Lindsay Parkhurst, Republican candidate for the Illinois House, recently called out Rep. Kate Cloonen (D-Dist. 79), her incumbent opponent, for failing to pass a balanced state budget -- and reminded her that a balanced budget is constitutionally mandated.
The House, led by Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Dist. 22), late in the past legislative session passed a budget that was more than $7 billion in the red to the Illinois Senate, where it was defeated on May 31, the last day of the spring legislative session.
The Senate, in turn, presented an education budget to the House to ensure that schools would be funded and be able to open in the fall. That bill was voted down by the House on the last day of the legislative session, leaving Illinois schools unfunded and the state's fiscal future in complete disarray.
Although General Assembly leaders and Gov. Bruce Ruaner came together to pass temporary funding, Parkhurst pointed out that other long-term budget solutions were turned down by Cloonen and other Madigan allies.
“It is disappointing that Kate Cloonen would leave Springfield without passing a balanced budget,” Parkhurst said. “Failing to do so puts our schools, prisons and social service providers at risk. By voting for Madigan’s phony budget that spends over $7 billion more than the state takes in, Cloonen made it clear that she supports a massive, job-crushing $1,000 tax hike on every Illinois family. Illinois can’t afford Kate Cloonen’s and Mike Madigan’s business as usual approach to state government.”
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