HR0922 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0922 LRB099 16169 GRL 40495 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, During the Great Recession, the needs of Illinois children, families, and communities grew at the same time that our State was losing the necessary resources to help them; and

WHEREAS, Since 2009, the State of Illinois has consistently disinvested in working families and communities, cutting funding for vital services that strengthen low-and middle-income working families; and

WHEREAS, Relying on funding cuts to shore up our State's finances hurts children and families who are struggling to remain afloat and destabilizes programs like home care for seniors and people with disabilities, child care, and other critical support for middle class families; and

WHEREAS, Instead of cuts to funding, we must secure the revenue we need for a responsible budget that invests in programs that meet the needs of children, families, communities, and businesses; and

WHEREAS, Failing to pass a fully funded year-long budget for Fiscal Year 2016 has meant cutting programs that stabilize children, families, local governments, and businesses, including, but not limited to, social services for children, care for people who suffer from mental illness, programs to assist homebound seniors and people with disabilities, infant mortality prevention programs, environmental protection and conservation police, services for victims of sexual violence, breast and cervical cancer screenings, supportive housing programs, afterschool programs for kids, immigrant services, community colleges and universities, financial aid and scholarship for college students, and job training; and

WHEREAS, At the same time, every day that goes by without a Fiscal Year 2016 budget means that Illinois continues to add to its unpaid bills, further harming our economy and making Illinois a less desirable place to live and do business; and

WHEREAS, Illinois' outdated tax system has painted us into a box, preventing us from moving forward to invest in shared priorities; Illinois must modernize and reform the tax code to reflect our changing economy and ensure fairness in raising revenue to fund current and future investments; a modern tax code ensures that corporations and millionaires join low and middle-income families in paying their fair share; and

WHEREAS, When we modernize and reform our tax code, commit to fairness in raising revenue, and commit to investing in shared priorities, our children, families, communities, and small businesses will finally experience economic growth and prosperity; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the members of the General Assembly to work together to modernize and reform the tax code and to immediately pass a Fiscal Year 2016 budget that will stabilize the lives of Illinois' children, families, communities, and businesses.