Even as state lawmakers and Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner announced a stopgap budget that would at least carry various services and operations through the rest of the calendar year, hundreds of protestors gathered June 30 in front of the James R. Thompson Center to call attention to the need for a sensible state budget-negotiating process in Illinois.
Numerous social services and schools were threatened by Springfield's inability to produce a balanced budget. Reggie Griffin of Jane Addams Senior Caucus said he was "outraged that the government is considering a stop gap budget that is only good through the first of next year. ... This is not how government is supposed to work."
Rachel Williams of BYP 100 decried the lack of funding for schools and jobs, adding, "We are going to keep going until this state and this city understand that we can fight back."
Among those taking part were individuals from AIDS Foundation of Chicago, One Northside and Chicago Teacher's Union. Former Gov. Pat Quinn also attended.
A number of protesters stayed inside the Thompson Center, saying that they would "shut it down." When they finally emerged, the outside protesters cheered loudly.
After several speeches, the protesters marched down Clark Street to Chase Bank. The bank is among many large financial institutions to which the state must pay millions in fees thanks to complex interest rate swaps.
"Chase Bank has the money that belongs to our community," said Amisha Patel of Grassroots Collaborative.
The June 30 stopgap budget deal, which Rauner signed that evening, provides a year's worth of funding for PreK-12 education and road construction, but only about six months' funding for other state services and resources.
"We remain far short of what is needed for full operations and we will need to address our revenue short-fall before the end of the first six months of this fiscal year," said state Rep. Kelly Cassidy in a statement. "Agencies that have gone without payments or contracts while providing services should expect to begin receiving payments under this plan. …While today's actions represent real progress, my wish would have been for us to have passed a full budget with sufficient revenues to operate for a full year. I will continue to advocate for a truly responsible solution to restore stability and fiscal health to the State."
State Rep. Ann Williams said in a statement, "This is not a complete budget nor a solution to Illinois' ongoing fiscal challenges. It addresses only the most basic needs of the State and only takes us through the end of this year. Though not a cause for celebration, I believe it is an important step forward for Illinois and an example of the compromise that has been in short supply in Springfield over the past year."
