Metro East Sun

Metro East's Mike Babcock, the Republican contender for the District 111 state House seat, recently took to social media to express his appreciation for military veterans and their service.

He spoke of the importance of prioritizing veterans' needs and balancing the budget.

"I’m inspired everyday by the people who live in our district, especially those who bravely protect our freedom to live here," Babcock said. "I am a strong advocate for our military personnel. Those who have served our country deserve for their community to serve them. This can only be done right by balancing our budget and prioritizing the needs of our veterans. In office, my priority is to pass a balanced budget."

Illinois still faces budget woes, despite the temporary "stopgap" budget passed in late June. The six-month budget funded education and essential services, including critical human services and veterans' care. The temporary budget was negotiated after the General Assembly failed to pass a balanced budget in late May, leaving the state without a budget for the second year in a row.

Illinois hasn't had a balanced budget since 2001. The budget is severely out-of-balance, in part because of increasing pension costs. Funding pensions consumes approximately 25 percent of the state's general fund.

A temporary income tax hike was implemented in 2011. Although the increase resulted in an additional $31.6 billion in revenue, the unpaid backlog of bills only decreased by $1.5 billion. The tax increase expired in January 2015, despite discussion by legislators to make it permanent.

The current budget impasse was triggered in 2015, when Gov. Bruce Rauner took office. He proposed structural changes that would allow cost-cutting measures and workers' compensation and pension reforms. House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) did not agree with the governor's proposals.

On June 25, 2015, after Rauner vetoed 19 of the 20 budget bills passed by the General Assembly, the state was left with only an education funding bill for the FY 2016 budget. The governor cited the $4 billion deficit as the reason for the vetoes. The legislature was unable to overturn the governor's vetoes, leaving the state without a full budget.

The state budget remained stalemated through 2015. Rauner remained committed to his "Turnaround Agenda" and Madigan refused to negotiate.

When it was time to put the FY 2017 budget before the legislature, Madigan presented SB 2048, a 500-page budget bill, to the House in an all-or-nothing effort. The budget passed the House, despite the $7 billion deficit. It failed in the Senate, leaving the state without a budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

While Madigan promised that the legislators would meet weekly to hammer out a new budget, the workshops were cancelled every week until late June. The legislature met and negotiated the stopgap budget. It was passed by the General Assembly and signed by Rauner.

The stopgap budget did not address the entire budget. The legislature will have to negotiate a full budget when it reconvenes after the November election.

Babcock's campaign platform has made a balanced budget a primary goal. During his seven years as a Wood River Township supervisor, he ran a budget surplus without requiring tax increases. He plans to take that experience to Springfield and work with his colleagues in the House to ensure that the state stops spending money it doesn't have.

Babcock finished his Facebook post with a statement regarding a balanced budget and his opponent, state Rep. Daniel Beiser (D-Alton), who voted in favor of SB 2048.

"This is unlike my opponent, who has been in office for 12 years and has not passed a single balanced budget, but rather voted for agendas that are billions of dollars over-budget and expected YOU to make up the difference in taxation. You can trust that I won't expect you to make up for the shortfalls and selfishness of career politicians."