FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Although the legislature voted to remove former-Governor Rod Blagojevich from power, his legacy still lives on in Governor Pat Quinn's budget proposal, according to State Sen. Chris Lauzen (R-Aurora).

"I like and respect our new governor, Pat Quinn. I was hoping that the Ruling Majority had learned more than this budget indicates through the six years of fiscal mismanagement under Blagojevich," Sen. Lauzen said. "However, this proposal continues Blagojevich practices of raiding state pensions, harming employers, and leaving excessive spending firmly in place."

"Rather than cutting unnecessary and wasteful spending, this budget spends more than ever & literally $100,000,000 more than last years "good times" budget," Sen. Lauzen continued. "Rather than make it easier on taxpayers in Illinois who are struggling to survive, this budget not only contains the largest income tax increase in history (50% higher), but also raises the costs of driving and car ownership for every resident in our state. And, during a time that trust in government is at an all-time low, the architects of this budget once again raid the public pensions as a symptom of the disease of self-serving government."

The Governor's plan to increase personal and employer income taxes by 50 percent comes during an economic downturn when the people of Illinois are least able to afford any more financial strain, Sen. Lauzen said. He added that a tax increase on businesses and families will only increase the state's 7.9 percent unemployment rate and cost hard-working people their jobs. And a recent study shows some of Illinois' economic problems.

"A February 2009 non-partisan Economic and Fiscal Committee study reports that higher-income seniors are now moving their assets and residence to Florida and Arizona, small businesses are moving their jobs to Indiana and Wisconsin, while Illinois attracts more than its fair share of migrants by offering overly-generous medical, educational and other welfare benefits," Sen. Lauzen said.

Lauzen suggested that simple reforms such as moving Medicaid to managed care and requiring Medicaid patients to prove they are Illinois residents and meet income requirements could not only save taxpayer dollars, but also provide better care.

Lauzen said that he will continue to suggest reforms and efficiencies in the Blagojevich-expanded Medicaid program, which consumes $8 billion of the state's $28.4 billion General Revenue budget.

"Medicaid expansions were included in the impeachment charges against Blagojevich, and yet they remain untouched," Sen. Lauzen said. "The Medicaid system seems backwards to me. We are asking those making less than $60,000 a year to subsidize healthcare costs for those earning more than $80,000 a year. Implementation of a managed care program would save $1 billion in costs without reducing benefits."

Lauzen also said he disagreed strongly with the Governor's plan to perform a massive $3.2 billion raid on the state's pension systems, repeating Blagojevich's 2005 scheme.

"Illinois already has the worst funded pension system in the nation," Sen. Lauzen said. "A fund raid that will once again break their commitment to properly fund their promises made just two years ago."

"The people of Illinois want to see better solutions and real leadership in dealing with the budget during this financial crisis," Sen. Lauzen said. "We shouldn't rush to tax them first without first breaking away from the Blagojevich-era policies and politics."

"The proper solution to our budget problem is three fold: managed care in Medicaid for $2 billion in savings over two years, rollback just 33% of the most irresponsible $6 billion Blagojevich spending increase from the past six years for $4 billion in savings over two years, and use the Federal so-called stimulus spending over the next 20 months for $9 billion in savings."