Contact Information
Office of State Representative Kelly Cassidy

5533 N Broadway

Chicago IL 60640



Phone: 773-784-2002

Fax: 773-784-2060

Email: [email protected]
 
Nearly five months ago, House Leadership provided members with a survey asking for us to prioritize items that remain unfunded. I released a survey reflecting the choices, and set the rankings to reflect the responses. Since then, we have passed a handful of bills funding portions of programs but have made no progress towards a comprehensive solution. We have seen numerous non-profit organizations go under, and services for tens of thousands have ended. The unfunded line items represent hostages in this budget standoff, and they are beginning to fall. Meanwhile, in spite of making significant progress on unpaid bills since 2012, from $6.8 billion to $4.3 billion, we are now seeing that pile of bills growing to record levels, projected to reach $10-$12 billion. 


We have once again been asked to identify priorities for unfunded items, choosing 10 out of a total of 58, many of which are matters of life and death. Pitting critically needed services and programs against each other in a budgetary "hunger games" is repulsive.


There is only one rational and moral choice: getting the revenue needed to stabilize government and provide services that are fundamental to the well being of tens of thousands of Illinoisans. There is no correct order of priorities, because there are life and death consequences. Any choice but appropriate revenue is morally reprehensible and will continue to lead to suffering. 


I reject the notion that we can only prioritize a small number of these programs, and instead invite my colleagues to join me in demanding we stop talking about what essential line items to fund, and instead talk about how we are going to fund them.


The fact that we are having this discussion represents the utter lack of morality of our budget situation. Putting aside the fact that our outlined priorities may very well not be funded in the near future, the choices given are hardly choices at all. How does one decide which order to prioritize funding for sexual assault victim services or the developmentally disabled? All sides of the budget standoff agree that revenue is an absolutely necessary part of the solution. With billions of dollars in unpaid bills and the collapse of our social safety net, the harm is unacceptable. I strongly support returning the tax rate to the previous levels, and working towards a progressive income tax. Until then, we are tasked with trying to prioritize a few of the many services that impact the lives of tens of thousands in in our state.


That said, if there is to be another stopgap funding initiative in the near future, there is an opportunity to offer input.  Once again, I am asking my constituents to share their priorities, and their experiences, to help drive us towards a more comprehensive solution.  I recognize that, like me, many of you will choose to rank revenue as priorities 1-10.  For those of you specifically impacted by program cuts, please use the narrative area of the survey to share your story so that I can better illustrate the real world impact of this impasse.  I have met with and spoken to so many people either already feeling the loss of services or living in fear of losing their independence as a result of looming cuts.  Know that I will continue to push forward towards a solution that protects working families and the most vulnerable people we serve.


Due to the timeframe given by leadership, we need your responses by 3pm on Friday, February 5th.




Thank you for your input. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact my office at 773-784-2002 or [email protected].






State Representative Kelly Cassidy | 5533 N. Broadway | Chicago | IL | 60640