Peoria Standard

Rep. Norine Hammond (R-Macomb) is calling for sacrifice and bipartisan cooperation to reach a budget agreement before the fiscal year begins on July 1 after the General Assembly failed to do so during its regular spring session.

“A lot can happen in a small amount of time in Springfield if we truly work on this problem together, recognizing each others’ priorities,” Hammond wrote in an opinion piece for MacombNewsNow.com. “It’s going to take hard work and a very real commitment by both sides to do so.”

Hammond highlighted the urgent needs of public schools, higher education institutions and social service providers, as well as the debt to state vendors who have not been paid. She also contended that Illinois' financial problems cannot be addressed through an increased tax revenue, which the Senate plan proposed. Hammond said the state needs sacrifice and austerity.

Rep. Norine Hammond (R-Macomb)

“…[L]et me be clear – I continue to be committed to putting aside my ideology in recognition of these challenges, but we must avoid ‘magical thinking’ if we hope to dig our way out,” Hammond wrote in her opinion piece. “Anyone who tells you this can be fixed without sacrifices is lying to you. Make no mistake- there will be sacrifices if we want the games to end. There will have to be resolve to break the bad habits that got us to this tragic condition. Stop the games, stop the politics and let’s work together to get this done.”