State hopes to balance budget through cuts, not higher taxes By John Patterson Daily Herald State Government Editor

Posted on April 12, 2002

George Ryan

SPRINGFIELD - Nearly 4,500 inmates sent to prison for non-violent drug crimes would be set free early to save the state money under the latest budget-cutting move offered by Gov. George Ryan.

The proposal comes as the state's political leaders chose Thursday to forgo all talk of higher taxes, at least for now, and begin crafting a state budget balanced solely on layoffs and program cuts.

Exactly where the layoffs and cuts will come from is not yet known, but they will be substantial. All told, the state faces more than a $1 billion deficit.

"They're going to send everyone in to see if they can cut their way out of this problem," Ryan said of the legislative leaders. "I doubt that they can."

Another $900 million needs to be cut from the $52.8 billion budget plan Ryan unveiled in February. And that doesn't account for the $250 million the state will lose because of recent federal tax cuts.

House and Senate budget negotiators continued to meet behind closed doors Thursday night in an effort to come up with the details of the budget. However, the final budget plan is traditionally one of the last things lawmakers vote on before ending their spring session in May. Lawmakers are scheduled to adjourn on May 17, but budget problems are expected to carry the session through May 31.

Without more money from somewhere, Ryan said the inmates - all within seven months of release - would be set free, more prisons and mental health centers would close, and thousands of additional state workers would lose their jobs.

But in an election year, lawmakers shun tax increases.

"I would say that nobody is for raising taxes. Everybody wants to cut," said state Senate President James "Pate" Philip, a Wood Dale Republican.

News of the impending cuts was not well received by many suburban lawmakers.

"By throwing this out in this particular way, what you're doing is starting a free-for-all, with people coming to protect their own areas," said state Rep. Rosemary Mulligan, a Des Plaines Republican. "My fax machine in my office never stops. I can't use it because people are constantly faxing because they're concerned about these cuts."

Letting inmates out of prison early, cutting health care for the poor and even reducing education funding are hardly politically popular moves. The coming decision for lawmakers is whether tax increases are more politically palatable than deep cuts and layoffs.

Some said it was a mistake for legislative leaders to rule out any thought of raising more money. In recent weeks, lawmakers have pushed tax hikes on cigarettes and riverboat casino profits. More recently, there's been increased talk of raising income taxes.

"I'm not in favor of solving it all through cuts," said state Rep. Kathleen Wojcik, a Schaumburg Republican. "I think we really have to look at the education factor, especially in the suburban areas. I mean, we stand to lose $1 million in our area alone."

State Rep. Susan Garrett, a Lake Forest Democrat, said it's simply unfair to continue cutting programs for the disabled and disadvantaged.

"Am I in favor of adding a 75-cent per pack cigarette tax? No. But I think there are ways we can make it much more fair," she said.

However, the budget-cutting plan drew praise elsewhere.

"Certainly we all want to take care of human services and areas like that, because there are people who have great needs. But if we can do these cuts where people aren't hurt personally, maybe we can survive," said state Rep. Tom Cross, an Oswego Republican.

And state Rep. Terry Parke, a Hoffman Estates Republican, said the worst thing the state could do is raise taxes.

"I have sympathy for the people who count on the state for services and the pain these cuts are going to bring to them," Parke said. "I'm sure we're going to try and make it as minimal of an impact as possible. But until I understand exactly what they (cuts) are I can't second guess it."

Tax: Some don't favor cuts