Yesterday I gave my yearly budget address before members of the General Assembly. For the first time in the past two years, lawmakers from both parties agree that economic reforms are required to grow our economy and create good jobs in every part of our state. But it’s not enough to just agree that changes are needed – we must act to get Illinois back on track.
We once again introduced a plan to balance our budget that focuses on our future – investing record funding for education, transforming our pension system, and making structural changes to improve our jobs climate. Any budget agreement must be a good deal for both taxpayers and job creators.
Laying the foundation for balanced budgets for years to come includes:
- Ensuring we are controlling spending so our government lives within its means while enacting real spending reductions with meaningful pension reform
- Term limits that are important to restoring confidence in state government
- Workers’ compensation reform that is critical to attracting job creators to Illinois
Today, both the Chicago Tribune and the State Journal-Register editorial boards wrote that it’s time for lawmakers to move beyond talk, and to get the job done. You can read their editorials here:
There is not a single “must have” when it comes to a budget deal, but we must do things differently, and it all comes back to job creation. Illinois needs jobs, and jobs grow our economy. Growing our economy is the answer to Illinois’ fiscal woes.
Thank you,
