SPRINGFIELD – On Tuesday, the Senate Higher Education Committee heard testimony on the governor’s budget proposal for the next fiscal year. The testimony showed that higher education has been irreparably damaged because of the budget impasse.

“Universities and community colleges have been cut to the bone because of the games being played in Springfield,” State Senator Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago) said. “Yet the governor blocked the so-called grand bargain legislation that would have paved a path for a balanced budget.”

When asked what universities could afford to cut, many universities said there is nothing left. If the governor’s proposal for fiscal year 2018 is realized, state universities will have seen a 42 percent cut to their funding since 2015, when the governor took office.

“We need a budget that properly funds higher education so that we can start to repair the damage done by the governor’s failure to propose a balanced budget,” Cunningham said.

Stories pop up every day all across Illinois about the effects of the budget impasse. Those stories range from facility closures to students who may be on the hook for thousands of dollars for their education. One story in the 18th District shows that the developmentally disabled are especially at risk during the budget impasse.

“Sertoma Centre is just one example of the crisis that the state is facing,” Senator Bill Cunningham said. “We need real governing to ensure that we can end this fiscal crisis that is doing real harm to our community.”

Sertoma Centre has been open in the Alsip area since 1971. The group was created to provide opportunities that empower individuals with disabilities to achieve success. The group serves over 200 people and has three facilities throughout the south suburbs. In the 1990s, Sertoma opened its first Community Integrated Living Arrangement (CILA) home.

Unfortunately, the budget impasse has hit Sertoma Centre hard. The Centre is primarily funded through Medicaid. But due to the budget impasse, delays in payment have meant a financial crisis for the community service center.

“All our services are dependent on state funding with the exception of our school transition program, which is funded through local school districts,” said Gus van den Brink, the executive director of Sertoma Centre.

The agency though has seen declining reimbursement rates for the services they provide. It could only be a matter of weeks before the facility has to start laying off staff due to the budget crunch they face.

SPRINGFIELD – On Tuesday, the Illinois Senate pushed through legislation that would finish funding state services through the end of the current fiscal year. The legislative package included legislation that would send promised MAP grant money to students for the current fiscal year.

“The state of Illinois committed to assisting students in bettering themselves by attending a university or community colleges,” Cunningham said. “We need to send the money we promised these students so that they aren’t left hanging with the bill.”

The legislation also would fund critical human service programs who saw what little funding was available from the stopgap proposal end on December 31.

“Groups like Sertoma, Park Lawn and Sandbox Learning Center have gone for far too long with no certainty that funding is coming,” Cunningham said. “Today, we were able to give them some hope by starting to pass this compromise.”

CHICAGO – The story of a young Ian Piet and his family recently has caused two Illinois legislators to join his fight against lung cancer. State Senator Bill Cunningham and Representative Kelly Burke have signed up to Hustle Up the Hancock held by the Respiratory Health Association on February 26, 2017.

“I met Ian at the State Capitol and listened to his story about how his dad struggled with lung cancer,” Cunningham said. “When he asked if I could join his team to find a cure for respiratory diseases like lung cancer I was ready.”

Tinley Park resident Piet lost his father to lung cancer in 2015, motivating him and his mother, Holli, to become advocates for a cure for lung cancer and other respiratory diseases. Ian worked with Senator Michael E. Hastings to declare November 2016 Lung Cancer Awareness Month.

“I am excited to join the thousands of other climbers to raise money for this fantastic cause,” Burke said. “We can all do our part to defeat lung cancer by raising money to invest in research and promote healthy living.”  

Senator Cunningham and Representative Burke will join Senator Hastings and Ian in their 94-story climb up the John Hancock Building to raise awareness and funds to find a cure for lung cancer.