SPRINGFIELD—State Senator Dan Kotowski (D-Park Ridge) voted for a budget that cuts wasteful spending, increases governmental accountability, and requires the members of the legislature to make significant sacrifices. —they will have to operate more like the private sector."

Under the provisions Kotowski managed to get included in the budget, state agencies must improve the way they deliver services, create and maintain measures of accomplishment and employee performance, and produce yearly reports that will be posted on publicly available websites. The measure will create greater transparency, bringing wasteful practices to light and forcing reform. The budget proposal also requires the members of the General Assembly to take 12 furlough days, sharing the sacrifices required of state employees and social service programs that rely on state grants.

"We legislators cannot ask others to sacrifice if we do not sacrifice ourselves," Kotowski said. "These days of unpaid service, plus earlier measures to reform state pensions and to prevent salary increases for General Assembly members show the public that we hold ourselves to the same standard as other state workers."

"The budget we passed today saved taxpayers money by making $2.6 billion in cuts," Kotowski said. "It also ensures that the governor has the authority to make greater cuts if they are needed to balance the budget."

The three budget bills that passed the General Assembly yesterday do everything possible to maximize the money the state has available, but they do not address the structural problems that caused the budget deficit in the first place.

"These bills are better than a shut-down of state government," Kotowski said. "However, they do not address the fact that the state cannot pay its bills on time. Even with massive cuts and thousands of layoffs, we do not have a truly balanced budget. Only finding additional revenue will truly solve the state’s budget problems."

Though they do not solve the state’s structural problems, these bills do take a few positive steps in the right direction. They establish procedures to improve the accountability and performance of state agencies and state-funded programs.

"I was able to get language included in the budget implementation bill that makes state agencies more accountable," Kotowski said. "From now on, these agencies must improve their transparency, efficiency and quality

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