Illinois

What Are the Budget Issues Facing Illinois?

In 2009, Illinois faces a $8.0 billion budget gap representing 21.1% of the general fund.

What the Federal Stimulus Proposal Will Mean for Children in Illinois

The economic stimulus recently passed by the United States Congress and signed into law by the Obama Administration will provide significant investment in the health, education, and safety of America’s children over the next two years. It also provides significant support to their parents and grandparents. Highlights include:

• $2,900,000,000 in relief for Illinois’s Medicaid costs. Medicaid provides health care coverage for low-income children and seniors.
• $1,681,100,000 in relief to the state of Illinois to prevent cuts to programs for school-aged children.
• $531,300,000 for the Title I academic achievement of the disadvantaged program.
• $514,200,000 services to children with disabilities in Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) funding.
• $104,000,000 for other education programs in Illinois’s schools.
• $890,000,000 in food stamps for 1,371,000 Illinois men, women, and children.
• $71,500,000 in emergency shelter grants for 14,000 households.
• 579,000 Illinois children will benefit from the child tax credit provisions of the legislation.
• $73,772,628 in Emergency Child Care and Development Block Grant funds to provide child care to 15,990 Illinois children.
• An increase in unemployment benefits to 823,096 Illinois families.
• $21,000,000 in additional child support enforcement matching funds.
• $62,800,000 in youth training employment services.

How Have Illinois’s Senators Have Voted on Important Children’s Legislation in 2009?

Richard Durbin (D)

Roland Burris (D)

Sources: State Budget Information, Stimulus Information