Local Legislators Decry Democrat Budget Proposal

Local legislators are taking issue with the budget proposal rolled out this week by Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.

The measure calls for four billion more dollars in spending than in anticipated revenue for the coming fiscal year; $32 billion in income as opposed to $36 billion in outgo.

State Representative John Cavaletto of Salem said, "We don't have the money to sustain this spending without significant reforms, and everyone seems to know it but the Democrats. It gives false hope to those who rely on state services and is an outright lie to schools, service providers and the state's most vulnerable.'

The budget, as proposed, would push the backlog of bills to over $10 billion, equaliing 30% of the state's total revenue.

State Representative Kyle McCarter said a host of changes will have to be made before the amount of revenue matches the amount of spending. None of the local legislators are favorable to increasing the amount of revenue, at least until reductions in spending are seen.