Lawmakers and Gov. Pat Quinn scheduled a final day of the fall veto session
in order to cobble together a bill that would give CME Group, Inc. and
Sears Holding Corp. juicy tax breaks. The tax break bill could not pass –
but Quinn and the General Assembly did keep several state health
facilities from closing down.
Throughout her first term in office, State Sen. Toi Hutchinson (D-Olympia Fields) has been candid about the need for a sustainable
budget solution in Springfield. That's a trait that isn't too common in
the state capitol. This fall, she's facing a tough campaign against Adam Baumgartner, the director of the Peotone Chamber of Commerce. Below is her first television ad, which is titled "A New Voice."
State Sen. Toi Hutchinson (D-Olympia Fields) is one lawmaker that supporters of a responsible state budget can count as an ally. During a press conference in Springfield
today, Hutchinson stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the newly-formed group Women For A Better Illinois -- which represents more than
200
nonprofit agencies, philanthropists, and labor unions from every corner of the state -- in calling for an income tax
increase that would raise enough new revenue to preserve education
programs, human services, and other state programs that give struggling
women, children, and seniors a hand up. "We cannot continue to play
phantom economics and voodoo budgeting any longer," Hutchinson warned.
"We're in a crisis and we need to start acting like it." Watch her full remarks:
With the primary election in the rearview mirror, Illinois lawmakers have found yet another excuse for punting on the state's budget crisis: the general election. Mind you, there's no shortage of academics, lawmakers, journalists, or policy wonks making the case that a tax hike is neccessary and inevitable. Still, State Sen. President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) says lawmakers are "unlikely" to pass an income tax increase in an election year. In an interview with the Illinois Statehouse News, State Sen. Toi Hutchinson (D-Olympia Fields) asks, "What’s the cost of doing nothing?” The word meltdown comes to mind.
