Responsible Budget Coalition releases report on the ‘State of Our State’

Families across Illinois say the ‘State of Our State’ is weak due to failure to pass a responsible budget

From one end of the state to the other, families and providers called on the Governor and lawmakers to put a budget first that chooses revenue over cuts to families and communities

The unanimous opinion of providers and families at Tuesday press conferences in Chicago, Springfield, Rockford and Carbondale is that the “State of Our State” is weak.

Press conferences took place a day before the governor’s annual State of the State address, scheduled for noon Wednesday.

Participants told stories of homeless veterans losing transportation assistance, hard-working college students being forced to drop out of school, youth losing after school services, sexual assault agencies cutting hours, and other stories of families losing the ability to achieve the American Dream. 

They were bolstered by a new report from the Responsible Budget Coalition entitled: “State of Our State: Failure to Invest in Families and Communities Is Weakening Illinois.”

They called on the Governor and lawmakers to put a budget first that chooses revenue over cuts to the public health emergency response network, parental coaching, mental health and substance abuse services, childcare, and job training and counseling for at-risk youth.

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Chicago Coalition for the Homeless is a leader in the Responsible Budget Coalition (RBC), a large and diverse coalition of more than 275 organizations concerned about state budget and tax issues. It includes organizations that serve children, families, veterans, seniors and people with disabilities; education groups concerned about early learning, K-12 and higher education; labor unions; faith-based and civic organizations; immigrant and refugee families; and many others.

The RBC is a non-partisan, trusted source of information on state budget and tax policy and a leader in the fight to pass a budget that chooses revenue over cuts to vital services.

The individual organizations that belong to the RBC represent a diverse range of interests but are united by these three common principles:

• Adequate revenue to support state priorities and make smart investments
• No more cuts to vital programs and services
• Fairness in raising revenue