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Dimas: “There’s a chance we will have to introduce the FY17 budget before we have an FY16 budget”

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* DHS Secretary James Dimas spoke to IARF today. Besides the headline quote (oy), check out the numbers on the rise in child poverty. Ugh…

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 10:53 am

Comments

A significant wealth transfer from, say, the top two or three percent in wealth to the poor would help in the fight against child poverty, although it would not erase it. But the grip of wealthy contributors on both parties is sufficiently strong that such a transfer is unlikely. Certainly not in Illinois, where wealthy Democrats probably have as much if not more influence on political decision-making than wealthy Republicans. Neither group is interested in significant income redistribution-unless it’s redistribution out of the middle class.

Comment by Cassandra Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 11:02 am
DHS was formed in 1997 with over 20,000 staff. It now sits at around 12,000. I think that could make an organization less effective at its agenda.

Comment by Union Dues Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 11:03 am
That might be the most ridiculous quote yet, like out of Joseph Heller or Lewis Carroll.

What would be the point?

Comment by Wordslinger Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 11:10 am
Interesting numbers on child poverty. Oddly enough, we see a continued, steady, rise in free/reduced lunch applications but have experienced a significant (nearly 25%) decrease in our DHS poverty count. I know the two are not the same and the DHS count is based on multiple factors, but I also know poverty has not decreased by 25% locally.

Comment by JS Mill Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 11:14 am
Obviously, the quote is a whimsical - obviously in bad taste - way of saying the budget is a mess.

This time of year is about when the internal agency processes for preparing the next fiscal year’s budget starts. I can’t see how they do it this year. I feel sorry for the budget staff this year.

Comment by Norseman Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 11:30 am
In the last ten years, human services in Illinois have had massive cuts in services. Entire classifications of programs have been eliminated. What’s left is underfunded.

My staff went for six years without a raise. I eliminated one third of the positions in my program, including all of those that involved helping people with disabilities get and keep jobs. The funding just wasn’t there to support it.

To say that it is possible to cut more is ridiculous. We’ve already amputated limbs and human services in Illinois is on life support. It isn’t going to take much to push it over the brink.

Comment by Aldyth Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 11:31 am
For a major dept head to blurt this out, to me, shows they think this an actual possibility. If so, it is also an indication of abject failure.

Comment by Langhorne Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 11:32 am
Not a budget wonk, just a citizen, but weren’t we working on two budgets simultaneously last fiscal year, as we cleaned up fy15. Seems like when you get up to three budgets at once, you’re entering new territory. Then again, don’t the feds do this all the time (work without a formal budget passed by our beloved Congress).

Comment by Cassandra Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 11:58 am
Wordslinger-

Agreed, seems like an outrageous statement on it’s face. That being said when 80% of the budget has already been funded through various court rulings, tricks and gimmicks maybe this isn’t so unrealistic after all. Sort of like hitting the reset button and starting all over again.

I suppose bills owed and due during FY 15 would somehow have to be dealt with but both sides could say they didn’t cave in to demands and reformulate their positions for FY 16.

Comment by Stones Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 12:13 pm
At this point, perhaps a biennial budget (or at least what’s left of the time remaining) would be a better idea.

Comment by Team Sleep Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 12:34 pm
With remarks like this, Dimas is a part of the problem, not the solution.

Comment by Former State Employee Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 2:30 pm
Always amazing to me the ways that current Republican state administrations are using the benefits of the ACA as a back stop while cutting state benefits — while their national counterparts are proclaiming “repeal Obamacare.”

Comment by walker Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 3:50 pm
==Child pov rate was 12.6%, in ‘01 rose to 14.6, now 20. Our biz model not working==

Maybe this biz model has more to do with it:

“Between 2000 and 2011, experiences of households varied widely depending on their net
worth quintile (See Figure 1). Median household net worth decreased by $5,124 for households
in the first (bottom) net worth quintile,2 $7,056 (or 49.3 percent) for the second quintile, and
$5,072 (or 6.9 percent) for the third quintile.

Median household net worth increased by
$18,433 (or 9.8 percent) for households in the fourth quintile, and by $61,379 (or 10.8 percent)
for households in the highest (top) quintile.
- from Census Bureau, http://tinyurl.com/ngy26ru

Comment by Joe M Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 4:17 pm
We have one of the five most regressive state and local tax systems in the country. And a governor who thinks it isn’t regressive enough. And opposition to that governor for whom making it less regressive isn’t enough of a priority.

Comment by Angry Chicagoan Thursday, Oct 8, 15 @ 7:20 pm