Illinois General Assembly

Rep. Tracy:  Let’s Fund the Current Programs before Increasing Spending

For Immediate Release
Contact Rep. Jil Tracy
(217) 223-0833

April 16, 2008

Springfield, IL…State Representative Jil Tracy (R-Mt. Sterling) is calling on the Governor to release the $18 million promised to the U. of I. Extension program appropriated in the budget he signed late last year.  “The Governor’s logic defies me.  He has chosen to completely withhold appropriated budget funding guaranteed for important downstate programs, rather than simply ask all agencies to tighten their belts and make smaller cuts to reduce the state’s revenue shortfall,” according to Rep. Tracy.

To date, the Governor has frozen nearly $40 million that was allocated to agricultural programs this year.  “I think it is pretty obvious that the Governor feels he can ignore programs which provide vital services to downstate, in order to spend tax dollars on his pet initiatives.  The revenue was in the budget and ready to be released only a few weeks ago, but all of a sudden the Administration says it is gone.  Either these funds were spent on something entirely different or the Governor is holding them hostage in order to pressure legislators to support his agenda.  Either way he is ignoring the needs of the residents of this state and jeopardizing the future of imperative agricultural programs,” said Tracy.

The $18 million for the Extension program on top of the $8 million for Soil and Water Conservation Districts and the $4.5 million for the Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural Research are a minimal amounts compared to the new spending outlined in the Senate Democrats supplemental appropriation Blagojevich has supported.  The supplemental appropriation passed out of the Senate a few weeks ago would actually increase state spending by over $90 million.  “The Governor has thrown his support behind a proposal that increases healthcare spending by $43 million, but will not release the $26 million for SWCD’s and the Extension program which he already approved,” reiterated Rep. Tracy. 

“The State needs these important programs that have not received their funding.  The General Assembly appropriated and budgeted for these programs.  It is not for the Governor to now pick and choose arbitrarily which appropriated funds will be withheld. It’s very disheartening that our State’s top executive doesn’t understand or care about the extreme damage to our State and its citizens that will be caused if we lose these valuable long standing programs.