By Bethany Jaeger
Gov. Pat Quinn started using his unprecedented discretion to spread around about $3.4 billion largely to prevent drastic cuts to human services, followed by health care, education and public safety programs. At the same time, he continued to outline general areas of state operations that will get cut by $1 billion total. However, he said the reductions won’t free up enough money to satisfy such spending needs as financial aid for needy college students and health care liabilities for state employees and retirees.
During a Chicago news conference Friday afternoon, the governor’s office said the revised operating budget also does nothing to address the exceptionally high $3.9 billion backlog in unpaid bills. As a result, Quinn said he will continue to urge lawmakers to consider a temporary income tax increase to get through the rest of this fiscal year when they return to the Capitol in October.
Quinn said the roughly $26.1 billion spending plan would run out of money before the fiscal year ends next June. “We are aware of the fact that we are going to come up short this fiscal year.”
The General Assembly approved the spending plan July 15, giving the governor wide discretion in spending lump sums for each state agency. Legislators also approved a $3.4 billion short-term borrowing plan to make the state’s contribution into the public employee pension system, freeing up that same amount to put towards state operations. Of that, $2.2 billion is dedicated to community-based human services, while another $1.2 billion is up to the governor to divvy out. The plan also charged the governor with cutting an additional $1 billion.
Quinn said on Friday that he decided to spread the cuts out in a way that would maximize federal matching funds, as well as federal stimulus dollars. And he said he chose to fund health-related initiatives that focus on disease prevention and that could reduce demand for more expensive services later, including home health programs that allow senior citizens to remain in their homes rather than be sent to more expensive nursing homes.
The general areas of reductions have not changed since announced last month. The administration still plans to cut $185 million from state operations. The administration already sent out layoff notices earlier this month. Some employees will lose their jobs. Others will fill vacancies. Lawmakers and executive branch workers also will have to take one furlough day a month. The administration wants unionized employees to consider such concessions, but that would require the unions to open their active contracts that provide for annual pay raises.
“Do we really need the pay raise for union employees in the coming fiscal year, given all the things that have happened in this fiscal year?” Quinn said. “That’s $125 million. If the union said, ‘Well, we’ll take a pay freeze. We understand that we don’t want to, but we’re going to do that,’ then they can help save a lot of jobs.”
The idea is strongly opposed by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31, the largest public employee union. Officials have met with the administration to bargain over the impact of layoffs, but they have not negotiated whether unionized employees will take furlough days, according to Anders Lindall, Council 31 spokesman.
“Should the administration make a proposal, we’re obligated to listen and prepared to do so,” he said in an e-mail. “But the height of this terrible recession is the worst possible time to reduce services to Illinois residents, whether by furlough or layoff of the frontline employees who make those services happen.”
Jerry Stermer, Quinn’s chief of staff, said frontline employees such as Department of Corrections officers will not be subject to furlough days because they would be replaced by fellow workers who would be paid for overtime. Stermer said the administration within the week would release more details about which employees would have to take unpaid days off.
Other general areas of spending reductions include grants to local agencies and governments, which would be reduced by $250 million.
Even after the cuts, the administration contends that Medicaid funding will fall $600 million short of the need, and financial aid for low-income college students will be reduced by $225 million.
“Some legislators screamed to the heavens, ‘Cut, cut, cut,’” Quinn said. “We have cut. We have cut from here to Kingdom Come. I don’t like college scholarships being cut $225 million. That’s our future.”
On the other hand, the administration does plan to put more money toward some education programs, human services and other public health and safety initiatives.
As part of the $3.4 billion borrowing scheme, Quinn must dedicate $2.2 billion to human services. Here’s how he said he would spend it:
- $1.4 billion for grants to programs that serve people with developmental disabilities, drug and alcohol addictions and mental health needs.
- $342 million for Department on Aging community care program, aimed at keeping seniors in their homes.
- $272 million for the Department of Children and Family Services for court-ordered services.
- $27 million for community adult education and GED services.
- $18 million for Chicago-area mass transit subsidies and free rides for seniors and people with disabilities.
The remaining $1.2 billion is slated to be split among programs related to health, education, disease prevention and public transportation. Some examples include:
- $300 million for Medicaid.
- $700 million for group health insurance for state employees and retirees.
- $85 million for early childhood education (brining it up to about 90 percent of last year’s funding levels). See our July 21 blog for background.
- $11 million for bilingual education (bringing it up to about 90 percent of what they were operating at before).
- $17 million for HIV/AIDS community-based programs (“pretty much full strength” funding levels compared with last year).
- $9 million for breast and cervical cancer screening programs.
- $13 million for Amtrak.
Stermer said while the new spending plan authorizes $26 billion in spending from the general revenue fund, it falls $1.4 billion short of funding services at last year’s levels and does nothing to address the $3.9 billion backlog of unpaid bills.
The cuts that are being implemented now may not be the last, he said. “We may have to make additional cuts as time goes on if we cannot make resolution with the General Assembly as to the unmet needs.”
He referred to the administration’s belief that an income tax increase will be necessary to get through the rest of the fiscal year.
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