Pat Quinn Budget Address: Illinois To Slash Spending, Close Prisons

Updated story

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has had a rough year. The state's credit rating was downgraded, he has been berated by Republican governors in other states for his handling of the record deficit and was bullied into approving sweeping tax breaks to convince many Illinois businesses to stay put -- which was somewhat unappreciated.

State Republicans say Quinn's approach to the budget doesn't cut deep enough, while everyone from mental health advocates to employees of state correctional facilities say he is betraying them.

On Wednesday afternoon, Quinn laid out his 2013 budget plan, which includes closing several state facilities, layoffs and cuts to state agencies. Quinn also said the state needs to cut $2.7 billion in Medicaid spending, which the Chicago Tribune reports could impact health care for poor residents most of all.

"This budget contains truths you may not want to hear," Quinn said, according to the Tribune. "But these are truths that you do need to know. And I believe you can handle the truth."

Despite the state's massive deficit, Quinn's budget includes a $33.8 billion spending plan, which the Chicago Sun-Times reports is up 1.5 percent from last year. And while pension costs are thought by many to be the main issue facing Illinois fiscally, he only vaguely addressed the issue, saying a panel of lawmakers would submit their ideas for pension reforms in mid-April.

The hardest hit by the cuts, however, will be the Illinois Department of Corrections. A super-maximum security prison in Tamms, Ill. which has been accused of inhumane treatment of inmates is now heading for the chopping block. The Sun-Times reports that closing the facility could save taxpayers $21.6 million in the next year, and $26.6 million every year after. Violent inmates from Tamms would be moved to the Pontiac Correctional Center, and others would go to prisons nearby. The closure will likely make some human rights groups in the state happy:

Most Tamms inmates spend 23 hours a day alone, where their “universe of gray” is only interrupted by a sliver of the blue sky visible from a small window above, the group said. Prisoners aren’t permitted to work or mingle too much with fellow prisoners and had access to only one computer to communicate with loved ones.

Aside from the Tamms closure, Quinn also wants to shutter a women's prison in Dwight, Ill., juvenile justice centers in Joliet and Murphysboro and adult transition centers statewide. Four mental health institutions may also be closed.

According to Bloomberg Business, Illinois has cut mental health spending by 12 percent since 2009. The cuts come after Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart called on the state to change its approach to treating mentally ill residents. Dart said his jail has become the "largest mental health center in the state" and plans to sue if something is not done about it.

"People who should be being treated in the community with, in some cases, mild mental health issues, are not getting any treatment whatsoever, and as a result, they’re ending up in our jail, which I can’t conceive of anybody saying that that is the best place to treat someone with a mental illness," Dart told CBS.

The state's $8 billion backlog of unpaid bills will reportedly not increase with the new budget, but there is no plan to pay them off, either. The Sun-Times reports that Quinn's plan only puts $163 million toward existing debts.

Quinn, who referred to his plan as a "rendezvous with reality," also said the state can save $75 million by closing tax loopholes. Though he didn't offer specifics on pension reform, he did say pensions will cost Illinois $5.2 million in the next fiscal year.

“The truth is that over the past 35 years, too many governors and members of the General Assembly have clung to budget fantasies rather than confronting hard realities, especially with respect to pension and Medicaid investments,” Quinn said.

Some Republican lawmakers, however, believe Quinn is doing the same thing.

“All this stuff we’re doing in getting rid of … closing prisons and closing mental health facilities, that doesn’t do a thing to fix it. It has got to be dealt with in the state public pension side," Republican State Treasurer Dan Rutherford said, according to CBS Chicago.

Even Quinn's Democratic counterparts are frustrated with a lack of action on public pensions -- which budget watchdog groups say is the number one issue impacting the state's struggling budget.

“That was the part that was most disappointing for us,” Rikeesha Phelon, a spokeswoman for Senate President John Cullerton, told the Sun-Times. “We were expecting between the State of the State and budget addresses, that would have gotten a little more specific.”

Comments

[allrightallready]

09:43 PM on 04/20/2012

LIBERALS TAKE NOTICE.

DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR Pat Quinn of Illinois is proposing BUDGET CUTS. Who does he think he is? A REPUBLICAN?

Are you liberals happy now? Democrat Run Illinois spent, and spent, and spent. Now, there is no choice. EVERYONE IS TO BE HURT - and, at no extra charge, more mentally ill people will now roam the streets. And DEMOCRAT Quinn has not fully focused on the teachers yet!

So Wisconsin Republican Gov. Walker makes cuts and it is National News. Because Republicans are mean, mean people. Anyone see Quinn on ABC, CBS, or NBC? He was not on the CBS Nightly News with Scott Pelley.

