CHICAGO (AP) — Gov. Pat Quinn announced Thursday
that he'll try to close seven state institutions and lay off more than 1,900
employees in an effort to live within the reduced budget approved by the
Illinois Legislature, and he challenged lawmakers not to "run away"
from the impact of their decisions.
Quinn said he is taking steps to close a prison in
Lincoln, a youth prison in Murphysboro and facilities for the mentally ill and
disabled in Rockford, Jacksonville, Tinley Park, Dixon and Chester. Those
closures, along with cuts elsewhere in government, will eliminate 1,938 jobs,
he said.
The layoffs and closures violate a deal Quinn
negotiated with a key state union in exchange for other concessions. The
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees says that
agreement has the force of law, and the union is likely to sue to enforce it.
Quinn said the cuts would save $54.8 million, still
leaving a gap of at least $168 million between the spending lawmakers
authorized and what the governor says is the minimum needed to operate Illinois
government for a full year.
The Democratic governor said he has already heard
complaints from lawmakers about cutting services and he expects to hear even
more. But he said the Democrat-controlled Legislature chose to pass a budget
that's $1.5 billion less than Quinn proposed and now lawmakers must live with
the results.
Lawmakers need "a rendezvous with
reality," Quinn said.
During a 42-minute news conference, Quinn
repeatedly blamed lawmakers for the cuts. But he approved the budget that
lawmakers sent him in May, when he could have vetoed it.
Quinn said he chose to sign a budget he disliked
because if he sent it back to the Legislature, the Republican minority in the
state Senate would have had leverage to demand even more "radical"
reductions. Quinn said he didn't want to give them a chance to affect budget
decisions.
Copyright
2011 The Associated Press.
(AP
Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
