Springfield, IL – The Governor’s budget proposal not only fails to address Illinois’ financial problems, but it also keeps in place the failed policies that have ruined the state’s credit rating and caused a massive exodus of people, according to State Representative Chris Miller (R-Oakland).
“Illinois’ finances are a sinking ship and instead of plugging the holes, the Governor is spending his time describing the drapes,” Miller said. “The budget he introduced contains no meaningful reforms to fix the structural problems facing our state. It is the same quick fix gimmicks that have created Illinois’ financial problems in the first place.”
The Governor’s $42 billion budget relies on nearly $1 billion in tax increases on small businesses; fund sweeps and other gimmicks. If the budget were based on current law, the budget would be out of balance by $1.653 billion. That deficit would be in addition to the state’s $5 billion unpaid bill backlog, $4.3 billion in short-term debt and $141 billion in unfunded pension liabilities.
“We are not going to change the trajectory of this state by utilizing the same failed policies of the past,” Miller said. “Illinois needs accountability measures to keep spending in check. The path forward is not budget gimmicks but real, impactful structural reforms.”
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