BUDGET WORK CONTINUES, ON SUMMER BREAK!

Work continues on the state’s budget, even though we are finishing up the second week of the General Assembly’s summer break.

On June 11, Governor Rod Blagojevich and legislative leaders from three of the four caucuses – including Senate Republican Leader Frank Watson – met to discuss the state budget passed May 31. The leaders also continue to work with the Governor to negotiate a capital improvement program to address the state’s infrastructure needs for roads, bridges, and schools.

Like prior discussions, the June 11 budget meeting in Chicago failed to yield significant progress in resolving a $2 billion gap in spending and state revenues for the upcoming 2009 fiscal year. The state constitution requires a balanced budget.

UNBALANCED BUDGET PASSED WITHOUT SENATOR BRADY’S SUPPORT

One day after state lawmakers huddled in the tunnels below the State Capitol while tornadoes threatened, Illinois’ brewing fiscal storm got worse as the Fiscal Year 2009 state budget passed May 31 – without my support.

Talk about your ill winds! I did not vote for the $59 billion budget because it increases spending at a time when the state is not meeting its current obligations, and it starts the fiscal year with a revenue shortfall of more than $2 billion!

The Illinois Constitution requires a balanced state budget.

DEMOCRAT’S LEADERSHIP FORCES THROUGH BUDGET SCHEMES

Hoping to meet a scheduled May 31 adjournment deadline, budget negotiators continued to meet during the week and work on a state budget and capital improvement plan for Fiscal Year 2009, which starts July 1.

However, my Senate Republican colleagues and I do not support the fiscal decisions currently being made by the Senate’s Democrat leadership.

On May 29, Senate Democrats forced through a bill that authorizes a $16 billion borrowing scheme that pushes the bulk of the debt off on taxpayers 30 years down the road. Approved by a strictly partisan vote of 37-21, Senate Bill 788 also changes the pension funding formula to allow the Governor to skip a $500 million pension payment in Fiscal Year 2009 and use the diverted pension payment for other programs.

Eight students who live in the 44th District and will be attending state universities in Illinois have been selected to receive General Assembly Scholarships for the 2008-2009 school year, according to Senator Brady.

“Each of Illinois’ 177 lawmakers has the privilege of awarding scholarships for full tuition to the one of our state’s public universities,” Senator Brady said. “My Scholarship Committee selected these eight students based on their leadership qualities and academic accomplishments.”

The students and the schools they plan to attend are: Hannah Nelson of Heyworth, University of Illinois; Kathryn McNeese of Bloomington, University of Illinois; Ross Johnson of Illiopolis, University of Illinois; Shelby Svientek of Bloomington, University of Illinois;  Hannah Klebe of Riverton, Illinois State University; Emma Taufer of Morton, University of Illinois; Kelsey Graber of Heyworth, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale; and Mollie Pease of Riverton, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville.