Phelps says budget on table not good for southern Illinois

State Rep. Brandon Phelps, a Harrisburg Democrat, says the governor and lawmakers need to work toward a better budget than the one passed by the state Senate last week.

"We need an honest, balanced budget for our state that protects the vital services that families here in southern Illinois depend on, and a review of the Senate's proposal reveals why we still need Governor Rauner to come back to the table to help us craft it," Phelps said. "After looking at the budget sent to us by the Senate, I do not believe that people in southern Illinois would be well served by the plan, and I cannot support it. Families and taxpayers deserve a deal that doesn't put folks on the line for more debt through sham savings."

Phelps said he is concerned that the Senate plan does not close the Rauner budget deficit and that it contains a number of "phantom" savings and other gimmicks that will cost taxpayers in the long run.

Phelps says he has fought to restore funding for breast cancer screenings, services for the developmentally disabled and victims of domestic violence, while the Senate's budget plan cuts millions of dollars from these programs.

He added it does not appropriate adequate early childhood education funds, and fails to properly fund critical services necessary for children. Plus, the Senate's proposal contains only a portion of the funding needed to sustain MAP grants, which help 130,000 Illinois students attend college, he said.

"Not only am I concerned by savings that I don't believe are real," Phelps said, "but this also assumes a lot of those savings are based on the salaries and benefits of local prison guards, teachers, and nurses that have not even been negotiated with workers. This budget is not ready yet, and the people of Illinois deserve much more."</group><group id="305E1D48-464F-40AD-94F1-45D197425CC8" type="seoLabels"><seoLabels></seoL