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Illinois women hurt badly by impasse

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Illinois

* Garcia and Geiger filed a very well-researched report…

Women make up nearly two-thirds of the recipients of a low-income college tuition grant program that’s been underfunded. Women are also the ones seeking help through programs that have lost state funding entirely, including intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities, home visits for teen parents, and prenatal and family care management for at-risk mothers. The funding crunch has gotten so bad that low-income women seeking breast and ovarian cancer screenings are being told to wait in a long line, unless they’re already displaying symptoms. […]

Normally, the state sets aside roughly $13 million to provide breast and ovarian cancer screenings for low-income women, a program primarily administered by local health departments or other women’s service agencies. But without a budget, the only money flowing to the program is about $6 million in federal funds. […]

Illinois’ network of 29 rape crisis centers are “operating at bare bones,” said Polly Poskin, executive director of the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Without money to pay employees, the centers have had to lay off 16 workers while delaying hiring and furloughing some workers at centers across the state. Volunteers are chipping in to keep the 24-hour rape crisis hotlines operating, but the waiting list of people who need counseling services has grown to 175 statewide, Poskin said. […]

The social services bill on Rauner’s desk, which includes about $2.76 million for sexual assault programs, “would be a godsend,” Poskin said. With it, “we could limp along until November. And without it, we’re facing the dreadful closure of some centers. It’s needed, and it’s needed now.” […]

The uncertainty over higher education funding looms especially large for women. Caught in the middle is a state scholarship grant for low-income students known as the Monetary Award Program. According to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, which oversees the program, roughly 80,000 of the 128,000 students who received the grants last year were women.

This is just a small sampling of their story, so click here and read the whole thing.

Signing that human services stopgap would sure help some of those folks.

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Jun 17, 16 @ 1:59 pm

Comments

Don’t worry, Terri Bryant will balance the budget without raising taxes.

Comment by 47th Ward Friday, Jun 17, 16 @ 2:11 pm
Yet more fiscal heroism on the part of Rauner and his budgeting staff.

What better way to force structural change than to punish under-privileged women?

*clapping, clapping*

Rauner, what you’re doing here is epic. Epic.

Comment by Formerly Known as Frenchie M Friday, Jun 17, 16 @ 2:16 pm
“Bruce doesn’t have a social agenda.”

Diana Rauner

Comment by Hmm Friday, Jun 17, 16 @ 2:23 pm
Time for Oswego Willy to paste the wisdom of The Owl, the bit about short-term pain being worth it.
Fact is, it’s clear that Rauner doesn’t care.

Comment by Independent Retired Lawyer Journalist Friday, Jun 17, 16 @ 2:34 pm
We need more of this. Too bad you’ll never see the Trib editorial board pointing out the devastating damage as a result of Rauner’s refusal to sign bills reimbursing these programs…just Madigan, Madigan, Madigan.

Comment by Wensicia Friday, Jun 17, 16 @ 2:40 pm
Jeez, I’m gonna go out on a limb and estimate that women make up about 50% of the electorate. Can’t fathom why the Governor would give them the high hat.

Comment by SAP Friday, Jun 17, 16 @ 2:42 pm
I have the feeling that Rauner is going to hold onto HB2038 as long as possible before vetoing it. June 30th arrives before the 60 days is up, I think. And, I expect, he’ll veto nearly anything that comes out of the budgeteers, even if it is his own bills just to keep the pain on.

Comment by Anon221 Friday, Jun 17, 16 @ 2:54 pm
But God forbid we don’t pay the lottery winners.

Comment by northsider (the original) Friday, Jun 17, 16 @ 3:09 pm
northsider, the State went one further than paying the winners, they violated State law to pay in advance so we could keep participating in Mega Millions.

Maybe these women should get some scratchoffs and cross their fingers. /s

Comment by illini97 Friday, Jun 17, 16 @ 3:17 pm
Check out the comments on that story! Every time Rauner supporters make a cogent point on one topic, they follow up with comments like these on another and lose me entirely. That right there is why im forced to agree with Zorn…

Comment by Lester Holt's Mustache Friday, Jun 17, 16 @ 3:49 pm
So, tell me again why Father Pfleger was wrong?

Comment by Dome Gnome Friday, Jun 17, 16 @ 4:07 pm