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92_SB2313gms
State of Illinois
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
Springfield, Illinois 62706
George H. Ryan
GOVERNOR
June 28, 2002
To the Honorable Members of
The Illinois Senate
92nd General Assembly
In signing Senate Bill 2313, I take another necessary
step to help balance the state budget for Fiscal Year 2003.
This legislation, which I endorsed previously, would stop
the allocation of a previously authorized cost-of-living wage
adjustment in FY 2003 for designated state officials whose
pay is controlled by the Compensation Review Board. This law
affects me, my cabinet, all other constitutional officers and
members of the General Assembly.
At a time when slumping tax revenues have forced you and
me to make more than $1 billion in budget cuts, facility
closures and thousands of employee layoffs in order to even
out spending and revenues, it would not be appropriate for
high-ranking state officials to accept a COLA.
In addition to signing this bill, I asked my Cabinet and
executive staff to join me and work one day without pay. I
am very proud that they agreed to do so as a cost-saving
measure.
About 12,000 state employees who are classified as "merit
compensation" employees -- non-union, mid-level managers,
supervisors and support staff who work in state agencies --
are getting raises. Very few of them report directly to me.
Most report to my cabinet directors. All 12,000 of them took
a furlough day and sacrificed to help pay for important state
services.
Unfortunately, their 40,000 co-workers represented by the
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
also will get raises during FY 2003 as required by their
contract. Despite a tough budget year, the leadership of
AFSCME refused to discuss any reduction in raises, even if
that meant the loss of thousands of state jobs.
Although I have the power to forbid raises for merit
compensation employees, such action would be unfair to them.
It would not be right to reward AFSCME employees with a raise
when they refused to sacrifice for the greater good while
punishing merit compensation workers who did do the right
thing.
With these clarifications, I have signed Senate Bill
2313.
Sincerely,
George H. Ryan
GOVERNOR