Sen. Kotowski's Proposal to Save State Money Passes House

Illinois State Senator Dan Kotowski’s (D–Park Ridge) proposal to eliminate costly mandates in the state budget passed the Senate on Tuesday.

“No part of the budget should be overlooked,” Kotowski said. "As many families have sat around their kitchen tables and made tough decisions about spending, the state should do the same."

A commission was created to work with state agencies to identify costly, burdensome mandates and eliminate them to reduce state spending. This time, the group concentrated on five agencies including theDepartment of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), Department of Professional and Financial Regulation (DFPR), Department of Public Health (DPH), Department of Transportation (IDOT), and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and eliminated a total of 18 mandates.

“By eliminating these out-dated mandates, we can reassure tax payers we are spending their money wisely,” Kotowski said.

Some of the changes include saving on mail and printing costs by making information available online for certain agencies and eliminating old boards that don’t meet anymore.

“As chairman of one on the Senate’s budget committees, I will continue to get rid of what doesn’t work to put together a budget that is balanced,” Kotowski said.