(Chicago, IL) — June 30, 2011: 8:00 p.m. With no public fanfare, Governor Pat Quinn today signed the fiscal year 2012 Illinois budget while vetoing $376 million from the budget sent to him by the legislature.
Quinn issued the following statement:
“Line by line, I have carefully examined the budget passed by the General Assembly and identified areas for improvement and reduction. I also re-prioritized government spending to protect our state’s core principles.
“The first step in this process was a technical review of the numbers. In assessing each line-item, I discovered and eliminated double-appropriations by more than $336 million. Next, I reduced bureaucracy costs by more than $11 million.
“I then evaluated the proposed spending against last year’s levels. The state will maintain current spending levels for school transportation by reducing the General Assembly’s proposed amount by $89 million, and returning to the amount that was spent in fiscal year 2011.
“Finally, state government must continue to address its Medicaid obligations. Neglecting our bills today only creates bigger problems tomorrow. With this in mind, I implemented a line-item cut to Medicaid in the amount of $276 million.
“From day one, I have stressed the need to invest in education by reducing high administrative costs and reallocating those funds to the classroom, particularly in early childhood education. Implementing a budget is not a one-day event, but rather a year-round process filled with robust debate and difficult decisions. Today, I enacted a fiscal year 2012 budget of $32.987 billion. Overall, I reduced the budget passed by the General Assembly by $376 million. With these reductions, I am implementing smart efficiencies that support Illinois on its continuing path to fiscal and economic recovery.”
Quinn has no public events on his schedule tomorrow.
Gov. Pat Quinn
Wow, that’s a huge cut, just like the one Texas is proposing. I’m currently in the marketing looking at a fewhomes for sale in Illinois so I can move closer to family, and I wonder how much this budget cut is really going to affect us. I hope the changes in education are actually implemented since my children will be going to college soon. I would hate to see these budget cuts affecting their classroom experience.
Posted by corymanderson | July 20, 2011, 1:08 PM