Yingling: All Sides Need to Negotiate Better Budget Deal

GRAYSLAKE, Ill. – As the clock ticks towards the end of the state’s fiscal year, state Rep. Sam Yingling, D-Grayslake, is urging lawmakers to return to the table and do the work needed to reach more fiscally responsible solutions to the state’s budget crisis and high property taxes.

“We need 71 votes to pass a budget in the House, so any budget plan needs to be bipartisan,” said Yingling. “I am calling on the governor to come back to the table and negotiate with Democrats on a fair and balanced budget that must include substantial property tax relief, not a plan that would pile on more taxes.”

During the past session, Yingling introduced and sponsored a number of pieces of bipartisan legislation, including Senate Bill 3 – a piece of bipartisan legislation that recently passed both the House and Senate that would allow citizens to dissolve wasteful township governments at the ballot box and House Bill 156, a bipartisan property tax cut that would most benefit seniors, veterans and people with disabilities.

Yingling also expressed concern that the Senate’s plan does not appropriate adequate early childhood education funds to meet federal guidelines, failing to properly fund critical services necessary to helping children achieve their full potential. Additionally, the Senate’s proposal contains only a portion of the funding needed to sustain MAP grants, which help 130,000 Illinois students attend college.

“We need a budget that’s honest with taxpayers, and the governor needs to come back to the table and negotiate so we can come to an agreement on a bipartisan budget,” Yingling continued. “Taxpayers don’t deserve more short-term thinking and budget gimmicks. It’s time to be honest with taxpayers, and it’s time for all sides to sincerely work in good faith.”