AIDS Foundation of Chicago Urges Swift Action on Funding

The AIDS Foundation of Chicago has issued a call for the state Legislature to return to work on the budget for the next fiscal year. "In the midst of one of the most severe economic downturns in decades, the Illinois General Assembly concluded its spring session on the constitutional budget deadline of May 31 by failing to pass a modest, temporary tax increase. Had they taken action, the General Assembly could have greatly reduced the state's $7 billion budget gap and preserved services for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable Illinoisans, including people living with and at risk of HIV," AFC said. "Instead, legislators enacted a bare-bones, half-year budget that gives state agencies just 50 percent of the previous year's spending amounts." AFC President Mark Ishaug went on to urge "legislative leaders and Gov. [Pat] Quinn to immediately convene for budget negotiations. The new fiscal year starts in 30 days, ample time to solve this problem. Leaving a solution to the last minute will cause needless disruption for people living with HIV and the agencies that serve them," he said.

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