State Capitol: In a statehouse press conference, Sen Manar took the governor to task for the changes made to SB-1, the education funding reform bill, by saying that the Governor’s changes would mean schools across the state would get less money over the next five years, not more.
Sen Manar told reporter, “Gov. Rauner has suddenly taken a hard right turn and abandoned all of his own policies and achievements to betray public schools – all within a matter of weeks,” he said.
“What the governor has proposed in his veto of Senate Bill 1 does not ‘make it a better bill,’ as he continues to insist. Every lawmaker who signed on to support this veto before they saw the language was sold a bill of goods.
“We need to override this veto, and we need to do it as soon as possible, because what Gov. Rauner has proposed will devastate Illinois schools and will set us back even farther than we are today,” said Manar
This press conference came two days after the Governor’s Amendatory Veto, to the education bill. Now the legislature has to act by Aug 16th, or the bill expires.
Following Sen Manar’s press conference, the Senate Republican Leader, Bill Brady, and House Republican Leader, Jim Durkin, issued this joint statement, “Schools and students don’t need another press conference, what they need is an assurance that their schools will open on time and that every school district in Illinois is treated fairly and equitably.
The Governor’s Amendatory Veto of Senate Bill 1 provides those assurances. If the Democrats are unwilling to support his Amendatory Veto, then it is up to them to return to the negotiating table and offer a solution that bridges the gap between both plans. We cannot let another 60 days pass without working to solve this unnecessary crisis. The students of Illinois deserve nothing less than our best effort, and time is of the essence.”
