Governor Pat Quinn’s budget plan for next year relies on spending nearly $5 billion more than expected state revenues, borrowing to make up the difference, and ignoring billions more in unpaid bills, according to Senator Bill Brady.

Quinn outlined a $51.7 billion (state and federal funds) budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2011 to a joint session of the General Assembly on March 10. Fiscal Year 2011 runs from July 1, 2010, through June 30, 2011.

The Governor is calling for $32.1 billion in general funds spending – basically, the state’s operating budget – but is only estimating general funds revenues of $27.4 billion – a budget hole of $4.7 billion. In addition, Quinn’s budget plan does nothing to address the state’s $6 billion backlog of unpaid bills, opting to push them into the next budget year.

Quinn’s budget plan does not rely on a higher income tax, but he surprised lawmakers by asking for a 33 percent increase during his budget address. Senator Brady said the Governor does not seem understand the lack of public and legislative support for an increase.

“This is just another ‘kick the can down the road’ budget – tax, borrow and spend. The Governor is not doing anything to bring jobs back to Illinois. We have to focus on what we can do to create interest in business investment in Illinois, creating jobs for Illinois families,” Senator Brady said. “In the Governor’s first 12 months in office, under his leadership, we lost 250,000 jobs – more than 650 jobs per day. It is hard to encourage businesses to invest in a state that is going to increase taxes by 33 percent, more than $3 billion, in a state that is just going to continue to borrow and dig a deeper hole, in a state that is going to have a record deficit.”

The 44th District Senator says strong job growth – not huge tax increases – is a better way to address budget woes. Illinois currently ranks 47th in the nation in job growth, and has its highest unemployment rate since 1984. Systemic changes to Illinois government are also needed to control spending: modernizing the state’s pension systems, and reforming the Medicaid program by implementing a managed care system that will improve access and care for clients.

“It amazes me. If you keep doing the same thing, you are going to get the same results. First, it was the Blagojevich-Quinn Administration. Now it’s the Quinn Administration. It’s the same old thing, year in, year out, digging a deeper hole,” Senator Brady said. “If we are going to want to have real reform, we have got to have a clean break from the politics of the past. We have to reform Illinois spending. We have to reform our Medicaid system. We have to reform our pension systems. We have to roll up our sleeves and live within our means like families and businesses have done throughout the state.”

The Senator says legislative leaders must also address the state’s staggering debt, instead of adding to it year after year. The state’s current bond and pension debt of $104 billion – the second highest in the nation – translates into $8,300 for every man, woman and child. With Quinn’s proposed $8.8 billion in borrowing for Fiscal Year 2011, the total debt climbs to $113 billion – or $8,800 for every person in Illinois.

The Governor’s budget proposal is the first step in a long negotiation process, and Senator Brady says he looks forward to working with his fellow lawmakers to craft a fiscal plan that reflects the spending priorities of 44th District citizens.

“Illinois is a great state, with great opportunities. The Governor wants to make it look like we are bankrupt. The fact of the matter is he is spending beyond our means, but we still have a lot of resources – tens of billions of dollars of resources we can invest in educating our children, invest in    our infrastructure and transportation system, invest in our healthcare, invest in public safety,” Senator Brady said. “But if you continue doing the same thing day in and day out, you are going to get the same result. We have got to have a clean break from that mentality and provide a government that works for the people not the politicians.”