Jobs Program Extended by Quinn

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by Wendell A. La Grand

Although education and the states budget deficit have his attention, Pat Quinn is also focusing on jobs. Quinn recently announced an extension of the Put Illinois to Work (PIW) program for

up to two months until November. The federal program which supports PIW was set to expire on September 30. Our Put Illinois to Work Program is a model for the nation, Quinn said during a

recent interview with the Citizen where he talked about education, the budget and jobs. Through the PIW program, We put 25,990 people to work since early May, many of them on the South side of Chicago. Theyre in mostly private jobs. They make ten bucks an hour. They also, in some cases, work for not for profits,Quinn said.

The extension is designed to serve as a bridge until Congress votes to extend the federal program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Emergency Contingency Fund (TANF/ECF), which supports PIW.

TANF/ECF was created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

I worked with the president to pass the federal stimulus,Quinn told the Citizen, adding in a press release about the PIW extension, The best way to make our economy stronger is to put people to work.

It is good for families, small business owners and communities. We cannot afford to lose momentum as we continue our economic recovery, he said. Quick action by Congress will keep thousands of people at work in Illinois and we will continue to build on the progress we have already made, the Governor stated.

U.S. Congressman Danny K. Davis who also attended the press conference said, Jobs creation is on the mind of Nancy Pelosi, Henry Reid and Democrats in the House and Senate. Job creation is the first priority for all of us, he said.

Gloria Hill, an employee of manufacturer CPC Laboratories, secured her employment at he company through the PIW program and has been working there for four months.

Hill said because of PIW, she doesnt have to look for a job everyday adding, When I got

to CPC, I trained as a supervisor. Every day I learned a lot. Had it not been for the PIW

program, Hill said, I would have not known CPC, it got me up off the unemployment line.

Ive had a great working experience, she said.

While putting people back to work is a key priority for Quinn, he inherited a large budget deficit when he took office, which is also a major issue in the race. The governor has proposed an income tax increase that he says is needed to help repair the states $13 billion deficit.

Quinn accuses his Republican opponent Senator Bill Brady of not being up front with voters regarding his own plan to close the budget. The governor told the Associated Press recently that Brady has a secret set of budget proposals that he does not want to share until after the November election.

According to Quinn, Bradys budget cuts repeatedly call for 10 percent cuts across the board, and if this plan is used to make cuts on education in grades P through 12, it could mean $1.1 billion

in cuts for education, Quinn says. Brady contends that he would cut less than $1 billion, according to a recent report in the Chicago Tribune.

But Quinn adds under Bradys plan, over 15,000 teachers would be laid off or if cuts were applied instead to teacher pay, a pay cut of over $5,300 per teacher would be the end result.

I want to invest in education and use the income tax to reduce property taxes, but also make sure we have more money for schools, Quinn said.

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