HR1132 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Section 2 of Article VIII of the Illinois Constitution provides, "The Governor shall prepare and submit to the General Assembly, at a time prescribed by law, a State budget for the ensuing fiscal year"; and

WHEREAS, The Constitution further provides, "The budget shall set forth the estimated balance of funds available for appropriation at the beginning of the fiscal year, the estimated receipts, and a plan for expenditures and obligations during the fiscal year of every department, authority, public corporation and quasi-public corporation of the State, every State college and university, and every other public agency created by the State, but not of units of local government or school districts"; and

WHEREAS, The Governor never submitted a balanced budget proposal to the General Assembly for Fiscal Year 2016; and

WHEREAS, The State is entering its tenth month without a duly enacted budget; and

WHEREAS, The lack of a State budget impacts citizens across the State; and

WHEREAS, Social service agencies, including Catholic Charities and Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, have begun to shut down facilities offering needed social services throughout the State because they have yet to receive funding due under grants from the State; and

WHEREAS, Social services serving the homeless and senior citizens have been forced to either halt services or find creative methods to obtain funding to continue operations; and

WHEREAS, Youth employment services are without funding, exacerbating a crisis of unemployment among younger workers; and

WHEREAS, Mental health programs have been cut across the State, causing an increase in violence; and

WHEREAS, A lack of funding for services for children with autism has forced families to go without treatment for their children or other support; and

WHEREAS, The impasse has also affected State universities; and

WHEREAS, The continued impasse could lead to the closure of State universities, including Chicago State University and Eastern Illinois University, leaving students of these institutions and citizens of this State without affordable higher education; and

WHEREAS, Other institutions of higher education have received lower credit ratings because of the uncertainty surrounding future State funding of the universities; and

WHEREAS, The budget impasse threatens Chicago Public School students as well through the refusal to help relieve the fiscal crisis, putting almost 400,000 children at risk; and

WHEREAS, State credit ratings have continued to drop since the onset of the budget impasse, making it more expensive for the State to borrow money on the financial markets; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that Democrats and Republicans work together toward a responsible budget that is fiscally sound; and be it further

RESOLVED, That both parties agree that the General Assembly must craft, agree to, and pass a budget; and be it further

RESOLVED, That every community should have a say in passing a State budget; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be delivered to the Governor, Speaker of the House, the Minority Leader of the House, President of the Senate, and Minority Leader of the Senate.