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Illinois Turns Spending Spigot; Bipartisan Compromise Bill Passes House

Barbara Flynn Currie
Courtesy of ILGA.gov
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ILGA.gov

Illinois still has no full budget, but local governments, 911 call centers and the state lottery could soon get money.

Some legislators may have done it begrudgingly, but Democrats and Republicans alike voted for a measure that spends $3 billion.

It'll also pay for road salt, send money to domestic violence shelters, and cover police training. It seems to be a U-turn for Republicans, who've previously opposed such "piecemeal" budgeting.

Republican Rep. Dwight Kay of Glen Carbon voted for it, after he'd complained about it, saying during debate "we are penniless. We are without a dime. And you have no clue, bringing this to the House today, how in the world we're going to climb out of the debt because we can't stop spending."

"I would say that a piecemeal approach is better than no approach at all," the measure's sponsor, House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, said of the plan. "It is important to fund Illinois state government and even doing it in a partial way is better than not trying it at all."

Republicans went along with it with Gov. Bruce Rauner's approval. He called it a compromise, noting that it included some spending he'd wanted, and other spending demanded by Democrats.

"The critical issue I'm concerned about: we don't have a budget and my number one concern is public safety. And I want to make sure that we have safe public safety, whether for travel, police officers, et cetera, et cetera," Rauner said during a press conference Wednesday.

State senators still have to approve the plan. They'll return to Springfield Monday, Dec. 7.

Illinois' lingering budget stalemate means public universities will keep waiting on state funding, as will many social service agencies.

Amanda Vinicky moved to Chicago Tonight on WTTW-TV PBS in 2017.
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