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Althoff welcomes Page for the Day |
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On March 10, Sen. Althoff welcomed Crystal Lake's Christopher
Vito to Springfield as her Page for the Day.
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Althoff: Governor's budget fiscally irresponsible |
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SPRINGFIELD, IL – The budget proposed today by Gov. Pat Quinn will
only serve to compound the fiscal crisis facing the State of Illinois, according to State Sen. Pamela
Althoff (R-McHenry).
Under the Governor’s proposal, Illinois would spend nearly $5 billion more
than it takes in during the upcoming Fiscal Year 2011, and borrow an additional
$9 billion.
“This could very well be the worst budget ever presented to
the General Assembly,” Althoff said. “It’s disappointing the Governor didn’t
even make an effort to balance the budget, or provide a way of repaying the borrowing.
If this budget passes, it will not only drive us deeper in to debt, it will
likely lead to a double downgrade of our state credit ratings, taking us from
the second-lowest in the nation to the level of California, which is now the
worst.”
Althoff said the Governor would be better served to start
with a budget that incorporates the litany of spending reforms and cost-savings
that have been presented to the Governor, including Medicaid managed care
reform and pension reforms – measures that could save the state billions of
dollars annually.
“Hopefully in the
coming weeks, we can have a serious dialogue with the Governor as to how to
chart a responsible fiscal path for our state,” Althoff said. “We need him to
step up to the plate and provide the necessary leadership to truly balance the
budget. These are tough times that call for tough decisions.”
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Althoff: Governor's budget fiscally irresponsible |
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SPRINGFIELD, IL – The budget proposed today by Gov. Pat Quinn will
only serve to compound the fiscal crisis facing the State of Illinois, according to State Sen. Pamela
Althoff (R-McHenry).
Under the Governor’s proposal, Illinois would spend nearly $5 billion more
than it takes in during the upcoming Fiscal Year 2011, and borrow an additional
$9 billion.
“This could very well be the worst budget ever presented to
the General Assembly,” Althoff said. “It’s disappointing the Governor didn’t
even make an effort to balance the budget, or provide a way of repaying the borrowing.
If this budget passes, it will not only drive us deeper in to debt, it will
likely lead to a double downgrade of our state credit ratings, taking us from
the second-lowest in the nation to the level of California, which is now the
worst.”
Althoff said the Governor would be better served to start
with a budget that incorporates the litany of spending reforms and cost-savings
that have been presented to the Governor, including Medicaid managed care
reform and pension reforms – measures that could save the state billions of
dollars annually.
“Hopefully in the
coming weeks, we can have a serious dialogue with the Governor as to how to
chart a responsible fiscal path for our state,” Althoff said. “We need him to
step up to the plate and provide the necessary leadership to truly balance the
budget. These are tough times that call for tough decisions.”
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Althoff helps kick off pension fairness coalition |
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Sen.
Althoff was on hand at the Illinois State Capitol on Wednesday for the
statewide kickoff of the Pension Fairness for Illinois Communities Coalition -
a bipartisan organization of state lawmakers and more than 200 communities
seeking to bring fairness to the public safety pension system in Illinois.
Across
Illinois,
soaring public safety pension costs are at a crisis level and threatening the fiscal
future of our communities. The coalition wants to relieve the burden of
escalating public safety pension costs on taxpayers and ensure sustainable
retirement benefits for public safety employees.
To
further that goal, the Senator has sponsored Senate Bill 2574, which seeks to
reform municipal public safety pensions by capping the contributions
municipalities make to police and fire pension funds.
“Nobody
disputes the hard work of firefighters and police officers in protecting the
public,” Althoff said. “However, the amount of money being directed toward
public safety pensions is unsustainable – since 1999 the cost of funding them
has doubled. Not only has this meant greater hardships for taxpayers, but
scores of municipalities are on the verge of fiscal ruin to pay for the
enhanced benefits. It’s time to reform the public safety pension system,
to protect our taxpayers and prevent Illinois
communities from financial collapse.”
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Althoff legislation moves ahead |
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While Illinois’
ongoing fiscal crisis dominates most headlines, the General Assembly is also
tackling a wide range of issues this year, from crime and public health to
environmental safety.
Several bills sponsored by Senator Althoff that address
these challenges are moving ahead through the legislative process. The safety
of the public’s water supply is the focus of another bill sponsored by the Senator
– Senate Bill 3070. Under the
measure, if carcinogenic compounds are detected in the water of a community
water system, the operators of the system must submit a plan of action to the
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.
The Senator sponsored the legislation in the wake of a water
contamination issue in Crestwood Village, in which investigators allege city
officials knowingly used a contaminated well for public water consumption,
instead of cleaning up the contamination or building new wells.
Another measure moving forward is Senate Bill 3273, which seeks to enhance education regarding the
healthcare needs of premature infants, and to reduce infant deaths associated
with prematurity. The bill would require the Department of Public Health to
publish information on its Web site about the unique health issues affecting
premature infants, proper care and preventative measures to protect premature
infants from infections and disease and community resources available to
impacted parents.
Senate Bill 2824,
approved last week by the Criminal Law Committee, prohibits sex offenders from
being in a public park or loitering within 500 feet of one. The penalty for the
first offense is up to 364 days in jail and a $2,500 fine, while repeat
offenses are subject to one to three years in prison and a fine of up to
$25,000.
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Office
Crystal Lake
1 North Virginia Street
Crystal Lake, IL, 60014
815-455-6330
815-455-8284 Fax
Springfield
M103C State Capitol
Springfield, IL 62706
217.782.8000
217.782.9586 Fax
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