Although 13th District Rep. Greg Harris ( D ) is unopposed on Nov. 8, he is not breathing any easier.
Harris knows there is too much to do as the state of Illinois reels from the effects of a seemingly endless budget stalemate and the LGBTQ community faces more civil rights hurdles. Violence towards the transgender community and on the streets of Chicago has become an epidemic with little attempt to address the cause of the issue or to move towards a cure.
Even with the polls looking positive for Democrats on the top and down the ballot, the possibility remains that 2017 will see the inauguration of a Trump presidency in a country that has already been severely damaged by the politics of fear, racism, hatred and division.
Harris spoke with Windy City Times about how he intends to move forward in Springfield through his next term, no matter who occupies The White House.
Windy City Times: The Illinois credit rating has been reduced again due to the budget impasse. Do you see a resolution anytime soon and what are lawmakers doing in order to make that happen?
Greg Harris: The biggest problem facing the state is getting our financial house in order. That means putting aside all these outside issues that the governor keeps trying to drag into the conversation as a precondition to discussing the budget. Taking care of our human service organizations, our education system, higher education, public safety, our infrastructure is our most important job to provide an adequate budget to pay for the things that families need.
WCT: A lot of social service organizations and nonprofits are shutting down or cutting back on staff. When we talk about HIV/ AIDS organizations, services for homeless youth and seniors, there must be concern on the part of your colleagues.
GH: As chairman of the Human Services Appropriations Committee, I listen all day long to agencies who are facing ruin because the governor will not sign a budget and is trying to hold things hostage to his turn around agenda. If causing people to close businesses and lay off workers is a way to grow the economy, then his definition of success is way different than mine.
WCT: People feel like everything is siloed. The governor is coming from one and the house and senate from another.
GH: Well, he is because he just keeps focusing on getting rid of unions, to stop paying for injured workers, cutting down on voting rights and access to the polls; those are the things he cares about. Everyone else is saying "what are we going to do about our schools? What are we going to do about our seniors?"
WCT: So, no way to meet in the middle?
GH: We have sent numerous budgets to the governor and they have all been vetoed. There were a couple of Stopgap budgets that allowed people to just limp along but they're not solving the problem, they're just kicking the can down the road. If you look at the history of Illinois, Republicans and Democrats have always been able to get together and figure out our number one job which is paying for things that are important for our state. That is until this term when suddenly the governor just can't get that done.
He's a self-funding billionaire. I'm not even sure his base is happy. If you go out to suburban areas, DuPage county, folks out there are worried about Autism, their schools staying open, their kids being able to go to a state college or university, but when you are a self-funded guy writing your own checks, you have a different perspective than a lot of average families.
WCT: So is budget inaction a fair description? How would you define it?
GH: I think that it's hostage holding.
WCT: The fight for equal marriage was hard-won but LGBT issues continue. What are the next barriers to equal rights that the state needs to overcome?
GH: We need to pay close attention to changing laws that have historically not taken into account needs of transgender people of which there are a lot because when these laws were passed in the '40s, '50s and '60s, there was just not the awareness of the needs of transgender people that there is today. So we need to go back and be sure that the laws of the state of Illinois welcome and take care of trans people.
As you look at all the different services that families need, whether it's a family that is cisgender, transgender, gay, straight or bisexual, services must be delivered in a fair way, with no bias an there must be cultural competency. In healthcare and human services, cultural competency is very important and it's going to take a lot of training to bring agencies up to speed. You see that at all levels from senior services to making sure LGBT youth are treated appropriately in schools and that the problems of homeless youth are addressed because so many are LGBT kids and we have to sensitive to their needs.
WCT: Is there going to be movement on these issues in Springfield or is there still a sense that, with equal marriage done, nothing else needs sorting out?
GH: We pay attention to things that our constituents bring to us. Everyone has families in their district who are affected, for instance by issues surrounding trans people because there's somebody who's in their family or who goes to their church or temple or at work who is trans. We need to raise those issues up with elected officials. I think a lot of colleagues of mine paid attention to marriage because, all of a sudden, in the media and from families in their district, they were hearing a lot about it. So it's our job to go in and say that there are other issues that are yet to be addressed and they're also important.
For more information about Harris, visit GregHarris.org .
