These two gifted young people, Jinan Chehade (left) and Ismaeel Jarad (right) were my "pages for the day" on Illinois Muslim Action Day. I was pleased to welcome so many of my Muslim-American constituents to the Capitol.

Twelve years in the Illinois Senate have taught me that even people who disagree strongly can work together effectively. All that is required is a basic level of trust.

When the General Assembly passed a compromise plan to revive vital programs and services, such as child care assistance, that had run out of money, many legislators believed Governor Rauner could be trusted to work with us to meet immediate needs, even as we continued to negotiate next year's budget. I voted against the short-term solution because I did not trust the Rauner administration to equitably distribute funding cuts or hold off on further cuts until we reached a consensus on where to go from here. I hoped to be proven wrong.

Yet the new administration demonstrated just one week later - on Good Friday - that it would not act in good faith to protect vulnerable Illinoisans. Gov. Rauner announced last week the indefinite suspension of $26 million in funding for social services, including ones the recent legislation had exempted from cuts. These are life-changing losses for those who can least afford them: individuals with autism and epilepsy, people with HIV and AIDS, at-risk teens, recent immigrants and many more. The governor even ordered a stop to state-funded burials of those who die in poverty.

Days later, he revealed that corporate tax incentives worth $100 million had been released to recipients, while social service agencies shut down and "the least of these" languish.

Any bond of trust that once existed between the new governor and those who rely on state assistance and their advocates has unraveled. The role of government is to create policies that are wise and just. Where is the wisdom and justice in these callous cuts?

As your voice in Springfield, I will continue to ask tough questions and fight to fund the resources the people of the 16th District and all of Illinois need. Please do not hesitate to contact me with your thoughts and questions.

I spoke today in favor of a resolution urging Little League International to reinstate Jackie Robinson West's Little League World Series national title. The players of JRW are remarkable athletes and young role models, and they should be honored for their accomplishments, not punished for the misdeeds of adults. Please listen to my remarks below:

NEWS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 18, 2015

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Jacqueline Y. Collins (D-Chicago 16th) issued the following statement in response to Gov. Rauner's budget proposal:

The plan the governor presented today is an assault, unprecedented in recent memory, on the working poor, the middle class and the most vulnerable members of our society. There is no shared sacrifice here; I heard no proposals for closing corporate loopholes or ensuring the wealthy pay their fair share.

Despite his promise to make Illinois more competitive and compassionate, the governor advocates for cuts that would decimate the ability of youth and others in our most underprivileged communities to compete. Meanwhile, compassion is conspicuously absent from this budget, which would eliminate breast and cervical cancer coverage for women making as little as $15,600, end respite care for families of children with developmental disabilities and further reduce already inadequate services for wards of the state.

Our young people — including those emerging from the most difficult of circumstances — possess within them the potential to transform our state. Achieving a balanced budget by undermining their opportunities — from the ability to attend school without fear of violence or bullying, to the chance to afford a college education — is both immoral and irresponsible. The savings the governor promises are a false economy: numbers that barely add up on paper and fall far short of our responsibilities to invest in the people of Illinois.

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