“Governor Rauner delivered exactly what he promised, a proposal for a truly balanced budget. The current spending plan, passed by the Democrats last year, left us more than a billion and a half dollars in the hole. I applaud the Governor for his work to reduce that deficit. Some tough choices will have to be made, but that is the reality of the budget process in a state that has been spending beyond its means for years.

“The Governor has continued his commitment to increasing funding for our struggling schools and he has proposed a realistic and much-needed capital proposal. If House Speaker Mike Madigan would allow us to move forward with a gaming expansion, we could reduce the proposed cuts and devote more to capital construction, while providing a stable future for cities like Rockford. I remain optimistic that bipartisan pressure will be strong enough that we are able to advance that proposal this spring.”