Calling it a major victory for Republicans who have been fighting for responsible and balanced spending in Springfield, State Representative Ron Sandack (R-Downers Grove) applauded the House’ 111-0-3 vote on Thursday that will send $700 million in dedicated and available funds to human services agencies that have been caught in the crossfire of the budget battle.
“House Republicans have advocated for over a year now and have beseeched our Democrat colleagues to engage in responsible budgeting and spending,” said Sandack. “Throughout the year we have opposed spending money we didn’t have and making funding promises we couldn’t keep. Today, we matched spending with identified revenue to provide stopgap funding for struggling human service agencies.”
Through SB 2038, the following funds are allocated:
- Department of Human Services: $247,989,000
- Healthcare and Family Services: $5,400,000
- Department of Public Health: $17,988,300
- Department on Aging: $243,492,100
- Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority: $9,098,600
- Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity: $458,000
- Department of Military Affairs: $1,266,500
- Department of Transportation: $343,500
- Department of Revenue: $170,500,000
“Just like we did with emergency funding for higher education a few weeks ago, this is another example of Republicans and Democrats working together to identify available revenue to provide a temporary lifeline through the end of this fiscal year,” Sandack said. “There is so much more to do, and we welcome the participation of House Democrats as we build off of today’s success and work toward a balanced budget tied to cost-saving reforms.”
Sandack expressed his disappointment that the bill was not also used as a vehicle to address funding issues with state prisons and with other human service facilities, but acknowledged the give-and-take that led to the agreed bill that was approved today. “Its important to recognize that this is not a final solution and that the financial crisis is real and ongoing,” said Sandack. “But for the first time in a very long time, we are seeing Democrats limiting their spending to available revenue. I hope it is a sign of a paradigm shift.”
