* From a post-address rally today, here’s Sen. Willie Preston…

Let me be clear, our work is not done. This is an opening proposal. This is not a time for celebration. Budgets reveal the morals and the values of our state. In Illinois, Black communities contribute significantly to the economy. That when the budget is finalized, those contributions are not flowing back into our community. We don’t need a study. We don’t need to commission a group. All we need to do is go to Rockford, East St Louis, the South Side of Chicago, the West Side of Chicago, Illinois to learn that we are not getting our fair cut. I want to say something that I did not hear from the governor today. I did not hear enough about what needs to be done to change the trajectory of a Black community across Illinois, Governor Pritzker. And while I applaud you for the work that you continue to do, this proposal does not reflect what I hope we pass in a budget in the spring, because it did not speak about the building trades, bringing back trade schools back to our community.

Please pardon all transcription errors.

* Rep. Carol Ammons…

There’s no mention about the fiscal house of the Black community, but the goal of the black community is absolutely a number one target. This spirit that I am experiencing. We have to grow our economy. Yes, we spent over $1.1 billion in one sector. The governor mentioned, he said, We need to live within our means, but our means have been extricated from us for years. We have not received the dollars promised to our communities. We have not, how many in his audience have not received the dollars? … This is a budget address. This is not a rally. We want our money. We pay taxes in this same state and our communities look the same from the time I was on the southwest side growing up as a young mother to Champaign-Urbana and Danville, and we look the same. And we cannot stand in this capital as if it is not true. Let me just say this. I wrote a whole speech without saving for later. What I am clear about is that at this very moment, I’m a no vote on the budget. And until we get to a yes, that means that my community needs to tell me that they are receiving resources that were promised to them. My students need to tell me that they got accepted and admitted and can afford to go to our universities in our state. That’s how we get to yes. I am always going to stand with the most vulnerable in our community. There’s a lot of likeness in this building, and I don’t work for anyone. I work for the poor people of my district and my state, and our people are under attack and for them, not to even mention what is happening in our communities, not even the slightest mention, is an insult to this entire Black community. … Be willing to say no.

* Rep. Will Davis…

Is anybody out there from the south suburbs? We hear a lot about the city of Chicago, but all the Black people don’t live in the city of Chicago, they live all over the state of Illinois. So we are here as an Illinois legislative Black caucus to offer a response to the governor’s budget. And the one question that I thought about, I would ask each of you is: Did you hear something that applies directly to you? Did you hear something in that budget speech that talks about you and your priorities… in your community? Did you hear it? … [Evidence based funding] is a good thing. It’s moving in the right direction, but that’s just a small piece of the puzzle when we’re talking about what it takes and what’s necessary to make sure that Black people in the state get what they deserve, get what they deserve. So we are here to make sure that we hear you and that you hear us. Because what’s important is I look around this rotunda, this balcony, your presence here today is making some people uncomfortable. You are making people uncomfortable because what they’ve never seen before is that you stand up for what you want. And what you deserve. They want to make sure that we are standing always in the background. Well, ladies and gentlemen, we’re tired of standing in the background. … We will fight for Black families. We will fight for our communities. That is what we’re going to do. I’m standing with my colleagues here today in solidarity with all of you. Let’s continue to make people under this dome uncomfortable. Make them more uncomfortable.

Whew.

…Adding… Rep. Will Davis was also in the blue room…

Q: So up there with the black officers speaking at the steps, Representative Ammons had expressed her sentiment that, you know the budget were to come to work today, you know she’d be a no, does? I guess my first question is that, you know, does the entire Black caucus from the House and Senate side share that Senate?

Davis: I would say many members do. I can’t say Black Caucus. Yeah, I would say many of us feel that way. I can’t say it’s the entirety of the group, that would be inappropriate for me to speak on behalf of our joint Chair, Senator Collins, but there are members who feel that way, and we have consistently felt that way, because what we see are others getting the resources that they need. But sometimes it appears that the black community specifically.

Q: So just a quick follow up, would you be a yes vote or a no vote on the governor’s proposed budget?

Davis: I am a present vote. Essentially, it’s a no vote, for what it’s worth. But there’s more, there’s a lot more conversation and a lot more discussion going forward in order to say it right now would be just probably, because we don’t really know what’s in the budget. […] All we’re hoping for is a fair conversation with the administration about where we are financially and acknowledging the priorities that the governor has, his administration has, as well as the Black Caucus and how we can work collectively together to fund the things that we all need.

…Adding… Sen. Karina Villa during the Latino Caucus press conference when asked about the proposed elimination of funding for the HBIA…

Villa: You heard from all of us today that we’re absolutely committed to continuing to fight and hold the line for the program. I think that this is just the beginning. This is the governor’s proposed budget, and now we have a few months here to work hard, and like we said, look line item by line item to see where we’re going to be able to make things up. And, you know, hold the line for HBIA. We believe that health care is a human right, and we believe that taking people off of health care is not the right thing to do.

Q: Why do you think that the governor took that step and do you, are you offended that, of all the programs, this is really kind of the big one that took a hit?

Villa: We haven’t had a conversation with the governor yet. We’re not sure why he chose to do that, but it was a significant hit to a very important program to our caucus. So we’re going to continue to make our voice voices heard, and work towards making sure that we’re moving along on that program.