numbers rather than the “smoke and mirrors” used to tout the “balanced” budget that has been proposed. There has been some recognition that the Dems have made some concessions, but recognize that more needs to be done by both sides and that the Rauner Agenda is not going to happen as a condition of passing a budget.
Yet, their recognition of the seriousness of the problem and an expressed willingness to compromise was reassuring.
Unfortunately, I have to feel that the BVR Millions are in the back of their minds and that he has no intention of agreeing to any kind of Grand Bargain that will require both Dem AND Rep votes.
- walker - Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 4:25 pm:
Of course he’s on the right track. Dems have been asking Rauner to focus on the “reforms” that have short and medium- term fiscal impact, for two years now. Rauner has been unwilling to deal on that basis. More than half of his TA “reforms” would take at least five years to significantly impact the state budget, best (even mythical) case.
- Honeybear - Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 9:39 pm:
Exactly Mama, what are they to do? It is just awful. There will be deaths that are attributable.
- Not It - Wednesday, Feb 22, 17 @ 11:39 am:
Whoa! The House Dems found a voice on social media?!?!?!
Welcome to 2009, guys.