One Day in Springfield
by Mark Cavers Legislators came and went from Springfield yesterday without making significant changes to the budget. We were told that the budget they passed is actually a pretty good one. But, as the Institute’s CEO John Tillman argued on FOX this morning, we are in fact spending more than we did last year. Still, legislators...
by Mark Cavers
Legislators came and went from Springfield yesterday without making significant changes to the budget. We were told that the budget they passed is actually a pretty good one. But, as the Institute’s CEO John Tillman argued on FOX this morning, we are in fact spending more than we did last year. Still, legislators would have you believe that this year’s $34.3 billion budget, a two percent increase over last year’s, was the best they could do.
On Tuesday, the Institute released a new report showing that state spending in fiscal year 2012 will be two percent higher than it was in 2011. Real spending in the upcoming fiscal year will be at least $34.3 billion – which is up from last year’s $33.5 billion and about $1.1 billion higher than is being reported. This budget puts us on a path to $25 billion in cumulative deficits by the end of the decade and makes the sunset of the record tax increases nearly impossible.
With the General Assembly in Springfield for a one day session yesterday, lawmakers had another chance to commit to making significant spending reductions and fulfill their promises of belt tightening. Instead, legislators returned to their districts without doing anything, opting to put off fiscal responsibility yet again.
The Institute has come forward with a number of proposals that will help reduce our unsustainable budget, from a comprehensive alternative budget to individual actions that could be taken immediately to bring down spending. Here are just a few proposals:
- Budget Solutions 2012: The Institute’s alternative line-by-line budget
- Get Out the Veto Pen: 10 actions the Governor could immediately take to cut spending
- Piglet Book 2010: A report highlighting $350 million in waste in the budget
- Spotlight on Spending Series: 19 separate proposals for bringing down spending
The Illinois Policy Institute is committed to bringing spending down to sustainable levels, and we are open to working with anyone who is serious about putting Illinois back on the path to prosperity through responsible budgeting. Unfortunately, legislators missed another chance to come forward and lead yesterday.