 From the House's $33.2 billion
budget plan for fiscal 2012,
lawmakers set aside $23.8 billion to fund state agencies and
services.Quinn has a $26.9 billion spending fund for state agencies and
services.
The governor said the state should not forget about the
"fundamental things in life (such as) public safety, health care and
education." He has strongly criticized the House's projected
"radical severe" cuts in education funding.
House Speaker Michael
Madigan, D-Chicago, this week outlined the House budget proposal's
spending -- for instance, $12 billion for human services and $8.9
billion for education. The Quinn administration, meanwhile, would
hand out $12.9 billion to human services and $9.5 billion to
education.
Stephen Schnorf, who was a budget director for former Illinois
Gov. George Ryan, said it's normal for the General Assembly and the
governor to bump heads when the budget deadline, May 31, is nearing.
"Passage of a budget is a test of wills -- healthy tension between
the General Assembly and the governor," Schnorf said. "The governor
proposes the budget; only the General Assembly can pass a budget;
only a governor can sign and veto a budget. So this is just the
normal beginning of the process."
The House chamber's bipartisan effort has been noticeable
lately, with Madigan and House Republican Leader Tom Cross
collaborating on plans for next year's budget. On Friday, the House
unanimously passed budget bills that were sponsored by both House
leaders.
Madigan has said that the House isn't trying to "usurp control
from the governor over the budget." "We recognize our responsibility to give authority to spend money to
the governor, the constitutional officers, the judiciary and the
Legislature," Madigan said. "So we're going to work through that
requirement."
Schnorf, considered an expert on budgets, said neither lawmakers nor
the governor can leave Springfield unless they reach an agreement on
both revenues and spending.
[to top of second column] |
Kelly Kraft, spokeswoman for the Governor's Office of Management and
Budget, said the governor's office wants to work with everyone.
"We look forward working with all four caucuses coming up with a
budget -- that's the plan," Kraft said.
Schnorf said the state has spent more than its revenue but seems
to be well on its way to getting the difference under
control with the recent corporate and personal income tax hikes that
would bring in more than $6 billion annually to the budget.
"There will be plenty of posturing, plenty of partisan sniping
--
but at the end of the day my guess is that the legislators and the
governor are going to agree on a budget that's pretty much in
balance for this year," he said.
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By MARY J. CRISTOBAL]
 |
