State Senator Napoloen B Harris, III made the following statement after the governor's 2014 budget address today:

“While I give the governor credit for his proposal to grow Illinois and pay off old bills, I am very disappointed he didn’t address the fact that he proposes to cut funding for pre-K through 12 education by $400 million. But I support his proposal to expand early-childhood education, which will help children be more successful with their education.”

“I’m excited that we were able to pass this in the Senate today. This proposal gives over 12,000 adults in my district access to health care and a primary doctor, cutting down on emergency room visits.  I look forward to further serving my district and to take the necessary steps to see that the needs of my constituents are met,” said State Senator Napoleon Harris (D-Flossmoor) following the Senate’s vote of 40 to 19 on Senate Bill 26.

Key components of Senate Bill 26:

• All adults with incomes at or below 138 percent of the Federal Poverty Limit ($15,415 for an individual) will be able to enroll in Medicaid starting January 1, 2014. Currently, adults are eligible for Medicaid only if they have disabilities or care for dependent children.
• The federal government will reimburse Illinois for 100 percent of the costs of covering these newly eligible enrollees through 2017.
• The reimbursement rate will decrease gradually after 2017 but stay at 90 percent after 2020.
• If the federal government fails to reimburse the state at 90 percent or above, the newly eligible clients will become ineligible; Illinois will not be stuck with the bill.

Expected benefits include

• Access to routine, coordinated care for 342,000 low-income adults
• Fewer unnecessary and uncompensated emergency room visits
• An influx of $1.1 billion in federal dollars in the first year and more than $12 billion in federal funds in the first eight years of the expansion
• Job creation in the health care sector
• $105 million in annual savings to the state as federal funds replace state expenditures on mental health, HIV/AIDS drugs and other areas of spending
• A reduction in the burden on hospitals and local government currently caring for the uninsured
• Better preventive care and mental health care for a vulnerable segment of the population

State Senator Napoleon Harris (D-Flossmoor) was pleased with Gov. Pat Quinn’s decision to approve legislation that would continue to provide funding for better transportation infrastructure, job creation and child safety.

The governor signed HB 190 Thursday evening right after it passed in the Senate. This legislation continues to support the funding for fixing our state’s roads, bridges and other transportation infrastructure and creating thousands of jobs.

“One of my biggest concerns as a senator is to bring back jobs to my district,” Harris said.

The legislation restores some of the severe funding cuts to the Department of Children and Family Services and prevents layoffs that would have impacted needy families and children. Without this support, DCFS would struggle to protect nearly 45,000 children throughout the state from abuse and neglect.

“We cannot allow such a valuable program to deteriorate,” Harris said. “Especially when children are involved, we must continue to do the right thing and promote public safety.”