The solution to Illinois` growing fiscal crisis will require either increased revenues or spending cuts-or some combination of the two.
State revenues could be increased by raising Illinois` current ”flat”
rate income tax of 3 percent to a higher percentage or by changing to a graduated income tax system (similar to the federal income tax).
Other possibilities include broadening the tax base (some states tax pension income, for example) or cutting existing exemptions (the property tax credit, for example).
Some people argue, however, that the state`s tax burden is already high and that budget cuts are needed to bring spending in line with state resources.
Determining the appropriate level of funding for the many services citizens expect of state government has always been tough; the growing gap between available revenues and the demand for funds is making this job even tougher.
Public aid benefits for low income-families, including food stamps, are well below the Illinois poverty line. General assistance benefits are no longer available to single adults deemed employable, and an ”earnfare”
program designed to provide part-time jobs for six months for this population has received only limited funding.
Business incentives (loans, contracts, tax breaks) could help stimulate the economy and create jobs. Increased funding for job training, education, and support services such as child care and transportation could help welfare recipients gain the skills needed to find and hold jobs.
Early intervention services that can reduce or eliminate developmental delays in children under age 3 could save thousands of dollars per child later in special education costs. Of the 56,000 such children at risk in Illinois, only 8,000 now receive these services.
Community-based programs for the mentally ill reach only a fraction of this population, contributing to the growing numbers of homeless and a high incidence of rehospitalization.
The state`s budget crunch has delayed the opening of Illinois` newest prison despite severe overcrowding in other facilities. And little funding is available for probation services that provide community supervision of nonviolent offenders (at a cost of $2,250/year compared to the $16,000 required to house a prisoner/year).
School funding
Local property taxes are the primary source of funds for public education in Illinois.
Last year the state provided only 35 percent of school funding, down from a high of 48 percent in 1975.
Because property wealth varies greatly between communities, the heavy reliance on local taxes to finance schools has resulted in wide variations in per-pupil spending between districts.
There are a number of ways in which this disparity could be reduced.
Some portion of the property tax could be collected by the state, for example, and redistributed to achieve greater equity. A regional income tax could provide revenue for schools and be used to offset property taxes.
Other proposals that could affect school finances include eliminating programs that the state requires but has not fully funded, making state-funded vouchers available to parents to help pay for private school tuition for their child(ren), and increasing state spending for schools.
Social issues
Government is often asked to provide-or require others to provide-assistance to individuals in special situations.
One proposal, for example, is to require businesses of a certain size to allow their employees to take a job-protected, unpaid leave for the birth or adoption of a child, for their own serious illness, or for the serious illness of a child, spouse, or parent.
Another proposal, a state earned income tax credit, would give a
”refund” to low-income families with a child living at home and with an earned income less than the federal earned income tax credit threshold
($20,264 in 1991).
Tight budgets have led several states recently to reduce or limit benefits for certain groups of people who previously qualified for higher assistance levels.
Among those affected in some states are new state residents and public aid recipients who have additional children.
Environment and natural resources
Concern about the health of our environment is giving rise to calls for new government rules and regulations.
At the same time, these proposals raise questions about how much such measures may increase the cost of doing business-and which level of government should have the final say.
One area of concern is the amount of waste we produce and how we get rid of it. Of the 14.6 million tons of solid waste we throw away in Illinois each year, only 11 percent is recycled. Some 86 percent is sent to landfills and the rest is either incinerated or composted.
Local governments in Illinois are already working under state mandate to use recycling to reduce by 25 percent the amount of waste sent to landfills and incinerators. Some people believe higher recycling goals are needed.
The current shortage of markets for recycled materials, however, is one obstacle to expanded recycling programs.
Health concerns are leading some to call for stricter regulations of the use of pesticides-for schools, for lawns, and for mosquito control. Others cite the need for greater protection of our groundwater, which is the source of drinking water for half the population of Illinois. Wetlands and the siting of waste disposal facilities have both been the subject of recent debate.
Those advocating increased protection of wetlands are in conflict with those concerned about the right of property owners to farm or develop their land as they wish.
And plans to site a new landfill or incinerator almost invariably are opposed by those living near the proposed site.
Health care
Public outcry about the skyrocketing costs of health care and the numbers of people who do not receive adequate care is growing.
In 1980 the total spent on health care per family was $2,000; if nothing is done to control costs, that could grow to $14,000 by the year 2000.
Almost 15 percent of the population have no health insurance (about one-third of these are workers and their dependents). Between 1983 and 1990,
”charity” cases at hospitals doubled, and 24 hospitals in Illinois closed.
Some options under consideration would expand coverage, others are aimed at controlling costs, and some would do both.
The Medicaid program (financed jointly by federal and state governments)
provides health care benefits to the poor but is currently available to only a portion of Illinois` low income population.
Assigning Medicaid patients to an HMO-type plan could improve access to routine care and help avert more costly catastrophic illnesses. This option could contain costs in the long run but may have expensive startup costs.
Providing medical school scholarships or other financial incentives to health care professionals who agree to work in underserved areas is another proposal that would improve access to care.
Insurance companies generally provide far less coverage for ”mental”
illness than for ”physical” illnesses despite the fact that mental illness is biologically based and the cost of treatment can be catastrophic. Mentally ill persons occupy more hospital beds than do patients with cancer, heart disease, and diabetes combined.
Reproductive choice
A July 1992 decision of the U.S. Supreme Court allows states to restrict or limit access to abortion to a greater degree than at any time since the 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision legalizing abortion.
Abortion is legal in Illinois, although the procedure may not be performed after fetal viability except to preserve the life or health of the woman.
Restrictions on teenagers` access to abortion services often take the form of parental consent and notification requirements. Some argue that parents should be involved in health matters affecting their children while others counter that family relationships cannot be legislated.
By limiting funding the state has exerted some control over abortion services in Illinois.
Since 1977, the state has prohibited the use of Medicaid funds for abortions, thereby restricting poor women`s access to abortion. Only 6 percent of the funding for Illinois family planning programs comes from state sources; most comes from the federal government.
An estimated three out of four low-income women in need of family planning services are not reached.
Other
The federal Centers for Disease Control regards firearm deaths as a major public health problem.
In 1990, for example, deaths in Texas from firearms outnumbered deaths from auto accidents. Statistics such as these have led some to propose measures to restrict the possession of certain firearms and reduce the incidence of firearm accidents.
Others emphasize the recreational aspects of gun ownership and the need for firearms to protect their homes and property. In their view, banning particular firearms would be an unwarranted infringement of their individual rights.
In the absence of strict gun control laws at the state level, some municipalities in Illinois have adopted local gun control ordinances. Opponents believe that gun control regulations should be determined at the state level and that local ordinances should not be more restrictive than state law.
The public`s frustration with government and with the power of incumbency has stimulated considerable interest in limiting the number of terms officeholders may serve.
Proponents argue that term limits will replace professional politicians with citizen legislators who will be more responsive to the voters and less beholden to special interests.
Opponents believe that term limits would only increase the influence of staff and special interests because inexperienced legislators would lack necessary expertise.
Illinois` judicial election system has a number of critics who argue that it is unrealistic to expect voters to make informed choices when faced with a lengthy list of unfamiliar judicial candidates and little relevant information on which to base their decisions. They suggest instead that a selection process based on merit and qualifications would yield more highly qualified judges.
Others argue that it would not be possible to keep politics out of the merit selection process and that citizens should not give up their right to help choose members of the Illinois judiciary.
