State Budget Update – We are almost there!
Thank you for all your advocacy over the past week and really throughout the last year to try to push legislators and the Governor to negotiate a full year responsible budget. We are almost there!
ACTION: Call your House member to ask them to support this responsible bipartisan budget!
Tell them to “Please support a responsible budget that helps to support people with disabilities, families and workers by voting to override the Governor’s veto of SB 6 and SB 9. We need a budget for IL now!” If they voted yes for the bills, thank them as well. If they voted no for the bills, ask them to reconsider for the sake of the people of Illinois.
Find out who your representative is here.
Find out how they voted on the revenue package (SB9) and the spending package (SB6).
Here are specifically the Republican House members who voted yes on the revenue package the first time – we need to make sure they HEAR FROM US A THANK YOU AND KEEP IT UP!
Steve Andersson – (217) 782-5457
Terry Bryant – (217) 782-0387
John Cavaletto – (217) 782-0066
C.D. Davidsmeyer – (217) 782-1840
Mike Fortner – (217) 782-1653
Norine K. Hammond – (217) 782-0416
David Harris – (217) 782-3739
Chad Hays – (217) 782-4811
Charlie Meier – (217) 782-6401
Bill Mitchell – (217) 782-8163
Reggie Phillips – (217) 558-1040
Bob Pritchard – (217) 782-0425
David Reis – (217) 782-2087
Mike Unes – (217) 782-8152
Sara Wojcicki Jimenez – (217) 782-0044
ACTION: Thank your Senators for the support of these bills
Check out to see if your Senator voted to support SB 6 and 9. Please consider calling, emailing or tweeting the legislators who supported the bills, especially the Republicans who crossed the aisle to make this a bipartisan bill. Here is how the senate voted on the revenue package and the spending package.
What is next? Tomorrow the House is expected to return to override the Governor’s veto but the pressure will be on the 15 House Republicans who voted to support the revenue package as well as the spending package. Many had very eloquent reasons for supporting it. We need to make sure they stay strong and feel the support of their constituents!
What is included – Here is the spending bill, the revenue bill and the budget implementation bill which directs how money should be spent. The spending bill includes a 75 cent increase in wages for Direct Support Professionals as well as funding for all the DD grants. The revenue bill includes an increase the personal income tax from 3% to 4.95%. This budget does contain an overall cut of $2.5 billion from the Governor’s original proposed budget, and a 5% across the board cut to state agencies. There are things in the bills that people like and do not like but over all there has been an agreement by many that the tax increases and budget cuts were necessary to balance the budget.
Finally Thank You! for all YOUR hard work and endless advocacy on behalf of people with disabilities and families.
Meg Cooch
Executive Director
The Arc of Illinois
20901 S. LaGrange Rd. Suite 209
Frankfort, IL 60423
815-464-1832 (OFFICE)
Meg@thearcofil.org