Businesses that Offer Services to the Disabled Suffering Too

More human services will lose their jobs and more people with disabilities will experience delays in services if the General Assembly and Gov. Bruce Rauner fail to pass budgets for the fiscal year ending Thursday as well as the fiscal year ending Thursday as well as the fiscal year beginning Friday.

A recent article in The Pantagraph cited three businesses who provide important services that are being profoundly affected by the lack of budget: LIFE Center for Independent Living, Advocates for Access, and PACE incorporated.

LIFE CIL, which assists 2100 people over multiple counties has had to close its Bloomington and Pontiac offices one day a week. They're currently owed $108,000 by the state.

Advocates for Access is owed $210,980 and has three vacant positions they cannot fill.

PACE Inc., which helps in five counties, is owed $162,000 and has had to move employees to part-time or have furlough days, along with laying off a couple employees.

It's getting to the point where the state is beginning to crumble and both sides need to work on a compromise instead of playing a game of chicken. The way the state's elected officials have handled this situation is at best embarrassing and petty, at worst it's destroying the state infrastructure, citizens livelihood and crushing schools and universities -- along with the businesses  the disabled.

Rauner released a statement calling on Democrats in the General Assembly to pass a stopgap funding measure to at least carry the state through December.

Information provided by The Pantagraph