Think tank produces alternative Ill. budget

SPRINGFIELD — An Illinois think tank is trying to build support for deep spending cuts by releasing an alternative to Gov. Pat Quinn's budget proposal.

The Illinois Policy Institute says its version of the budget would spend about $21.1 billion, compared to $26.9 billion for Quinn's plan. It would slash employee salaries, cut education spending and end many programs.

But the institute acknowledges big parts of its proposal couldn't actually be put in place right away, even if state officials wanted to.

Cutting employee benefits, for instance, would require negotiating a deal with unions. And a complicated Medicaid overhaul would have to be done slowly.

Institute CEO John Tillman says the goal is to get ideas on the table for future budget talks.