Springfield – 1,500 members of the Campaign for Illinois’ Future – a broad and growing coalition of community, advocacy and labor organizations – gathered in front of the State Capitol’s Lincoln Statue in Springfield today to urge members of the Illinois General Assembly to protect Illinois families from harmful budget cuts by passing a budget that includes a fair income tax increase.

“Our state’s most vulnerable families will hurt now and for years to come if the state tries to balance the budget with deep and devastating budget cuts,” said Denise Dixon, executive director of Action Now. “The only way to protect the vital programs and services we all count on and stop these cuts is with a fair tax increase – and that’s why we’re here today – to make sure our voice for a fair budget that includes substantial new revenue is heard loud and clear.”

“Thousands of seniors and people with disabilities will be left without care if the tens of millions of dollars in proposed cuts to home care go through,” explained Tonya Isett, a home care provider from Mt. Vernon. Home care for seniors and people with disabilities provided through the Department on Aging’s Community Care Program and the Department of Human Services’ Home Service Program face a combined $47 million budget gap. “We cannot turn our backs on our senior citizens at a time when they need us most. Our elected officials must look inside their hearts and preserve the funding that our parents and grandparents desperately need.”

The state’s $12.4 billion budget deficit and unprecedented payment delays have already left many families struggling to get the quality healthcare, education and vital public services they count on in tough economic times. Deep budget cuts would put services for these families in greater jeopardy while doing little to solve the structural deficit.

The Campaign for Illinois’ Future is calling on lawmakers to protect vital services by enacting fair tax reform that generates enough new revenue to close the state’s deficit while making tax fairness for low- and moderate-income Illinois residents—who already pay up to 12% of their income in income, sales and property taxes combined—a priority.

“It’s clear that Illinois cannot cut its way out of this budget crisis,” said Ed Geppert, president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers. “The state cannot force the deficit onto the backs of school children, college students, the poor and those in ill health.”

The Campaign for Illinois’ Future unites more than 30 organizations across the state to educate Illinois legislators and families about the need for a fair and lasting solution to the state’s financial crisis. Tomorrow, April 23rd, coalition organizations representing child care, education, health care, social services and more will be discussing the impact of proposed FY10 budget cuts and underfunding on working families at a briefing in Springfield.