Liberals: Your Fantasyland is slowly closing. Democrat, Republican, Independent - it makes no difference. The vote panderers have spent all the money. Illinois is $8 BILLION behind in payments to vendors -- $8 BILLION. Do you understand Liberals? Your "game" is coming to an end. Your governing philosophy is, as always, a failure - here, there, everywhere. But, having observed Liberals for a long time, I realize that you are incapable of acknowledging reality. You know the joke: Some people make things happen, others watch things happen, and the rest "wonder" what happened. When the ceiling falls on your heads, you will be wondering how it happened.

[Derni]

11:56 AM on 02/26/2012

The Illinois politicians on both sides have avoided applying their part of the promised monies to the pension funds. The good news for TRS is that theirs is written into the State Constitution..they require a Constitutional Convention and /or a lawsuit that goes all the way to the Supreme Court..don't expect anything to happen until the election of 2012 is over,,and them we'll see if the politicians are serious and really change the pensions for judges and those serving political office too..

[E1k]

10:22 AM on 02/23/2012

This would apply to ALL state employees. Even the elected ones. And yes. I know, what about the Governor? Should that position be special? Ahhhh no. Governors can qualify same as the rest. Most are career politicians. They will qualify for whatever pension they have qualified for in a lower classification. If they want the Governors pension then they can do a good job and get elected to be Governor for 10 years. If they have not qualified for a state pension before becoming Governor, then to a great job and get elected to the position for 20 years.
No buy-ins. No buy-outs. It’s a pension not a lottery.
Make this the law of the land immediately.
Freeze everyone and determine each employee’s qualification. Give every employee currently receiving a pension check and employment check a choice. Give up the pension payment until age 62 or 65 if you qualify under the new laws or keep the adjusted new amount of pension check ( only one, no double, triple, etc dipping allowed) and retire from state employment.

I wonder how much money that would save the state.

[OldSchool4942]

12:57 PM on 02/23/2012

It's not the workers fault. They have the pension deducted from their pay check. It is the states fault for deffering payments, borrowing from the pension, and not paying it back. Now it is due back and they want to not repay, they want to change the system.
They used this money to not raise taxes. Well we got the raise anyway. I agree that there are some bad examples of abuse. But most people are getting far less than you would believe. And most don't get Social Security because they were never part of the system.

[E1k]

10:20 AM on 02/23/2012

Reforming the state pensions is an easy legislative fix. It could be done this afternoon.

First. No one is allowed to draw on more than one pension from the State of Illinois.

Second. Just like Social Security, pensions can only be paid once you reach age.
80% of pension at age 62. 100% pension at age 65. And once you start drawing on the pension, you no longer can work for the State in any capacity.

Third. To qualify for 100% pension you must work in your job classification for 20 years.
Should you advance in job classification before you reach the 20 years, you must continue in the advance classification to the 20 years to be eligible for the lower pension and then also continue in the advanced classification for 10 more years to be eligible for the advanced classification pension. With each subsequent advancement 10 additional years being required to advance in pension.

[Judy Kempf]

07:29 AM on 02/23/2012

Gov. Quinn, i dare you to go to W.G. Murray Developmental Center in Centrailia, Il. and tour the place and come out of there and cut the budget to that Center. I dare you and anybody else to go there and come away saying it needs to close...........That is those disabled peoples home. You people that spout that it should be close don't have the guts to go there and look at those people. they are human beings. I am writing to every one of my Senator, Congressman, State Senator, and Reps. and challenge every last one of them to the same thing.........today.

[Judy Kempf]

07:19 AM on 02/23/2012

Being the Mother of a son that have been in W.G. Murray Developmental Center for years This makes me sick. That is my sons home. Why pick on the disabled all the time. They can't defend themselves. I wonder if Gov. Quinn has even been to Murray Center to see what they do for the people there. It is a awesome place. My son is Deaf, retarded, Cereble. palsy. , all because of neglect of his doctor when he was born. i was advised by the Dept of Crippled Children to place him at Murray Center. at age 7 so that has been his home.....He isn't able to take care of himself.
but he does go to a work shop everyday and sorts bolts. That's more than some normal low life's do in this state.Drug addicts .but the Gov. has to pick on these kind of people. Its not right;

[Aldyth]

10:22 AM on 02/23/2012

I know that this is very hard for you to contemplate. I've worked in Illinois with adults with developmental disabilities since 1980. I have a niece who has severe mental retardation and autism who needs 24 hour a day care and supervision.

I've had people in the programs I've run who came out of state facilities, like when Lincoln Developmental Center was closed. Some of the families were okay with it closing and some weren't happy about it because they weren't sure that their family member would be safe and taken care of. About a year ago, one of those mothers who doubted thanked us for giving her daughter a good life away from Lincoln. She died a few months later. Her son, who took over as guardian, told us that his sister's placement in our group home went so much better than his mother ever imagined. And that his mother died knowing that her daughter was safe and cared about.

