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Message for State Senators
On July 16 we sent out an urgent Action Alert asking that you contact your State Representative to urge him or her to vote to override Governor Blagojevich’s vetoes of $210 million in funding for human service that was included in the State Budget that was passed by the Illinois General Assembly at the end of May. That $210 million cut in human services was part of a total of $1.4 billion that the Governor proposed to cut from the whole budget. Some of the other proposed cuts were in Education, Health Care, Environmental Programs and the budgets of most of the Constitutional Officers (Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Treasurer and Comptroller).
The Illinois House of Representatives voted on July 16th to restore about $480 million of the $1.4 billion cut by the Governor. The funding restored by the House includes $43.3 million in regular funding for substance abuse programs, $5.3 million in services to families with children living with autism, about $9.6 million for supportive housing and other services for children and adults with developmental disabilities or mental illness, and close to $400 million to avoid lengthening the payment cycle to hospitals and nursing homes that serve low income patients or residents. In addition the House voted to restore $22 million to the budget of the Secretary of State.
We are asking you to contact your State Senator and ask him or her to put pressure on President Jones to call the Senate back into session in the next two weeks to give the Senate a chance to act on those items that were restored by the House override votes.
| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: Message for State Senators
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
I urge you to do whatever you can to bring pressure on Senate President Jones to call the Senate back into session in the next two weeks to give the Senate a chance to act on veto override resolutions passed by the House on July 16.
The State of Illinois has historically under-funded human care services that provide a fundamental safety net for some of the most vulnerable people in our state.
I also urge you to work with your fellow legislators and with the Governor to identify new funding streams that are stable, transparent and fair. Additional state borrowing, the sale or lease of state assets and the expansion of gambling in Illinois are not good solutions in either the short or long term.
Sincerely,
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