* From a House Republican press release…
The Governor also allocated funds to account for the rise in the minimum wage for state employees, but Bourne claimed the number used in the budget address was unrealistic and much lower than the true cost.
“Last year the Pritzker administration said compliance with the minimum wage increase would cost $270 million in FY21 alone, meanwhile groups representing human service providers across the state have estimated the compliance cost to be closer to $400 million,” said Bourne. “Despite those published numbers last year, the Governor’s office contends that the minimum wage hike would cost only $68 million in general revenue funds in FY21. It’s an unrealistic figure that suggests the Pritzker administration is hiding the minimum wage hike’s true cost. We need clear and transparent numbers that accurately reflect real budget expenditures, particularly in relation to costs associated with the minimum wage. Making intentionally low cost estimates only perpetuates unbalanced budgets and a dishonest budgeting process.”
The Pritzker administration did, indeed, estimate FY21 costs at $270 million.
But this criticism directly contradicts some of the other points the GOP has been making about how there’s plenty of money to balance a budget. In that very press release above, for example…
“Additionally, regardless of what voters say about the Governor’s graduated income tax, Illinois is already bringing in the most revenue in State history. We should be able to construct a balanced, responsible budget on the current revenue levels.”
- Generic Drone - Thursday, Feb 20, 20 @ 3:19 pm:
Yes. Let’s listen to a leftover Raunerite on how to budget.
- Demoralized - Thursday, Feb 20, 20 @ 3:20 pm:
==the Governor’s office contends that the minimum wage hike would cost only $68 million in general revenue funds in FY21==
It is possible that some of the cost is in Other State Funds.
==a dishonest budgeting process==
You mean like suggesting that you can balance the budget on available revenues? If you feel that is the case then show us what such a budget looks like.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Feb 20, 20 @ 3:42 pm:
But… what about “Downstate” Ms. Bourne?
We’re ONE Illinois. One.
Ugh.
To the Post,
Right here…
===directly contradicts===
Durkin’s Crew is truly losing the messaging game when you can read in just a few paragraphs that they have no cohesive message to make an honest argument.
If the goal of the exercise is to make the budget seem like a phony money concern to elevate the Fair Tax, then that’s how you begin and end the nuance. You can argue school funding, whatever, but it’s the argument that the fair tax and monies current make no sense.
Knowing the Durkin Crew is broke, telling candidates to walk unless the can self-fund, they need to try to deliver on as much of a pro-business angle, to get cash, as the anti-fair tax drive. Not a simple task, but here’s the thing, and it’s a tell, and it’s fun for the politics to it.
They have no clear messaging to the budget, the fair tax, or to this issue in particular.
It’s not that it’s not thoughtful, it’s truly that there’s no thought to words and how they paint a picture to any overall plan of action.
It’s the political types ignoring the policy and number wonks who woulda read the conflicting policy angles of objection and woulda gently walked back one point or another.
If anything, it’s embarrassing to both the Comms and the Polticals trying to call out others to honesty in budgeting without realizing the abstract policy of the anti-fair tax argument makes the revenue argument seem hollow, because it is hollow.
This isn’t a “Spell-Check” error, this is a “welp, we haven’t really gamed out the policy or the messaging so run out both and hope no one sees our lacking”
Figure out how and what makes sense to an overall, then run with a clearer picture where it looks like the members have a grasp of what is being discussed, along with a comprehensive answer that doesn’t coil back against ya.
I learned a great deal by the release. Thank you.
- RNUG - Thursday, Feb 20, 20 @ 3:46 pm:
== the Governor’s office contends that the minimum wage hike would cost only $68 million in general revenue funds in FY21 ==
GRF is the key phrase in the quoted statement. I suspect most of the other cost is in positions / contracts covered by Federal pass-thru funds. The state gets a lot of Federal money that is not represented in the State budget.
- Jocko - Thursday, Feb 20, 20 @ 4:34 pm:
==Making intentionally low cost estimates only perpetuates unbalanced budgets and a dishonest budgeting process==
As opposed to NO BUDGET, which I was cool with from 2015 to 2017
- Henry Francis - Thursday, Feb 20, 20 @ 5:13 pm:
All JB needs to do is add a “Grand Bargain” to his budget and he can come up with $4.6 billion in savings.
That should more than make up any difference, right?