PEORIA, Ill. – If the state budget includes a fund sweep by Governor JB Pritzker to help pay for a new 988 mental health hotline, it’s news to State Representative Jehan Gordon-Booth.
We talked with Gordon-Booth recently about reports through other lawmakers including State Rep. Mark Luft (R-Pekin) that $5 million in 911 funds are being swept for the new hotline, and she says she’d need to look more in to it.
“Every situation…should stand alone, specific to whether funds should be swept,” said Gordon-Booth (D-Peoria). “It is a practice that does happen. It’s certainly happened before, where there have been sweeps. I’m not as familiar with this issue, in terms of 911 fund sweeps.”
Gordon-Booth says even though she was involved in the budget-making process, sometimes you find things out about the budget after you get back to your home district.
Nevertheless, Gordon-Booth says mental health is a very important cause right now, and the state budget taking effect July 1 is a very good one.
“This budget year was a really good budget year,” said Gordon-Booth. “This is not one of those bad budget years.”
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