By Greg Halbleib
SPRINGFIELD – State Rep. Dan Brady (R-Bloomington) voted against a bill to allow abortions to be funded through Medicaid and state employee health insurance, saying that aligns with what he hears most in his district.
The measure passed the House on Tuesday, largely along party lines. Brady said his own beliefs played a role in his vote, but he voted no primarily because of his constituents.
“What I heard was the opposite, overwhelming, that this is something that should not be taxpayer dollars going into it,” Brady told WJBC’s Scott Laughlin and Patti Penn. “It should not be healthcare coverage under the state supported by tax dollars, and it should not be at a time when we don’t even have a budget.”
PODCAST: Listen here to Brady’s interview on WJBC.
Several local women who were in Springfield on Tuesday for the Illinois Women’s March met with Brady.
Brady also said he remains optimistic that a budget of some form will be approved in this spring session, but it may be time for Governor Bruce Rauner and House Speaker Michael Madigan to hand off budget negotiations.
“Even if those two can’t come together with some form of compromise, they owe it to the people of Illinois to say, ‘We can’t get this done as the speaker and the governor, so let’s pass the torch to a couple of people and get something done and get a budget,” Brady said.
