Senate and House Republican lawmakers came together this week to reiterate their call for a long-term budget solution for the people of Illinois. The legislators noted that a real budget plan incorporating commonsense reforms will improve Illinois’ economy and provide financial stability.  Those commonsense reforms include a property tax freeze, spending reform and caps, job creation, term limits, fair maps and pension reform.

Senate Republicans also noted that there are proposals currently in the Senate that provide new ideas and solutions that would address the state’s budget impasse.  These proposals demonstrate the importance of new thinking and new approaches to the way state government operates, and further show that the old way of governing is no longer viable, nor feasible. 

The forward-looking approach offered by Republican legislators to solving the state’s budget impasse stood in stark contrast to the House Democrats, who returned to their old playbook by putting forth another stopgap budget.  Another stopgap budget doesn’t provide any real structural changes to end the current fiscal mess, and it demonstrates an unwillingness to come together, in a bipartisan manner, and work toward a long-term solution.  It’s also worth noting that when the General Assembly passed a stopgap budget last summer, it was done in a bipartisan manner and with the understanding that a full-year budget would be developed.