Rep. Harris: We are hoping the actions we are taking are not 1s hat trigger additional negative scrutiny from the financial rating agencies becuase we are attempting to be responsible & pay all of our pension obligations and all of our debt service."
— yvette.shields@arizent.com (@Yvette_BB) May 22, 2020
"We believe this is responsible" as wait on feds and if had to cut 35% of funding to match revenue hit would be decimating, Rep Harris says of Ill bud plan that relies on borrowing up to $5B from fed's MLF (based on current version of leg.) Says most spending held flat to fy2020.
— yvette.shields@arizent.com (@Yvette_BB) May 22, 2020
=== K-12 education funding will be held at the same level as in the current budget. ===
The trolls start early. Considering the massive economic hit on the state because of COVID-19 and the refusal of the GOP to approve aid to state and local governments to deal with that damage, I think this is the best that can be expected.
Steve, did you miss the part about the feds coming through to the tune of 5 billion for Illinois? ‘Borrowing’ that all states will need to do due to the coronavirus. All states. The interest rate on that borrowing should be 0 by the way. The feds will be doing this shortly. Stonewalling by the senate in the face of this decimation of state budgets in all 50 states won’t last long with the Republican run states screaming the loudest.
I just don’t understand how any unit of government with a straight face can say we are going to hold spending flat in todays economic devastation. Throw the citizens a bone and cut a few percentage points. Everyday citizens don’t have a fair godmother that can print money that in the end the citizens have to pay for.
Nagidam, are you upset about the failures to process unemployment insurance claims? What about children dying under DCFS supervision? Poor roads? Under-resourced schools?
Those things are caused by decades of cutting “a few percentage points” regularly. If the feds are coming through with funding, your trim will only make services worse and deepen unemployment.
They should tie the consolidation of 800 plus school districts. the old excuses that some locations have money and some don’t. We are all broke. So, let kids take online courses for AP courses from “better” districts. Or, are we not serious about education and opportunity?
Don’t blame poor roads on under funding the General Revenue account. Blame poor roads on the under funded MFT receipts. However, until the covid19 crisis, that issue had been resolved by doubling the MFT.
“They should tie the consolidation of 800 plus school districts.”
Aren’t you the kind of guy that looks unfavorably on the big bad state forcing the locals to do things? This is one of those things. I think the state has too much on its plate right now to take on the bad politics of local issues.
Jibba I am pragmatic. That does save the state. The locals are broke, right? So, why not push for something that actually saves money? Not until unemployment runs out and we get out and about will we really see the real effects of this.
- Steve - Friday, May 22, 20 @ 10:54 am:
“Harris says K-12 education funding will be held at the same level as in the current budget. ”
There’s nothing more really to say: this sums up Illinois.
- Jibba - Friday, May 22, 20 @ 11:04 am:
Steve, please list your 35% cuts to the state budget. Thanks.
- Norseman - Friday, May 22, 20 @ 11:07 am:
=== K-12 education funding will be held at the same level as in the current budget. ===
The trolls start early. Considering the massive economic hit on the state because of COVID-19 and the refusal of the GOP to approve aid to state and local governments to deal with that damage, I think this is the best that can be expected.
- PublicServant - Friday, May 22, 20 @ 11:08 am:
Steve, did you miss the part about the feds coming through to the tune of 5 billion for Illinois? ‘Borrowing’ that all states will need to do due to the coronavirus. All states. The interest rate on that borrowing should be 0 by the way. The feds will be doing this shortly. Stonewalling by the senate in the face of this decimation of state budgets in all 50 states won’t last long with the Republican run states screaming the loudest.
- Nagidam - Friday, May 22, 20 @ 11:18 am:
I just don’t understand how any unit of government with a straight face can say we are going to hold spending flat in todays economic devastation. Throw the citizens a bone and cut a few percentage points. Everyday citizens don’t have a fair godmother that can print money that in the end the citizens have to pay for.
- Jibba - Friday, May 22, 20 @ 11:51 am:
Nagidam, are you upset about the failures to process unemployment insurance claims? What about children dying under DCFS supervision? Poor roads? Under-resourced schools?
Those things are caused by decades of cutting “a few percentage points” regularly. If the feds are coming through with funding, your trim will only make services worse and deepen unemployment.
- Fighter of Foo - Friday, May 22, 20 @ 12:58 pm:
They should tie the consolidation of 800 plus school districts. the old excuses that some locations have money and some don’t. We are all broke. So, let kids take online courses for AP courses from “better” districts. Or, are we not serious about education and opportunity?
- Perrid - Friday, May 22, 20 @ 1:05 pm:
Hoping manna will come from the sky isn’t a very good plan. Hopefully someone is at least thinking about what a plan B is.
- Eloy - Friday, May 22, 20 @ 1:37 pm:
What “bone” do citizens get by hearing there are cuts? The warm fuzzy feeling of austerity?
- Huh? - Friday, May 22, 20 @ 1:48 pm:
“Poor roads?”
Don’t blame poor roads on under funding the General Revenue account. Blame poor roads on the under funded MFT receipts. However, until the covid19 crisis, that issue had been resolved by doubling the MFT.
- Jibba - Friday, May 22, 20 @ 2:17 pm:
“They should tie the consolidation of 800 plus school districts.”
Aren’t you the kind of guy that looks unfavorably on the big bad state forcing the locals to do things? This is one of those things. I think the state has too much on its plate right now to take on the bad politics of local issues.
- Meanwhile - Friday, May 22, 20 @ 2:24 pm:
Even California made large cuts in their budget when forced to deal with reality.
- Jibba - Friday, May 22, 20 @ 2:29 pm:
“Even California made large cuts in their budget…”
California raised taxes a lot, once the Dems took control. That was when the budget got balanced. Guess what? The sky did not fall.
- Fighter of Foo - Friday, May 22, 20 @ 2:30 pm:
Jibba I am pragmatic. That does save the state. The locals are broke, right? So, why not push for something that actually saves money? Not until unemployment runs out and we get out and about will we really see the real effects of this.
- Huh? - Friday, May 22, 20 @ 5:07 pm:
“The locals are broke, right?”
That isn’t what my property tax bill says. Seems like they are cleaning up quite well.