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Thursday is the end of a full year without a state budget — plus another blown deadline to make a budget for the new fiscal year that starts Friday. […]

A hodgepodge of federal court action and money from Washington has kept some social services in Illinois intact. Funding for others has fallen away, including Des Plaines-based Lutheran Social Services, which early this year cut 750 jobs and programs for vulnerable people.

A United Way survey suggests more than 1 million people have now lost services as a result of the state’s failure to pass a budget. The new fiscal year beginning Friday means an end to the contracts some of the providers signed with the state, leaving them to wonder if they’ll ever get the state money they’re owed. Dozens are now in court.

“We’ve been told: ‘They’ll resolve this by Labor Day; they’ll resolve this in the veto session; they’ll resolve this after the (candidate) filing session in December,’” said Andrea Durbin, executive director of the Illinois Collaboration on Youth, one of the groups leading the lawsuit. “It became clear to us that we cannot rely on the political process to protect us in this.”

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jun 27, 16 @ 10:05 am

Comments

These 1 million don’t count.

But parents of school age children sure do.

Sad

Comment by Sir Reel Monday, Jun 27, 16 @ 10:09 am
“It became clear to us that we cannot rely on the political process to protect us in this.”

Truer words have never been spoken.

Comment by Huh? Monday, Jun 27, 16 @ 10:10 am
There are many things we cannot rely on the political process to do in Illinois.

Passing and signing a balanced budget, for example; or putting public interests ahead of party interests; or not dumping our tab on our grandkids.

We can rely on Illinois’ political process to be unreliable for those who need it most. That’s about it.

Comment by Formerly Known As... Monday, Jun 27, 16 @ 10:17 am
–“It became clear to us that we cannot rely on the political process to protect us in this.”–

The General Assembly, without a dissenting vote, passed a $700 million appropriation for social services — 169 Democrats and Republicans, voting “yes.” Not a single legislator voted “no.”

The governor then made up new reasons after the fact to why he wouldn’t sign it and honor contracts he entered into. He played like that in the private sector, too, if you’ll recall.

The governor is the only one in the “political process” who’s blocking you from getting paid.

The governor wants to put as many of you out of business as he can, within his power.

How can you not see that? If you were the governor, and you didn’t want this to be going on, you would do something to stop it right?

The governor’s actions could not be more clear. He wants to continue to squeeze the beast, as long as he can.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Jun 27, 16 @ 10:21 am
The phrase “We have been told…” says a lot. We voted these people into office. We should spend more time doing the telling. I don’t believe that the “people” really understand what is happening and have not a clue as to cost or cause and effect and because of that there seems to be no hope of torches and pitchforks or even of a cleansing vote in November.

Comment by Matt Vernau Monday, Jun 27, 16 @ 10:26 am
If the intent of 1.4% is to privatize the social services industry, required reading for our politicians ought to be a recent article in the NY Times titled “When You Dial 911 and Wall Street Answers”

nytimes.com/2016/06/26/business/dealbook/when-you-dial-911-and-wall-street-answers.html

The article will make you think twice about privatization of government services.

Comment by Huh? Monday, Jun 27, 16 @ 10:33 am
Maybe it’s time to add “budget holiday” to the state’s political lexicon alongside “pension holiday.”

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Jun 27, 16 @ 10:47 am
“It became clear to us that we cannot rely on the political process to protect us in this.”

All you had to do is equal the efforts of the Future Farmer’s of America.

Your unwillingness to hold the governor publicly accountable is your undoing, plain and simple.

If FFA had blamed Madigan and Rauner, they would still be holding their breath.

Comment by Juvenal Monday, Jun 27, 16 @ 12:10 pm
Juvenal — the person quoted is leading the providers who have sued the Governor. How is that not holding the Governor accountable?

Comment by Pawn Monday, Jun 27, 16 @ 12:14 pm
==A United Way survey suggests more than 1 million people have now lost services as a result of the state’s failure to pass a budget.==

To Rauner, they’re his definition of collectivists.

Comment by Wensicia Monday, Jun 27, 16 @ 1:45 pm
“We’ve been told: ‘They’ll resolve this by Labor Day; they’ll resolve this in the veto session; they’ll resolve this after the (candidate) filing session in December……Not until he’s gone….

Comment by JDuc Monday, Jun 27, 16 @ 3:39 pm
This political process is not for the people or those that need services. Its for power…Any safety net is cast into a sea of despair and has too many holes.

Comment by NorthsideNoMore Monday, Jun 27, 16 @ 4:15 pm