Members frustrated by the Majority's unwillingness to address the budget impasse or reforms, called for immediate action. Here's what several members had to say:
Leader Jim Durkin: "Stop this insanity. For too long, the majority party has shirked
their responsibilities – whether its raising the income tax under the guise
that it would pay down old bills and put
people back to work – or passing reckless unbalanced budgets year after year.
Simply raising taxes and increase
spending without any reforms didn’t work then - and it won’t work now.
We need to actually reduce
spending and demand property tax relief and include reforms to grow jobs and
our economy."
Rep. Joe Sosnowski (Rockford): “One thing we cannot do is pass an
unbalanced budget that includes tax increases and no responsible reforms that
provide taxpayer relief. We can bring manufacturing jobs back to the Rockford
area and other parts of the state by insisting that economic reforms be part of
any final budget agreement.”
Rep. Tony McCombie (Savanna): “So as we return to Springfield
today, I urge my colleagues to resist the failed attempts of the past. No more
unbalanced budgets. No more tax increases. Let's start fresh and put aside the
political rhetoric and work together! Together we can balance a budget AND take on the major issues facing our
state. Together we can make Illinois a growth state and one of the best in the
nation.”
Rep. Ryan Spain (Peoria): “...it is simply not
acceptable to kick this can down the road by passing tax increases without
meaningful cost reforms. That’s not what
any of us were sent here to do - we were sent here to fix the problems.”
