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The Arc of Illinois
June 25, 2009
Leaders in The Arc:
This morning Secretary Adams invited Execs from statewide associations to have an in depth discussion about the doomsday budget and other scenarios that are currently on the table. And there are many.
Here are some facts from the Secretary that I think you can use in your advocacy for disability and human services. In the "doomsday" 50% budget:
- 1 million infants, children and adults are about to lose services
- Within the Division of Developmental Disabilities there will be 30,000 individuals losing community services. Right now we serve 40,000!
- 200,000 jobs in the not for profit community will be lost
- 10,000 state jobs will be eliminated
- 4 developmental disability state institutions will close, leaving 5 still open
Clearly lives will be destroyed with this budget, and the 30 years of building a human services safety network will be wiped out. What we are seeing is that the entire community based system is also about to be dismantled.
Portraying the doomsday budget as a 50% budget is really inaccurate. In fact it is fantasy. All of us know that none of these cuts can be implemented as early as July 1st. There are federal and state laws and regulations, consent decrees and other factors that will postpone the Governor's anticipated cuts. Because of these delays, the cuts will be even worse. Every month that the cuts are not implemented, the larger the cuts become in future months. So when we talk about 30-50% cuts, we could be talking in reality of 40-80% cuts. This is not an acceptable scenario.
More bad news; under this scenario, on October 1st day training will end for people who are not in a residential program, and people in home-based services will lose their funding. In fact, we will be forced to pull out of the Home & Community Based Waiver! Certification of all community and state residential options will be withdrawn. This means no federal protections such as due process rights and other requirements under the waiver. We will lose the federal 50% Medicaid match. Our system will be reduced to providing only state operated institutions and community residential options that are similar to what existed 40 years ago! Sheets and eats!
Legislators are now meeting and trying to craft a state "band aid" budget for a short-term solution, the coward's way out to not take a vote on a tax increase. My fear is that any "band aid" solution that comes up in the next four working days will appease the state employee unions and other powerful lobbyists that know how to work the system. Other groups will be left out in the cold to fend for themselves with heinous budget cuts.
My message today to Governor Quinn through Secretary Adams and to the advocates within the room was that we need to support all human services. We need to restore all the cuts to human services. We need a long-term solution to this budget crisis, not the "band aid" short-term solution that legislators are now discussing. If a one-month or a three-month temporary bridge budget gets us to a long-term solution, then we need the Governor and legislators to accept the bridge budget to protect the human service safety network in Illinois.
Our state policy has been to segregate people with disabilities from the world, placing them in institutions. We are known for this throughout the nation and see it in every report on the developmental disability system. I can't help but wonder what our system would be like today if we truly included infants, children and adults in every aspect of community life. Would we be facing this crisis if we valued people with disabilities and all of the families who rely upon human services? Would there be a public outrage? Truly we are not a priority among our elected officials. This crisis, I believe, will pull us together so that we will never again be in this situation of being used as pawns in this disgrace we call Illinois politics.
Here are some talking points that you can use as you talk with your legislators:
- The "Doomsday" Budget is inhuman and unacceptable!
- We will no longer be used as pawns. We want real reform.
- Fund ALL human services at 100% of FY 2009 levels.
- Pass tax increases to ensure a stable and adequate stream of funding for vital human services and education.
- Pass a line-item budget so we know where the money is going.
We still have four days to avoid these budget cuts. I know you have done so much in these past weeks. We just need to push even harder in these next four days.
I know we can do it. I am counting on you!
Share this to get the word out.
Tony Paulauski
Executive Director
The Arc of Illinois
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