Nearly 200 seniors, children, health care workers, child care providers, students and community advocates rallied outside the district offices of State Representatives John Fritchey, Deb Mell, John D’Amico and Joseph Lyons Wednesday to call on the Northwest Side representatives to reverse their votes against an increase in the state’s income tax.
Protests target Chicago representatives for votes against tax increase
June 17th, 2009Reps. Holbrook and Hoffman face protests for budget votes
June 17th, 2009Home care and child care workers demonstrated in front of the offices of Representatives Holbrook and Hoffman on Wednesday to call attention to the devastation their budget votes will cause the seniors, people with disabilities, children and working families in their districts who were counting on them to protect essential programs by voting for an income tax increase. Similar protests have been happening statewide.
Budget protest aimed at Rep. Mitchell
June 17th, 2009Health care and child care workers rallied outside the district office of State Representative Jerry Mitchell in Rock Falls on Tuesday to protest his vote against the income tax increase needed to save the essential programs they depend on.
Capitol protest aimed at Reps. Poe and Brauer
June 16th, 2009Health care workers, child care providers and advocates rallied outside the Capitol on Tuesday to protest the votes against an income tax increase cast by Springfield Representatives Raymond Poe and Rich Brauer. Protesters called on the representatives to tell their leader that they are ready to go back to Springfield to stop devastating budget cuts and pass new revenue.
Home care, child care workers protest Reps. Phelps & Bradley’s votes against tax increase
June 16th, 2009Home care and child care workers joined children and working parents at a rally outside the district offices of State Representatives Bradley and Phelps June 15th at two in a series of statewide protests aimed at members of the Illinois House of Representatives who voted against an increase in the state’s income tax.
South Side communities call on representatives to stop cuts
June 11th, 2009Health care and child care workers joined community advocates in rallies outside the district offices of State Representatives Jim Brosnahan, Kevin McCarthy and Mike Zalewski Thursday at the first of many statewide protests aimed at members of the Illinois House of Representatives who voted against an increase in the state’s income tax.
Hundreds rally in Chicago against cuts
June 5th, 2009Over 600 rallied in front of the State of Illinois building Thursday to protest billions of dollars in cuts to human services passed by the General Assembly.
State’s social services prepare for disaster
June 2nd, 2009
With no new revenue and a doomsday budget plan that cuts funding for critical programs in half, the state’s social and human service programs are on the brink of disaster. Massive layoffs, facility closings, seniors without home care, working parents without child care assistance and more will soon be reality in Illinois unless legislators come up with a solution - and fast.
State fails to protect working families
June 2nd, 2009In the final minutes of the legislative session, the General Assembly failed to agree on an income tax increase and passed a budget that includes devastating cuts to human services.
The situation is dire. With no new revenue, children, seniors and people with disabilities face massive cuts to the programs they depend on. As the Associated Press explains:
Top lawmakers said that without new tax dollars, the money available would fall about $7 billion short of covering government expenses in the coming fiscal year. They called it a “lights-on” budget — as in, enough money for state agencies to keep the lights on but nothing more.
They predicted the shortfall would require layoffs of state employees and cuts of up to 50 percent in such programs as home care for the elderly, child-care subsidies and treatment for the developmentally disabled.
“It’s basically a non-budget,” said Sen. Donne Trotter, D-Chicago.
Doug Finke at the State Journal-Register has more:
Under the legislature’s spending plan, hundreds of human service programs would get only 50 percent of the funding that Quinn requested for them. In a news release, Quinn’s office said that means 20,000 seniors will lose home care services, 80,000 low-income mothers will lose childcare services, and foster parents of 9,000 children will lose stipends.
…
“This is the worst budget in the history of Springfield,” said Sen. Donne Trotter, D-Chicago, a budget expert and supporter of an income tax hike.
“These cutbacks need to be put on the shoulders of the people in the House who refused to vote (for a tax increase),” he said. “There’s going to be draconian cuts. There’s going to be layoffs.”
Budget situation beyond “cutting to the bone” for human services
May 29th, 2009As the threat of billions of dollars in cuts to vital human services in the state budget grows, the call for a tax increase to address the lack of revenue and $12.4 billion budget hole is growing stronger.
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