State services could be disrupted with no budget deal by July 1

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Illinois State lawmakers will return to Springfield next week to slug it out over a new budget agreement, as a new deal must in place by July 1 or some state services could be disrupted.

The Illinois fiscal/political crisis has hundreds of state supported social services programs on the bubble and those who depend on the programs at imminent risk.

The kids are 3-5 years old from some of the poorest neighborhoods in Chicago. Because of emotional issues they were either removed or asked to leave traditional pre-school programs.

"They have significant difficulty dealing with aggression, dealing with frustration, dealing with anger and they act out," said Susan Reyna-Guerrero.

Free of any charge to their families, the children attend Beacon Therapeutic on the Far South Side. It's an non-profit in danger of having its state support delayed or lost altogether in the Illinois budget crisis.

"Which means we may have to close this program in August if that actually happens and these kids will have no place to go as a result," Reyna-Guerrero said.

If Governor Bruce Rauner and legislative leaders cannot agree on a budget, including billions in new revenue by midnight Tuesday, funding to hundreds of social services agencies with state contracts will stop on July 1.

"When you talk about the cuts that are going to take place and how it will devastate families across the state, or what not passing a budget will do to working families and agencies across the state it's a scary thought," said Illinois State Rep. Art Turner (D-Chicago).

To fund and other existing programs at their current levels, the state will need between $3-4 billion in additional revenues. Republican Governor Rauner says he will not consider a tax increase until the democratic-controlled general assembly approves his pro-business turnaround agenda.

Board member Peggy Rourke is caught in the middle. She notes that Beacon, which serves 1,300 disadvantaged and homeless children of various ages, has already cut three of its programs this year because of federal cuts.

"This is the most vulnerable population that not many people are willing to work with and if we don't work with them then they're not going to get the services they need," said Rourke.

It should also be noted that agencies like Beacon Therapeutic have been pressured the past several years by late payments because of the Illinois bill backlog.

Hopefully, lawmakers think about those children as they continue trying to make a deal.