State Representative Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez, D-Cicero, member of the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus, released the following statement in response to the governor’s proposed budget cuts: “In his Budget Address the governor presented lawmakers with an ultimatum, either we give him the authority to make careless cuts or we approve his budget proposal. We have shown that we are able to compromise. We have taken up components of his agenda in the House and reformed the workers’ compensation system and voted more than 15 times to freeze property taxes. I will continue to urge the governor to work with us, rather than continuing his refusal to sign a budget until his demands are met.”

“The governor’s budget contains $2.7 billion in careless cuts, stripping away funding from vital programs for persons with disabilities, immigrants, troubled youth, and for the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS. The strength of our communities can be judged by how we take care of our most vulnerable residents, and his lack of attention to the difficulties our working class families are experiencing, has already forced many to lose access to childcare, thousands of at-risk women to be denied the life-saving breast cancer screenings they need, and seniors to lose access to the services they rely on every day. I believe in putting people before profits which is why his proposed cuts are unacceptable.”

“I agree that Illinois must take drastic steps to overcome its fiscal challenges, which is why I will continue my commitment to work with both sides of the aisle to find an approach that prioritizes spending rather than carelessly cutting funding from vital programs and services. My goal as member of the Latino Legislative Caucus is to reassure those who are being affected by the governor’s actions and lack of support, know that we are fighting for them.” State Rep. Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez represents the 24th District, which includes Cicero, Little Village, Berwyn, Brookfield, Riverside, and Stickney.