The Arc Budget Update

ACTION ALERT

Call Your Legislators especially if you are in one of the districts below.

Ask them to include the following in the budget:

• Wage increase for DSPs beyond the 50 cents included by the Governor

• Fully fund DD grants: Arc Life Span, The Autism Program, Epilepsy, Best Buddies and Respite 

• Fund dental coverage for people with disabilities
  

Here are the list of key legislators making decisions right now:

Below is an update from Natasha Korecki, Politico with a quick summary of where we are.  Her article indicates that human services might be one of the places where there are cuts.  We need to protect services for people with disabilities.  CALL NOW!

From Natasha Korecki from Politico
THE BUZZ: Lawmakers appear on the verge of a budget deal — a development that could cure old headaches for Gov. Bruce Rauner, and is bound to bring on new ones.

Last night, the Tribune reported that both parties were close to coming up with a compromise budget, something that hasn’t happened before the regular session ends, since Rauner first took office.

Putting this behind him allows Rauner to close out the session and head full bore into what’s expected to be one of the most contentious and costliest governor’s races in the country. It could also help work against the “failed governor” theme Team Pritzker is pushing.

The downside of signing onto this spending plan? It includes revenue from the “Madigan tax hike” that Rauner so intensely opposed and the tax issue is serving as a central platform against general election opponent J.B. Pritzker. Fiscal conservatives will clobber Rauner over affixing his signature to the budget and that’s a big deal given that conservative Republican Sam McCann is gunning for a third party run for governor.

— “Lawmakers could cut spending on prisons, social services in budget proposal,” by Chicago Tribune’s Monique Garcia, Kim Geiger and Bill Lukitsch: “Lawmakers have entered what could be the final stages of negotiating a budget that would limit state spending to $38.5 billion by cutting funding for prisons and human services and buying out some state pensioners, according to budget documents obtained by the Tribune. The plan is the product of weeks of closed-door negotiations between Republican and Democratic lawmakers, with both sides stressing in recent days that they want to avoid another dramatic showdown over the budget this year. The proposal is still being kept tightly under wraps so as not to upset ongoing talks, and plans at the Capitol can change quickly. But it could be brought for a vote in the Senate as early as Wednesday, sources said. Lawmakers face a Thursday deadline to wrap up and head home.” Story here

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