TINLEY PARK- As the budget negotiations in Springfield continue on, State Senator Michael Hastings (D-Tinley Park) offered the following letter to keep constituents updated:
As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I take our state budget very seriously. The State of Illinois provides essential services to the most vulnerable people in our society. Whether that is senior citizens, mentally and developmentally disabled or foster children, investing in treatments and services to these people provides a far better return on investment versus providing no services at all.
Along with my colleagues in the Illinois Senate and House of Representatives, I presented and supported an investment plan that reduced non-essential state spending and focused on investing in areas of education, social services and paying our debt obligations. Unfortunately, the governor refused to sign that budget due to his extreme agenda which has no direct relationship to the budget.
As a measure to keep our state from shutting down, I supported a temporary one month budget which would allow essential state agencies to remain open and prevent credit agencies from further downgrading our state's credit rating. More importantly, ensuring that the hard working state employees who provide services from issuing drivers licenses to caring for the sick from losing their paychecks.
I have said multiple times that I am committed to passing a budget that funds services for the most vulnerable in our population. I refuse to balance by shutting down cornerstones of our community like Governors State University or not providing services to the mentally and developmentally disabled, which the governor has proposed.
As a member of both the Senate Appropriations Committees, I have been heavily involved with deciding how the state finances should be organized and will continue to fight for a budget solution that makes Illinois fiscally sound and competitive again.
Over the next few weeks, I will be sending out more in-depth information regarding the state budget. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact my office at (708) 283-4125 or by email at
For Illinois,
Michael E. Hastings
Senator 19th District
