Gov. Pat Quinn announced yesterday that the state will shut down Tinley Park Mental Health Center in July and Jacksonville Developmental Center in October as part of a cost-saving plan to move residents from state institutions to community-based care settings. The Tribune reports that opponents of the plan include AFSCME Local 31, the state's largest public employee union, and "lawmakers who fear closing the facilities will wreak havoc on the economy of communities who are supported by the centers."

Part of this opposition is due to the process by which Quinn chose the shut downs. The governor has a 30-month plan to close state facilities, which has thus far not involved public hearings nor the input of interests like AFSCME.