State Senator John O. Jones says Governor Pat Quinn is now threatening to close the Murray Center in Centralia. He says the governor is sensing that his plan to close seven state facilities may be failing, so he might rethink his plan, and propose another round of closures. The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability has not finished work on Quinn's plan that affects the Chester Mental Health Center and Illinois Youth Center at Murphysboro. Legislators have called into question the Governor's rationale for closing the facilities that were picked, without having already a long-term plan in place. Jones said he is going to resurrect a 2008 legislative plan, which called for a Facilities Closure Panel to be formed. The plan stalled out when legislative majorities refused to allow the bill to be called for a vote in the Senate. Senator Jones said that anytime a closure is announced, or even mentioned, it can alarm a community, but the Senator urged everyone in Clinton County to react with caution and remain vigilant. The proposed legislation would be similar to the 95th General Assembly's House Bill 1235 Senate Amendments.
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