IL SR0680

The General Assembly and Governor have failed to enact a state budget for 23 months, causing the State to accumulate approximately $11 million in debt daily.

The budget impasse has resulted in closure of homeless shelters, defunding of domestic abuse and youth violence prevention programs, and failure to fully fund education and the Monetary Assistance Program.

Illinois has experienced credit rating downgrades nearing junk status, over 16,000 students migrating to out-of-state universities, and a historic spike in murder rates coinciding with limited economic opportunity.

African American unemployment has reached the highest rate in the nation at approximately 15%, with 44% of African American young men ages 20-24 in Illinois unemployed and out of school.

Senate urges the Governor to commit to enacting a state budget, call meetings with legislative leaders to negotiate, dedicate resources to solving the impasse, and meet daily with legislative leaders until a budget is enacted.