Greetings,

 SPRINGFIELD UPDATE

Governor Quinn has vetoed the state budget that the Illinois General Assembly passed in May.  That budget cuts funding of human care services by an average of 50%.

Also in May, the Illinois Senate passed a significant tax reform measure (House Bill 174) that would provide sufficient new revenue to fund current human care services (nutrition, housing, health care, social services and education).  HB 174 would also include tax relief for low income households and a modest reduction for all property owners.
 
Recently well-intended lawmakers have proposed a number of measures that attempt to circumnavigate the current budget stalemate, postponing the obvious need for a tax increase.  We remain opposed to a temporary budget, which former Gov. Edgar rightly called “mismanagement,” and which would only create months of destabilizing chaos throughout the entire social service sector.  Furthermore, without an agreement in place between legislative leaders to enact a tax increase a month before any temporary budget expires, a temporary budget merely kicks the can down the road and solves nothing. 
 
On July 14, the Illinois General Assembly will reconvene in Springfield for a special session to deal with the current budget impasse.
 
 
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
 
Contact your State Senator and your State Representative. (If you don't know who represents you, log onto www.LutheranAdvocacy.org, and click on "Find your elected officials." Enter your full address or 9-digit zip code. Then click on the "State" tab to get contact for your local legislators.)
 
Here's the message:
 
For Senators:  Please support the governor's veto of the 50% budget. Vote "NO" on the override motion.
(Find out how your Senator voted on HB 174 on May 30th. click here)
 
If your Senator voted "YES" on HB 174, please thank him or her and ask them to keep supporting fair tax reform. If your Senator voted "NO" on HB 174, ask for an explanation of that vote. Tell them that you support a fair tax increase to support human care in Illinois. 
 
For Representatives: Please pressure your leadership to allow a vote on HB 174 or an alternative package of tax reform that will provide adequate and sustainable funding for all human care services.
 
Background information and resources to help you make your calls:
You can visit the Voices for Illinois Children website for more imformation about HB174 click here
To see a map of the impact of these cuts across the state click here 
To see the ELCA social statement click here
 
A CASE STUDY FROM LSSI:
Johnny had been picked up by the local police for curfew violations 6 times in the last two months and his parents were at their wits end. When the police called them to come pick up Johnny, his parents said they could not control him and would not take him home again. The police called LSSI and LSSI staff went to the police department and , arranged for the parents to come in for a family counseling session right there in the police station. This night, the LSSI staff were successful in getting the parents to let Johnny come home and Johnny agreed not to take off again. In the following week there will be several meetings with the family and Johnny to identify the problems in the family and Johnny’s behavior. LSSI staff will provide counseling and supportive services in an effort to bring healing into Johnny's life, family and community. Without such intervention, Johnny could end up homeless or in the juveline justice system.

On July 1, three programs that provided intensive youth services as an alternative to detention were closed because of cuts in the state budget. These programs provided intense and frequent staff intervention and supportive services to youth who had a pattern of run-ins with police but had not yet been handed over to Juveline Justice authorities. The goal of the programs was to work with the youth and their families so that the youth avoided continued delinquency and eventual incarceration. Youth who end up incarcerated as minors have a far greater likelihood of spending periods of their adult life behind bars as well. Incarceration is much more expensive for the state than prevention, early intervention and treatment. Cuts to these three youth intervention programs will eventually cost the state as much as ten times as much as alternatives to detainment. And these are just three of the thousands of human care programs for children, adults, families and seniors that will be cut if a fair state budget is not adopted soon.