Rauner Vetoes Senior Assistance Bill He Says Would Cost over $1 Billion

The veto message for House Bill 5764:

Today I return House Bill 5764, which amends the Illinois Act on Aging to establish statutory wage increases for employees providing homemaker services.

This bill provides for successive rate increases in the Illinois Department on Aging’s Community Care Program (CCP) over the next four years and requires an enhanced rate for in-home service provider agencies that offer health insurance coverage for employees.

The total projected cost to the Department on Aging of the rate increase over the four year period would be an estimated $1.1 billion.

The enhanced rate adjustment for providers that offer health insurance coverage would cost an additional $50 million over four years.

In total, this bill would more than double the costs of the entire Community Care Program over the next four years.

The monetary impact of this bill extends to the Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS), as DHS contracts with a number of vendors that employ individuals providing homemaker services. The costs to DHS would be $66.5 million over the first four years and then $23.9 million annually thereafter.

Importantly, there is no funding in House Bill 5764 to cover the more than $1 billion in additional funding that will be needed pay for this bill.

At a time of unprecedented financial difficulty in the State of Illinois, this is unaffordable piece of legislation that will create an even greater financial hole for the State and will ultimately result in cuts to—and eliminations of—other important State programs. I share your desire to support the workers and programs serving our elderly and physically disabled residents. But we must do so in a responsible way that recognizes our current fiscal reality and does not jeopardize the long term sustainability of the very programs that this legislation is intended to support.

Therefore, pursuant to Section 9(b) of Article IV of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return House Bill 5764, entitled “AN ACT concerning State government”, with the foregoing objections, vetoed in its entirety.

Here are the roll calls:

Jack Franks "took a walk," not voting on the bill.

Jack Franks “took a walk,” not voting on the bill.  Republicans representing McHenry County voted, “No.”

Senators represented McHenry County voted against the bill.

Senators represented McHenry County voted against the bill.


Comments

Rauner Vetoes Senior Assistance Bill He Says Would Cost over $1 Billion — 8 Comments

  1. The bill was only called to a vote for political purposes due to the upcoming November 8 election.

    The state bill backlog $8 Billion, the 5 state pension funds are underfunded by over $100 Billion, state retiree healthcare is underfunded by $50 Billion.

    They knew at the time they passed the bill, they didn’t have funding for the bill.

    The same Democrats that sponsored the bill could have hiked taxes if they could get all Democrat legislators to agree, since there is a super majority in the House and Senate.

    But a direct tax hike vote is too obvious for Jack Franks.

    He prefers indirect tax hike votes like hiking pension and retiree healthcare benefits, most underfunded, at a time when the pension and retiree healthcare systems were already underfunded.

    The common sense responsible vote is no then explain we don’t have the money to fund the hikes.

    But Jack Franks is political not responsible.

  2. Hey, where were you two when Little Marco and Ted Cruz and the rest of the GOP field were out campaigning and not in Washington?

    LOL

  3. We know where Jack Franks was on May 19, 2016.

    Present in the 99th General Assembly for House Bill 5764 but not voting on a tax hiking bill.

    By the way, Leslie Munger calculates as of right now by the end of the year the state unpaid bills will move from the current $8 Billion to $10 Billion.

    But the Democrats thought it was a good idea to push HB 5764 which would have created a further revenue shortfall.

  4. Leslie Munger is the state comptroller and the comptroller’s website contains the current past due bill backlog and other good financial information.

  5. The unfunded state pension liability is up to $116 Billion according to the Illinois Comptroller.

    That is the total taxpayer IOU to the following 5 state pension funds:

    – Teachers Retirement System of the State of Illinois (TRS)

    – State University Retirement System (SURS)

    – State Employee Retiree System (SERS)

    – Judicial Retirement System (JRS)

    – General Assembly Retirement System (GARS).

    That’s the amount of money that should be in the pension funds right now, but is not.

    And since the money is not in the funds, there are no investment returns on the unfunded liability funds.

    And investment returns are the largest contributor (not the employee or employer contribution) to a mature pension fund.

    If there’s less investment returns, the unfunded liability grows even more, and thus the taxpayer IOU grows even more.

    All this money going to past pension hikes and past salary hikes (which hikes pensions), means less money for other items now.

    But the Democrats thought it was a good idea to hike pay in the Illinois Department of Aging’s Community Care Program (CCP).

  6. As the home for sale signs continue to dot the landscape of
    McHenry County and Illinois, thanks to DEMOCRATS who have turned
    this state into fiscal blackhole without any hope of recovery in
    our lifetime.

  7. Honest Abe is right.

    Taxpayers are leaving this state.

    AND I don’t blame them! McHenry County is nice, but there are fewer and fewer jobs and taxes continue to skyrocket.

    Why stay?

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