Secretary of State Jesse White on Monday announced his office will stop mailing
out registration renewal reminders due to the lack of a state budget.
White said the move will save about $450,000 monthly and prolong by a few months
his office’s ability to keep mailing renewal stickers, titles and license
plates.
“Without a state budget in place, we are doing what we can to manage so that we
may serve the people of Illinois for as long as possible,” White said in a new
release.
Last week, White sent a letter to Gov. Bruce Rauner and legislative leaders
warning them that the absence of a budget would eventually endanger his ability
to keep offering driver services.
And, he told the chief executive and lawmakers, without a budget he cannot
indefinitely keep open the Capitol complex, which includes about 20 buildings.
White’s office said the secretary is determined to prioritize cuts as best he
can to ensure core
services for as long as possible.
“I urge the governor and the Legislature to come together and solve this budget
crisis so that
my office, and all of state government, can continue providing services to the
people of Illinois
without interruption,” White said.
The Rauner administration contacted White’s office last week, spokeswoman
Lyndsey Walters said in an email.
“We are dealing effectively with similar operational issues at agencies
throughout state government and are happy to provide Secretary White with
assistance in finding solutions to his office’s challenges,” Walters said.
“We hope he will also join us in encouraging his friends in the Legislature to
fulfill their constitutional obligation to pass a truly balanced budget,” she
added.
Rikeesha Phelon, spokeswoman for Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago,
said White’s office “is joining a long line of individuals, organizations and
vendors that cannot continue to operate without a fiscal resolution.
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“We have reached a point in the fiscal year where the true cost
of proceeding without a budget is being revealed. President
Cullerton is willing to work through these issues with the
Governor and other leaders in whatever forum that works,” Phelon
said.
Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, R-Lemont, said the
“budget crisis is certainly beginning to affect the people of
Illinois in a very real way. We cannot get long term solutions to
our financial crisis without fundamental reforms, which the
Democrats continue to resist. We remain hopeful they will eventually
come to the table.”
Illinois is entering its fourth month of fiscal year 2016 without a
budget in place as the first-term Republican governor and
legislative Democrats remain at loggerheads.
Rauner-led Republicans argue the Democrats have sent the governor a
plan billions heavier in spending than estimated revenue. And Rauner
says he won’t agree to revenue increases until he gets what he
considers fundamental reforms.
Democrats argue Rauner and GOP legislators have been unwilling to
work on the budget with them until the governor gets movement on his
agenda items, which Democrats do not support and do not consider
directly related to the annual budget.
Rauner answers that his proposals are necessary to improve the
state’s economy.
Without a budget, Illinois is spending at a clip that could see
expenditures outstrip revenue by $5 billion or more this fiscal
year.
The only large piece of the fiscal year 2016 budget made law this
spring was the budget for primary and secondary education. The rest
of the spending is largely attributable to continuing appropriations
— such as debt service and pension payments — and to spending
demanded by consent decrees and court orders.
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