By Patrick Baron

PONTIAC – State Senator Jason Barickman is happy the legislature managed to pass a balanced state budget, but says more work needs to be done before lawmakers earn pats on the back.

Speaking with WJEZ’s Todd Wineburner on the Community Forum, Barickman said the bipartisan budget that was recently passed was a step in the right direction. He said public perception of state government has been waning in recent years, so the passing of the budget hopefully instills some trust in the ability of legislators to work together and form compromises.

“We all know there’s an election coming around the corner, but today you’ve got a Republican in the Executive Branch, you’ve got a Democrat controlled legislature, and the public expects us to work together to solve our state’s problems,” Barickman explained. “The reality is we’ve got a lot more work to do to make some advancement on that.”

Barickman said one aspect of the budget he’s pleased with is the focus on higher education. He noted Governor Rauner has made it a focal point of his platform recently to improve state government support for education.

“I think he’s on the right track in recognizing that these are valuable assets of our state and those assets need our attention, they need our investments, and we need to help them – the best that we can – be successful,” said Barickman.

Barickman also said if residents approach him at any county events, he wants them to be honest with him on their views towards the decisions he’s made. He said he doesn’t want people telling him what he wants to hear, but providing constructive feedback that can help him do his job well.

Patrick Baron can be reached at [email protected].