State Representative Charlie Meier (R-Okawville) released the statement below following Governor Rauner’s veto of the 19 budget bills sent to him by the Illinois General Assembly:
“This is refreshing news we have a Governor that supports a balanced budget. It was Albert Einstein which said the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” That is exactly what Blagojevich and Quinn did with the state budget year after year.
We need a budget that protects the most vulnerable. However, if we spend money we don’t have then we are making all the taxpayers of Illinois vulnerable as a result of mismanaging government funds.
The state budget sent to Governor Rauner was unbalanced and unconstitutional. I support the Governor’s veto because the budget spent $4 billion our State will not have in the bank account next fiscal year. I am ready to go to work and support a budget that is balanced by not spending money we don’t have. I urge my Democrat colleagues to urge their leadership to come back to the negotiating table so we can keep state government operating.”