Rep. Sente adds teeth to budget reform law

Vernon Hills, IL – State Rep. Carol Sente (D-Vernon Hills) passed an amended version of Senate Bill 3383 on Friday to continue her efforts to promote accountability in state government. The new measure will codify in statute common sense budget policies that most businesses and households live by.

“The budget process in our state has been broken for years, and after I saw how bad it is during my first budget negotiations last year that I started working on reforms to establish performance based budgeting,” Sente said. “Families and businesses have to live in the real-world when their income goes down, and its time state government joins them and shows taxpayers that we can be responsible with their money.”

As amended, Senate Bill 3383 will require the state to limit spending to current revenue projections for the year, and require the state to pay for essential government functions, including pension payments and debt service, before appropriating spending to other programs. Additionally, the measure will require all state grants to undergo public evaluation every five years to determine whether they should be continued, and labor agreements will be limited to the fiscal years beginning during the term of the executive officer negotiating them. After months of meetings and negotiations with legislative leaders, the governor's office, advocacy organizations and budgeting experts, Sente's measure reached consensus to pass in the final days of the 96th General Assembly.

“Bringing the leaders of our state together on anything, let alone solving a $15 billion budget hole, is next to impossible in Springfield, but we finally did this,” Sente said. “I am grateful for the Speaker's support in letting me introduce these reforms and hope the Governor will act quickly to accept these changes so we can start the year on the right foot financially.”

Sente represents the 59th District, which includes portions of 22 communities in Central Lake and Northern Cook Counties, including Buffalo Grove, Great Lakes, Green Oaks, Gurnee, Indian Creek, Knollwood, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Libertyville, Lincolnshire, Long Grove, Mettawa, Mundelein, North Chicago, Northbrook, Park City, Prairie View, Riverwoods, Unincorporated Deerfield, Vernon Hills, Waukegan and Wheeling. For more information, please contact Sente at her full-time constituent service office at (847) 478-9909.