Reis Pushes for Budget Contingency Plan
Preventative move would help prevent total government shutdown

June 20, 2007

Springfield….Now in its third week of overtime session, the Illinois General Assembly is facing a possible government shutdown in the absence of a budget agreement by June 30th. The fiscal year ends June 30, and State Representative David Reis has been very vocal on the need for a contingency budget plan that would stave off the negative impact of a government shutdown.

According to Reis there is growing concerns that the General Assembly might not come to an agreement on a new budget by the June 30th deadline. "We are pushing for the leaders of the various chambers to draft a backup contingency plan to keep critical government services in place just in case an agreement cannot be reached by June 30th ," Reis said. "We simply cannot allow squabbling and infighting to interfere with scheduled payments to our Medicaid providers, our prisons, and our state workers and social services personnel that perform critical work on behalf of the public."

The Governor has met occasionally with all four legislative leaders during the last three weeks and has presided over "show and tell" style meetings on issues ranging from public transportation in Chicago and TIF districts to his costly and expansive proposal to extend health care to all Illinoisans. Recent polls show little support for a major expansion of health care, with a majority of respondents requesting that more money should be dedicated to education and strong efforts should be made to lower property taxes on an Illinois electorate already plagued by skyrocketing electricity and gas prices.

Reis expressed his disappointment with the misalignment of priorities that seems to have had such an impact on the budget gridlock currently being experienced. "Instead of substance, the taxpayers of Illinois are paying for thousands of dollars in transportation costs for the governor to fly to Springfield for an afternoon of high political theatre before heading back to Chicago," Reis said. "The real problem here is failed leadership and an inability of this governor to get down to the serious work it takes to craft a responsible. budget. The last thing we want is for State government to be shut down because the Democrats can't come to an agreement on a new budget," Reis said.