Last week we met with key legislators on the Governor’s Proposed State Budget for
Fiscal Year 2015. As you know, The Arc supports the Governor’s Proposed Budget
and we wanted to highlight the importance of the Governor’s Rebalancing Initiative
and important community initiatives such as the Care Campaign’s effort to increase
wages for Direct Support Staff by $1.00 per hour.

 

Shirley Perez, Executive Director of the Family Support Network, and Katherine
Hamann, Director of The Arc’s Family Transition Project, accompanied me in those
meetings with Senator Heather Steans and State Representative Robyn Gable.

  

Senator Steans                          Representative Gable

The meetings were productive and frank. Both legislators spoke to the importance
of continuing the state’s income tax or some other form of new revenue. If the state
income tax expires in January of 2015, we will be left with a $4 billion hole in the
state budget. The impact on disability and special education services will be
massive cuts and the elimination of many vital community services.

I believe that a new doomsday budget is going to be crafted soon so that legislators
can see the destruction the state is facing if the income tax is not continued.

With this in mind, I need you to do two important things.

  1. Ask your legislators to support continuation of the state’s income tax at its
    current level. Disability, education and human services cannot withstand any
    further cuts.
  2. Ask your legislators to support the Care Campaign’s effort to increase Direct
  3. Support Staff wages by $1.00 per hour and become Co-Sponsors of
    1. House Bill 3698
    2. Senate Bill  2604 

Legislators are in their District Offices this week and will return to Springfield next
week. The Arc needs you to advocate for disability services and higher wages for
Direct Support Staff before a doomsday budget emerges.

.


Tony Paulauski
Executive Director
The Arc of Illinois
20901 S. LaGrange Rd. Suite 209
Frankfort, IL 60423
815-464-1832 (OFFICE)
815-464-1832 (CELL)
Tony@www.thearcofil.org