The Illinois House passed Senate Bill 20-39, allowing the release of motor fuel tax and 9-1-1 funds already collected. The Senate is due back in session next Monday.
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Gov. Bruce Rauner spoke in public Wednesday for the first time since Tuesday’s big summit with legislative leaders. “Even without a fiscal framework, IL is spending money at a rate that far outstrips expected revenue, building a deficit that will be added to billions of dollars of debt that has been accumulating for decades”.
“Our politicians pick the voters, our voters don’t pick the politicians”, Rauner, R-Winnetka, said in his public remarks before the private meeting.
The two sides have been at odds for months; Republicans unwilling to go along with raising taxes until some of the governor’s reforms are enacted and Democrats unwilling to see Rauner’s reforms through.
“A piecemeal approach is better than no approach at all”, said Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, a Chicago Democrat. At least three counties have filed lawsuits to force the state to turn over cellphone-call taxes to keep their 911 emergency-dispatch centers going.
“There needs to be a willingness on behalf of the Democrat leadership to say that those reforms, agenda items the governor has specifically stated, that there needs to be made some progress.”
There’s about $18 million to fund domestic-violence shelters and $10 million for secretary of state operations.
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The Illinois House approved 107-1 an appropriation bill that provides long-awaited state funding for various programs and services. Misconduct under current law has to be shown to be “willful and deliberate” to disqualify someone from receiving benefits.
