Lawmakers in a joint Illinois Senate committee heard how worst case scenario budget cuts would impact some state agencies.
That worse case scenario is a 20-percent across the board cut for each agency. Ben Winick, from the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, sums up what that would mean for education.
“If community colleges across the state are reduced by 20-percent, if K through 12 education is reduced by 20-percent, units of government will have no choice but to increase property taxes,” said Winick.
And Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice Director Candice Jones spells it out for her agency.
“You would be mandating that I lay off 263 staff,” said Jones.
Republicans on the Senate committee claim the outlook isn’t that bad but Democrats countered the numbers are real.
Governor Pat Quinn will make his budget address on March 26th. Lawmakers have until midnight on May 31st to pass a budget.