Franks urges special session, Around-the-Clock effort to address budget crisis

State Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo, issued the following statement Wednesday, urging Gov. Bruce Rauner to call legislators to Springfield to work around the clock to address the state’s budget crisis:

“With the dawn of the new year, Illinois will have gone more than six months without addressing the unprecedented fiscal and political crises we face. Every day, court orders require state agencies to spend money that we do not have and our public pension systems continue to operate without desperately needed reforms, adding to our already unsustainably high mountain of debt.

“Taxpayers cannot afford to have Illinois’ leaders continue to pay lip-service to this crisis, acknowledging the damaging effects of excessive borrowing and the personal tragedies that result from service disruptions, but then act as if petty bickering is the best we can do. The leaders of any corporation facing a similar set of circumstances would be working around the clock to find solutions, but unfortunately, this is not the case for Illinois.

“The crisis that we are in demands leadership from all 177 members of the General Assembly and from the chief executive of the state. Unfortunately, right now, we don’t even know where the governor is. I, however, know where we need to be.

“The governor should call legislators back into session immediately and be prepared to keep us in Springfield until the job is done. Each of us was elected to serve the people of this great state, not play politics on taxpayers’ time and money. Enough is enough.”