Full Text of HR1218 096th General Assembly
HR1218 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, Illinois' hardworking families and private sector | 3 |
| employees have faced layoffs, pay cuts, loss of benefits, and | 4 |
| other employment concessions; and
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| WHEREAS, Illinois is experiencing an unprecedented fiscal | 6 |
| crisis resulting in billions in unpaid bills, a projected $1.3 | 7 |
| billion shortfall for education in Fiscal Year 2011, and | 8 |
| reductions to human services programs that assist Illinois' | 9 |
| most vulnerable citizens; and
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| WHEREAS, The Commission on Government Forecasting and | 11 |
| Accountability estimates that Illinois' Fiscal Year 2011 | 12 |
| budget will have a $13 billion deficit; and
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| WHEREAS, The Governor's proposed Fiscal Year 2011 budget | 14 |
| proposes to close this gap with a combination of fee and tax | 15 |
| increases, including a 33% income tax increase, fund transfers, | 16 |
| multi-billion dollar borrowing schemes, no pay raises for merit | 17 |
| compensation employees, as well as instituting furlough days | 18 |
| for these employees; and
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| WHEREAS, According to data from the Bureau of Labor | 20 |
| Statistics, Illinois has lost 475,000 wage and salary jobs | 21 |
| since November 2000, a decline of 7.64%, and economic forecasts |
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| predict a slow recovery for the State of Illinois; and
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| WHEREAS, In March 2000, the unemployment rate was 4.4%, and | 3 |
| in March 2010, the unemployment rate was 11.5%; and
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| WHEREAS, Personal income in Illinois fell 2.1% during 2009, | 5 |
| outstripping the national average decline of 1.7%, according to | 6 |
| estimates released by the United States Bureau of Economic | 7 |
| Analysis; the 2.1% decline ranks Illinois 38th in the nation; | 8 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, In Fiscal Year 2011, $336.2 million is being | 10 |
| budgeted by Governor Quinn to fulfill employee collective | 11 |
| bargaining agreements; $230.6 million to annualize Fiscal Year | 12 |
| 2010 pay raises and $105.6 million for Cost-of-Living and Step | 13 |
| increases; and
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| WHEREAS, In light of Illinois' bleak economic forecast and | 15 |
| extraordinarily large projected budget shortfall, it is | 16 |
| fiscally irresponsible to consider salary increases in Fiscal | 17 |
| Year 2011 for State employees when education and social service | 18 |
| programs are being reduced or unfunded due to lack of funds; | 19 |
| and | 20 |
| WHEREAS, State employees represented by unions should | 21 |
| forgo compensation increases in these tough economic times by |
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| also making sacrifices to share in the recovery of Illinois' | 2 |
| economy; and | 3 |
| WHEREAS, No State revenue enhancements to balance the | 4 |
| budget should be considered until all budget expenditures are | 5 |
| thoroughly reviewed to ensure wasteful or unnecessary spending | 6 |
| is eliminated from the budget; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 8 |
| NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 9 |
| that we urge the Governor to reopen collective bargaining | 10 |
| agreements to remove pay increases as a means to (i) reduce | 11 |
| State expenditures and (ii) ensure the additional funding is | 12 |
| directed to education and social service programs; and be it | 13 |
| further
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| RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be forwarded to | 15 |
| the Governor.
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