Springfield, Ill. – State Representative Carol Sente, D-Vernon Hills, recently introduced legislation to increase transparency in the budgeting process, aiming to improve the fiscal outlook for Illinois.
“As a former small business owner, I understand the importance of long-term financial planning and what factors make for an appealing business climate,” Sente said. “These measures will help to add transparency and accountability to the state’s budgeting process and apply common-sense business practices to increase our state’s economic stability.”
House Bill 5744 requires the Governor to select five state programs through different agencies to serve as test cases for the introduction of a continual performance measurement system. The information gathered from this study would be available online, as well as annually reported to the General Assembly.
House Bill 5848 requires the legislature to submit a full fiscal year budget each year, outlining clear timeframes for the budget to be publicly posted online. In years past, some budgets were approved for only for half a year, causing uncertainty and instability for those depending on services and those doing business with the state.
Sente also rejected the Governor’s recent request to push his Budget Address back a month, which will delay the work of appropriations committees.
“Illinois has so much to offer, but cannot do so until we put the state’s fiscal house in order,” Sente said. “My proposals aim for better budgeting decisions based upon performance data, so that our tax dollars only go towards programs that are proven effective and efficient. And, they will allow taxpayers more information and inclusion in the process.”
In her first term, Sente introduced legislation taking the budgeting process out of the hands of leaders and placing it within bipartisan committees which review funding requests line-by-line to build from the ground up a zero-based budget.
For more information, please contact Sente’s full-time constituent service office at (847) 478-9909, or email RepSente@gmail.com.
