SPRINGFIELD – At a major Senate budget hearing this morning, Illinois’ state agencies laid out their plans for addressing a 20 percent across the board funding cut, resulting from an anticipated multibillion dollar budget deficit next year. State Senator Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) finds the situation unacceptable.

“Our state cannot turn its back on fulfilling its basic responsibilities,” Harmon said. “Look at education alone. The State Board anticipates completely eliminating early childhood education, cutting off 90,000 children from preschool. It’s incredibly shortsighted to put an entire generation at risk to balance the state budget.”

Eliminating the Early Childhood Block grant will only get the State Board of Education one-third of the way to the nearly $1 billion budget cut it needs to stay in the black. School districts throughout the state will lose funding, as will other vital programs.

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State Senator Don Harmon reacts to the governor’s budget proposal:

“The governor’s budget address made clear that we have an important decision to make this year that will determine the path of our state for years to come.

Do we turn our backs on some of the state’s basic responsibilities, like providing a high quality education to Illinois’ children, helping low-income seniors stay in their homes, investing in transportation and other infrastructure that will help improve our economy, and making sure families have affordable child care? Or do we chart another course?

The governor laid out one possibility. There are others – like my Fair Tax plan – that I believe we need to discuss. What we can’t do is allow draconian cuts to devastate Illinois.”

“Tomar acción oportuna e informada puede hacer la diferencia entre la vida y  la muerte cuando un niño ingiere un material que puede ser venenoso. No podemos permitir que el Centro de Control de Envenenamiento cierre sus puertas”, Senador Estatal, Don Harmon.

SPRINGFIELD, IL.- El plan del Senador Estatal, Don Harmon, para mantener abierto un Centro de Control de Envenenamiento pasó su primera prueba al avanzar en un comité del Senado. El centro ha padecido recortes presupuestales por años, por lo que cerrará sus puertas el último día de junio si el gobierno de Illinois no destina más fondos.

“Tomar acción oportuna e informada puede hacer la diferencia entre la vida o la muerte cuando un niño ingiere un material que puede ser venenoso. No podemos permitir que el Centro de Control de Envenenamiento cierre sus puertas”, dijo Harmon.

El Centro de Control de Envenenamiento atiende cerca de 82,000 casos por probable envenenamiento al año.

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“Swift, informed action can be the difference between life and death when a child swallows a potential poison. We can’t let the Illinois Poison Center close its doors.” - State Senator Don Harmon

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Don Harmon’s plan to keep the Illinois Poison Center open passed its first test today when it moved out of an important Senate committee. The center has been the victim of years of repeated budget cuts, and officials expect it to close its doors for good at the end of June if Illinois government can’t find more funds.

“Swift, informed action can be the difference between life and death when a child swallows a potential poison,” said Harmon, an Oak Park Democrat. “We can’t let the Illinois Poison Center close its doors.”

The Illinois Poison Center handles nearly 82,000 cases of potential poisoning each year.

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