By Gary Barlow

Staff writer

Ill. state Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) praised the state budget passed by the Illinois House and Senate late last week, pointing to money for AIDS prevention, mental health programs, electric rate relief and education as positive developments for Illinoisans.

“I feel that this budget will serve the people of Chicago well,” Harris said. “Sometimes it felt like we would be in Springfield forever. The extra time here provided us the opportunity to craft a strong budget.”

The Legislature passed the budget after five months of often-difficult negotiations and more than two months of special sessions. Harris, the state’s only openly gay legislator, said he worked to ensure that money for expanded HIV testing was included. The budget includes more than $400,000 for HIV/AIDS prevention.

Harris said the $59.5-billion budget also includes increased funding for community mental health programs, supportive housing, pre-school education, expansion of services to keep seniors in their own homes and new environmental initiatives. It increases funding for education by almost $600 million, bringing total public education funding to a record $10.5 billion.

Harris also noted that it doesn’t include any increases in the state’s sales or income taxes.

“This has been a long and demanding overtime session, but the end results have made it completely worth it,” Harris said. “We have found ways to improve the community without making local residents foot the bill.”

Harris also touted other legislation passed by the House and Senate last week to extend and increase the existing 7-percent property tax cap for homeowners and to provide electric rate relief to ComEd and Ameren customers.

The budget was passed despite the failure of legislators’ attempts to secure the support of Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D). The governor has been at odds with a majority of legislators this year after unveiling a budget that called for a new $7.6-billion tax on businesses. The tax increase would go largely toward funding a plan to provide private health insurance for most Illinoisans.

But Blagojevich did little to prepare and educate legislators or the public on the issue and it generated almost no support in the General Assembly. House members voted 107-0 against the tax plan in early May.

After that, relations between the governor and legislators went downhill. Finally, without the governor’s help, House and Senate leaders negotiated last week’s budget plan and passed it by veto-proof margins.

Blagojevich has not yet said if he’ll sign it, and he could sit on it for 60 days and do nothing, which could lead to a shutdown of some state government services and delays in state payments to local governments.

Harris urged the governor to not take that course.

“Extremely important pieces of legislation now sit on the governor’s desk,” Harris said. “I strongly urge the governor to sign these vitally important bills. The people of Chicago deserve a one-year budget and much-needed electric rate and property tax relief immediately. There is no time or excuse for inactivity.”