SPRINGFIELD – After a week of testimonies from Gov. Bruce Rauner’s cabinet members on potential cuts they could make in their departments, it’s clear that Rauner has no plan to balance his proposed budget.

“Governor Rauner has once again proved that he is all talk and no action,” Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) said. “He has spent the past two years harping on the need to reduce spending, but when given the opportunity to offer cuts, his cabinet members were silent.”

Senate Public Health Committee Chairwoman Van Pelt is one of several Senate committee chairs who spent the week asking state agency directors what programs they intend to cut to help balance the nearly $5 billion in deficits Gov. Rauner proposed.

“Every state agency across the board would need to cut spending by 20 percent to achieve the balanced budget the governor wants,” Van Pelt said. “I am absolutely stunned that Gov. Rauner hasn’t even asked agency directors to provide a list of cuts they could make in their departments. Every day without a budget costs the state $11 million. The governor should be offering solutions, but instead he is creating chaos and destruction.”

The move by Senate committee chairs comes one week after Gov. Rauner derailed the Senate’s bipartisan plan to resolve the state’s budget impasse. Agency directors have been asked to return to Senate committees next week with a detailed list of cuts.

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Northern Public Radio - March 8, 2017 | original article

By Brian Mackey

lllinois senators are putting Governor Bruce Rauner’s agency directors under the magnifying glass. It’s part of the ongoing fallout from Rauner’s move to block the bipartisan "grand bargain," which is meant to end Illinois’ 20-month budget stalemate.

The governor’s budget relies on the proposal, or it will be short by $4.6 billion.  State Senator Patricia Van Pelt grilled Public Health director Nirav Shah.

"Can you tell me how you would reduce your budget by $22 million? If you can’t you just can’t," she said.
“Our proposed budget does not contain $22 million of cuts, so...," Shah responded.  

Shah went on out outline about $3.8 million dollars in cuts — a tiny fraction of the deficit.

Rauner says he could support the grand bargain if it was a “good deal for taxpayers.” But Democrats say they’ve already negotiated away as much as they can.

SPRINGFIELD – Even after cutting programs for AIDS, prostate cancer and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, the Illinois Department of Public Health still would need to cut an additional $20 million in programs to help balance the governor’s proposed budget, state senators learned Tuesday.

“I’m stunned Gov. Rauner didn’t consult with his own public health director about cuts to vital programs that would be needed to balance his own budget plan,” said Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago), chairwoman of the Senate’s Public Health Committee.

“Every state agency across the board would need to cut spending by 20 percent to achieve the balanced budget the governor wants. Those kinds of cuts in public health would have dire consequences, and people deserve to know what those cuts could be.”

Members of the Public Health Committee heard from Illinois Public Health Director Nirav Shah, who identified $3.85 million in cuts – far less than the reductions needed to achieve the savings Gov. Rauner requires. Shah told the panel he could cut $3 million from the AIDS drug assistance program, $143,000 from a prostate cancer awareness fund, $470,000 from the University of Illinois-Chicago and $240,000 from the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome awareness program.

The governor’s budget proposal includes $115 million for public health.

“Gov. Rauner has been begging lawmakers to give him the authority to make line-item budget cuts. Clearly, he’s not up to the task,” Van Pelt said.

Shah agreed to return to the committee next week with a list of $23 million in public health department cuts required to balance the governor’s proposed budget.

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Peoria Public Radio - March 7, 2017 | original article

By Brian Mackey

Illinois Senate Democrats are asking state agency heads to answer for Governor Bruce Rauner’s decision to pull votes off the “grand bargain.”  The governor’s own budget proposal depends on the grand bargain, otherwise it’s short by $4.6 billion.  

At one of several similar hearings, state Senator Patricia Van Pelt of Chicago grilled Public Health director Nirav Shah.  She asked if he could suggest cuts to help make up the shortfall, but Shah declined.

VAN PELT: “So are you saying you can’t cut? I’m asking you for one cut. Can you give me one cut?"

SHAH: “I’m not prepared to discuss any. It is worth noting that our proposed budget, as it stands, does contain several budgetary reductions.”

Shah went on to outline about $3.8 million dollars in cuts, a tiny fraction of the deficit.  Rauner says he could support the grand bargain if it was a “good deal for taxpayers.” But Democrats say they’ve already negotiated away as much as they can.