The below statement can be attributed to Nora Collins-Mandeville, Director of Systems Reform Policy, American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois:
“The Governor’s budget address reminds us that a budget delineates our values and our priorities as a state. Over the past many years, Illinois failed to prioritize critical basic services. The result is crises in a number of state agencies, requiring court intervention in the State’s Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of Corrections health care system, the operations of the Juvenile Justice System, and services for people with disabilities in Illinois.
Today’s address begins a process in which the Pritzker Administration and the Illinois General Assembly must put words into action, and assign appropriation amounts to specific line items. In addition to appropriate levels of support for our clients affected by five different consent decrees, we will be advocating for resources to advance meaningful criminal justice reform, accountability and oversight of child welfare, fully implement House Bill 40 and to provide backing for human rights enforcement across the state.”