Democrats, Governor's Office Point Fingers As Social Service Providers Go Unpaid
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Rauner administration and Democratic lawmakers clashed at a legislative hearing Tuesday about the effect of the budget stalemate on those in need.
State Sen. Daniel Biss (D-Evanston) chaired a hearing of the Senate Human Services Committee in Chicago. He wanted to highlight the social service programs that have been drying up, because the state is unable to pay providers without a budget in place.
"There's no ambiguity about who's bearing the brunt of the consequences, and that's people who have the least voice in the political process, and who are the most vulnerable," he said.
Donovan Borvan, associate general counsel with the governor's office, said court orders have kept money flowing to several programs that help the needy or ill.
"The problem with these consent decrees, however, is that they don't go away, and that they tie the hands of the agency going forward. We have consent decrees that have been on the books since the early 80s," he said.
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But Sue Loellbach, acting executive director of Evanston-based Connections For The Homeless, told reporters many agencies like hers aren't getting any money from the state now.
"By September, most of the agencies are now starting to exhaust their reserves, and so it is at the point now where agencies will start … cutting off arms and legs – big portions of their services – if not closing down completely," she said.
State budget director Tim Nuding blamed lawmakers for limiting the governor's ability to manage the budget, claiming they could reduce the rates paid to Medicaid providers immediately, and free up money for other areas of the budget.
"We are paying at rates set by the legislature. You could change those rates in law tomorrow, when you're in Springfield, and we could pay less," he said.
Biss countered Gov. Bruce Rauner needs to work harder to forge an agreement on state spending, and not non-budget issues in his pro-business, anti-union agenda.
Service providers who attended the meeting urged lawmakers and the governor to resolve their differences, and find the money to keep helping those in need.
