SPRINGFIELD – State Sen. Tim Bivins (R-Dixon) says the Illinois Senate voted Sept. 23 to restore funding for human service agencies like Kreider Services in Dixon and Self Help Enterprises in Sterling, and for state parks and historic sites, including Castle Rock State Park and Lowden State Park in Oregon; Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park, which runs through Rock Island, Bureau and Henry Counties; Apple River Fort in Elizabeth, and Grant’s Home in Galena.

Bivins credits the strong outcry by citizens across northwestern Illinois for bringing the Senate back to Springfield to vote on restoring the funds, but warns that the legislation (Senate Bill 790 and Senate Bill 1103) must still be approved by the Governor. The House of Representatives voted Sept. 10 to restore funding for human services, parks and historic sites.

“The people have spoken. More than 700 people attended a public forum Sept. 10 at the Oregon Coliseum. Nearly 400 people came to a similar meeting Sept. 17 in Geneseo. Countless others have called my offices for petitions or downloaded them from my legislative Web site. Students in northwestern Illinois schools drew pictures and made banners,” Bivins said. “This is a victory for all of those people, but this is not over yet. The Governor still has to concur with our votes, so we must continue to pressure him to do the right thing.”

Bivins said he does not agree with the source of the money used to restore the budget cuts, and would not typically support the use of money taken from special dedicated funds; however, the huge public outcry about the budget cuts convinced him to make an exception in this specific case.

On Sept. 23, Sen. Bivins delivered petitions with more than 8,000 signatures, drawings and banners from elementary school students, and letters from northwestern Illinois citizens to Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s office in the Capitol. Blagojevich was not in his office so Sen. Bivins gave the letters to Deputy Governor Bob Greenlee.

The 45th District Senator says he still wants more detailed information about the parks and historic sites budgets from state officials in Springfield. On Sept. 16, he filed two Freedom of Information requests with the Department of Natural Resources and the Historic Preservation Agency seeking specific information about the operational budgets of the 11 state parks and the 13 historic sites targeted by the Governor. Bivins has asked for the total state expenditures related to the operation and maintenance of each state park and historic site that had been slated to close, and the total state revenues generated by the operation of each park and historic site in the same fiscal year.

The Senator’s previous calls to the Governor’s office, the Department of Natural Resources and the Historic Preservation Agency have not been returned, but Deputy Governor Greenlee said Sept. 23 he would look into the matter.

Sen. Bivins will be hosting a third public forum on the budget cuts on Sept. 24 at the Old Market House, 123. N. Commerce St., in Galena. He has previously hosted two forums on Sept. 17 in Geneseo and on Sept. 10 in Oregon.

Representatives from the Governor’s Office, the Department of Natural Resources and the Historic Preservation Agency were invited to attend the first two forums but did not attend either one. They will also be asked to attend the third forum in Galena.