Rauner: Expect A Very Long Extra Session
From the Chicago Daily Herald
Gov. Bruce Rauner and lawmakers were doing battle in April 2015 over a state budget created in May 2014.
That's something to keep in mind as Illinois Republicans and Democrats get ready to enter the "final" week of their annual scheduled session in Springfield.
The specter of possible big cutbacks has mobilized suburban mayors, school leaders and taxpayers to pay more attention than usual to the state's spending plan.
It might be a long haul for them. If the Democratic majority in the coming days sends Rauner a spending plan he has not agreed to, the governor could be left with tough decisions over what gets funded that will continue throughout the year.
Plus, Rauner needs some support Democrats to win approval for his policy agenda, and if they're going along without him on the budget, he might lose a key point of leverage. He showed Thursday he didn't plan to back down.
"If legislators are willing to reform how we do business, they will find me an eager partner," Rauner wrote in a Springfield State Journal-Register op-ed. "If they are not, then they should expect a very long extra session because I will keep fighting for major reforms that will grow jobs and help properly fund services by shrinking waste inside government."
Read more in our daily News Update...
From the Chicago Daily Herald
Gov. Bruce Rauner and lawmakers were doing battle in April 2015 over a state budget created in May 2014.
That's something to keep in mind as Illinois Republicans and Democrats get ready to enter the "final" week of their annual scheduled session in Springfield.
The specter of possible big cutbacks has mobilized suburban mayors, school leaders and taxpayers to pay more attention than usual to the state's spending plan.
It might be a long haul for them. If the Democratic majority in the coming days sends Rauner a spending plan he has not agreed to, the governor could be left with tough decisions over what gets funded that will continue throughout the year.
Plus, Rauner needs some support Democrats to win approval for his policy agenda, and if they're going along without him on the budget, he might lose a key point of leverage. He showed Thursday he didn't plan to back down.
"If legislators are willing to reform how we do business, they will find me an eager partner," Rauner wrote in a Springfield State Journal-Register op-ed. "If they are not, then they should expect a very long extra session because I will keep fighting for major reforms that will grow jobs and help properly fund services by shrinking waste inside government."
Read more in our daily News Update...