I know it is hard to trust when your family member has been in one place for so long. But group homes can work out very well and can even be closer to home than where the state facility was. I wish the very best for your son to have a happy, safe, and comfortable life.

[fifthmansix]

11:29 PM on 02/22/2012

quinn caved to the civic commitee of fool's and helping destroy the middle class union workers who supported quinn. and hurt the poor and slave wagers , so the corporation fools get away with murder of the mentally ill and poor with a tax break and threats to quinn and the workers of illinois . i think the ceo's should be in an institution for the greedy insane!

[OldSchool4942]

09:46 PM on 02/22/2012

This is so short sited. It answers the right wing Chicago Commerce Committee but screws the working people and the retirees. Illinois panders to these people that keep lobbying in the legislature and the press.
The pension mess that was created by the legislature is going to be kicked from state income tax to real estate tax. Business gets breaks on real estate taxes, the people don't. So you will see their taxes go down and citizen’s taxes increase (a lot).
By moving responsibility to the local districts, pensions and health insurance will suffer. If this happens, I want to be the first to tell you that anyone thinking of teaching will look elsewhere for a career.
You can't keep blaming people that have had their pension underfunded (stolen from) to bear more weight. Most of these people are not eligible for Social Security (because they haven't paid into it). They have paid around 10% of their paychecks for pensions. It is the state that didn't.

[ConservativeChampion]

08:23 PM on 02/22/2012

Closing prisons...

Yep... The Liberal Dream....

And for their next act, Quinn, Madigan, Cullerton and the Chicago democrats will raise taxes again and chase more businesses and people away...

Life sure is grand under Lib rule (sarcasm).

[fifthmansix]

11:19 PM on 02/22/2012

grow up dipsthit. learn some manners thet your mommy isn't doing .oh and get out her house dude!

[Chicago1771]

07:18 AM on 02/23/2012

Is that English??????

[Raiderbri]

07:40 PM on 02/23/2012

It is obvious you are a product of the CPS system. Nice punctuation and spelling you drooling liberal spazz.....

[Mabo]

07:32 PM on 02/22/2012

Quinn's budget, like Quinn...is a joke.

[corwin]

06:08 PM on 02/22/2012

Quinn was bullied ?! They gave him DUtch Rubs. Pantsed him! Made him smell their farts. Those Bad Smart People will stop at nothing!

[jbern]

05:12 PM on 02/22/2012

I think there is a lot of revenue that could be realized by legalizing and taxing cannabis. This would also reduce the number of small time drug users and peddlers from cycling through the prison system, saving the state money.

[irv]

05:04 PM on 02/22/2012

a good start gov. now follow through

[saveourplanet]

03:23 PM on 02/22/2012

Gov. Pat Quinn's SOTS speech has some very good ideas in it to cut the deficit by recalculating qualifications for receiving Medicaid and Medicare and closing 2 women's prisons,

Plus closing many institutions for the mentally disabled adults and then placing them in group homes will be better and much cheaper than housing them in huge buildings.

I also liked his plan to eliminate tax loop holes for oil companies which causes IL to lose over 200 million in tax revenues.

I totally agree with Pat who said there are two areas he will NOT cut funds to and that is NOT cutting funds to IL Veterans or Education.

Gov. Quinn received much applause from both Democrats AND Republicans when his speech ended.

I just HOPE both parties stop their bickering and work with Pat Quinn to cut the deficit.

[StaggerLee]

05:40 PM on 02/22/2012

He'll close the loopholes for oil companies then, as soon as they threaten to move out of state, he'll fold.

[Avatar73]

07:18 PM on 02/22/2012

Paid for by Citizens to elect Pat Quinn, you forgot to add that part.

[StuffMoreStuff]

02:59 PM on 02/22/2012

I did like his swipe about previous governors and legislatures not funding the pension system....as Mike Madigan sat behind him. LOL, as the speaker of the house for nearly 3 decades, I am pretty sure a lot of that was aimed at him. And rightfully so...

[Mabo]

07:37 PM on 02/22/2012

And there is no funny business going on with someone running the show for 3 decades either...oh, wait...this is Illinois. Only in Illinois could the daughter of the Speaker of the House become the state's Attourney General. The joke in Illinois is on its citizens...this budget is just another slice of the pie they keep force-feeding us.

[OldSchool4942]

09:29 PM on 02/22/2012

Lisa is doing a good job for the people of Illinois (unlike her father Mike). But elections are in the fall for some of these clowns ( on both sides of the isle) and it's time to say bye.