More than 1,000 people who depend on Illinois government for services and paychecks are visiting the state Capitol to lobby for higher taxes.
They say the state cannot fix its $13 billion deficit solely through spending cuts. They argue that such deep cuts would gut state programs, from road repairs to prisons to addiction treatment.
They held a rally Wednesday and then fanned out through the Capitol to lobby individual lawmakers.
The event was organized by the Responsible Budget Coalition, which includes groups such as Voices for Illinois Children, AARP and the Illinois Federation of Teachers.
Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn supports a tax increase and wants to pass it this year. But the Republicans competing for his job say they would balance the budget without raising taxes.
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