Durkin reacts to Quinn speech

• Reprints

Updated: March 11, 2012 8:10AM

Governor Quinn’s Feb. 1 state of the state address included some big plans for improving the state and its economy.

But the speech left many Republican leaders with one big question.

“I’ll wait to see what the governor has in the budget address,” State Rep. Jim Durkin, R-82nd of Western Springs, said following the governor’s speech, which left him questioning where the money will come from to fund Quinn’s plans.

Durkin noted the tax increase the governor signed last year was supposed to fix the state’s budget problem.

“A year later the state is no better off than we were, not a penny of it went to pay off our debt,” Durkin said.

In his state of the state address, Quinn announced plans for a $2.3 million dollar investment in a new technology center at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago to foster and launch digital start-ups, a $6 million dollar statewide competition to build ultra-high speed broadband in neighborhoods across Illinois, and abolishment of the state’s natural gas tax.

The governor also promised a “major investment” in early childhood education and stressed the need for further reforms of the state’s pension and Medicaid programs.

Durkin said this is no time to be spending money.

“We need to act upon pension reform and enact Medicaid reforms,” Durkin said.

The governor, in his Feb. 1, address, did not disagree.

“Suffice it to say, we must have Medicaid reform and public pension reform in the coming year,” Quinn said.

“We took the first step on pension reform in 2010 when we enacted landmark changes that will save taxpayers billions of dollars. But there’s much more to do.”

Following the annual address State Sen. Christine Radogno, R-41st of Lemont, expressed concern over the lack of details in Quinn’s address, noting he spent too little time talking about Illinois’ financial issues.

Radogno said she is ready and willing to participate in the process of fixing Illinois’ budget problems, and looks forward to more details about the governor’s plan.