 But Republicans say anyone waiting on that money shouldn’t get excited: Gov.
Bruce Rauner will veto the bills, and even if Democrats can muster overrides,
the money doesn’t actually exist in state coffers.
In play are two pieces of legislation, House Bills 648 and 2990.
The Democratic-backed package would OK spending about $3 billion in state
general funds.
The proposal also would free up about $450 million of other money by forgiving
loans previously made from special, dedicated state funds. Some federal money
also is included.
Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago, said the measure isn’t ideal but would
meet some of the most urgent cries from higher education, provide for school
construction reimbursement and help cover several emergency needs in human
services.
In that the proposals include one idea previously suggested by the governor —
the use of special funds — it represents a bipartisan compromise, said Currie,
the House majority leader.
Republicans howled.
Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, said the entire package would
fall at least $2.5 billion short of money the state actually has or can expect
to receive, and he and other Republicans never were consulted on the
legislation.
“Send your press releases out, do your High 5s and say we’ve solved all the
problems, and (say) it’s the bad Republicans” trying to sabotage a deal, Durkin
told Democrats.
In fact, he said, his efforts to negotiate a solution to the funding problems
with Democratic leadership had been rebuffed.
Rep. Ron Sandack, R-Downers Grove, said the proposal had been ginned up
overnight by Democrats after they were unable to override a Rauner veto of
Democrats’ previous plan to get $721 million appropriated for tuition grants and
community colleges.
Rauner vetoed that measure because, he said, it was not backed by revenues and
would only add to the state’s pile of debt.
Currie said the GOP was exaggerating. She argued that all of the spending
authority in the bills being considered Thursday had actually cleared the
legislature in bills Democrats sent to Rauner in the spring.
The idea that they had not been previously debated and vetted “does not mesh
with reality,” she said.
Currie said the General Assembly should authorize the spending so the state’s
comptroller could at least send out what money does become available.
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“Unless we make the spending authority available to the comptroller,
these programs … are absolutely out of luck,” Currie said. ““We will
have slammed the door shut in their faces.
“I think that is unacceptable; it is irresponsible,” she said.
Durkin responded that the only door slammed shut had been slammed on
true, bipartisan negotiation.
“Our fingerprints are not on this,” he said. “This is all yours.”
House Bill 2990, the bulk of the legislation, passed 70-43 with one
member voting present and four representatives not voting or absent.
House Bill 648, which would allow use of the special-fund money,
passed 61-52, with no members voting present and five
representatives not voting or absent.
“House Democrats passed a plan that isn’t paid for. Only in Illinois
is that considered ‘compromise,’” Rauner said in a statement issued
after the vote.
The governor’s office urged the House — not scheduled to return to
Springfield until early April – to stay in town and work on bills he
contends would produce an affordable outcome.
Some lawmakers said rank-and-file members of the General Assembly
must push for real compromise regardless of party affiliation or
directions from their party leaders.
“We know that after this bill passes today, it’s going to be
vetoed,” said Rep. Jack Franks, D-Woodstock.
Afterward, he said, “Let’s meet and talk about what we can agree on.
Let’s talk about what the real revenue estimates are. Let’s see if
we can’t put some bills up … that can bring us together. But if we
keep doing this, folks, they (voters) deserve to throw every one of
us out of office.”
More than two-thirds of fiscal 2016 have passed with the state not
having an overall budget. During that time, higher education and
many social services have gone largely without.
Even without an overall budget, the state is still making payments
on roughly 90 percent of the bills it covered in the previous year
because it is paying for costs mandated in continuing
appropriations, by court decrees, in the primary education budget
that did pass and for its debt service.
Also, as of Thursday, the state’s unpaid bills were at $7.25
billion.
The Senate returns to Springfield on Tuesday. The House is next
scheduled to return April 4.
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