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Illinois Isn't Alone In Budget Struggles

Peter Gray
/
WUIS - Illinois Issues

A week into its new fiscal year, Illinois has no new spending plan in place. And it could be awhile before there is one. Illinois isn't alone.

Across the border in Wisconsin, lawmakers can't reach a spending deal. Over on the east coast, North Carolina is in budgetary flux. Pennsylvania's negotiations are dragging on.

National Conference of State Legislatures' fiscal analyst Arturo Perez says more states than usual have unfinished budgets. "It's sort of indicative of some of the additional problems certain states have had during the slow economic recovery from the Great Recession," he says. "The underlying issue for some of these states is that revenues have not hit a robust rate of growth."

He says other causes include divided government and pressure to increase funding of needs like Medicaid, schools and transportation projects.

The impasses play out differently in each state; some have short-term plans in place, or are putting off dealing with projected deficits. New Hampshire and Alabama are also in that mix.

Some can function without a budget in place, others have short-term plans.

Illinois lawmakers tried to pass a one-month spending plan, but it failed. Representatives will return to Springfield on Wednesday to take a second shot at passing a budget that would carry the state through July.

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