Sandack previews State of the State

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Updated: January 28, 2012 2:48PM

In anticipation of Gov. Pat Quinn’s State of the State address on Wednesday, state Sen. Ron Sandack (R-21st) said he hopes the governor will propose actions that will right Illinois’ budget wrongs.

In addition to hearing a sensible plan for major pension reform, Sandack said, he hopes the governor will outline ways to reduce the out-of-control spending in Illinois.

“There are many areas the state can recognize immediately that will bring significant savings and put Illinois on the road to solvency,” Sandack said. “For instance, we can reduce some of Illinois’ units of government through consolidations, and even eliminations.

“We can also focus on Medicaid savings opportunities by addressing eligibility issues. Medicaid reform alone could save the state hundreds of millions of dollars.”

With Illinois now ranked as the state with the worst credit rating in the nation, Sandack looks forward to hearing what the governor plans to do about the fiscal mess in Illinois. Sandack noted he was particularly eager to learn how the governor plans to meet his pledge to allow the 67 percent tax increase to expire as scheduled.

“We’ve seen many news reports that show Illinois’ finances continue to deteriorate, even as our obligations increase,” Sandack said. “I’m interested in how Governor Quinn plans to balance the budget, and how he proposes to cut spending in order to avoid the $800 million deficit his own budget office predicts for 2015.”

Sandack stressed that many tough, but sensible, solutions have already been outlined in the Senate Republican “Reality Check” budget plan, which was released in March.

The plan proposed to reform state systems and programs, reduce spending immediately, stop borrowing, cap spending growth, and place a moratorium on new programs in an effort to not only roll back the tax increase, but to eliminate the budget deficit.

“It is my sincere hope that the governor has taken a long, hard look at the plan Senate Republicans presented and will make many of the same proposals on (Wednesday),” Sandack said. “These steps would be difficult, but they are necessary in order for Illinois to continue to properly operate in the capacities that it should.”