Illinois' New Normal: No Budget, But Money Still Flowing
From the Chicago Tribune
With Illinois in its second month without a budget, the standoff between Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democrats who control the General Assembly hasn't resulted in a government shutdown.
Roads are being paved. Schools are funded for the upcoming year. The poor are getting health care. Driver's licenses are being renewed. State workers are being paid. And state parks remain open.
It's estimated that 8 out of every 10 state tax dollars has been freed from the limbo of the budget impasse, much of it either by law or a judge's ruling.
As for the money that's tied up in the fight, many companies and social service providers are still doing business with the state, taking it on blind faith that eventually there will be a budget and they'll get reimbursed. Others, like state universities, can afford to move money around for several months as they wait for a resolution.
Call it the new normal, where money continues to flow despite the absence of a budget. So far, that political dynamic is leaving little incentive for one side or the other to try to strike a deal.
"The governor had an opportunity to create pressure, and he went out of his way to avoid crisis," said Chris Mooney, director of the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois. "Most chief executives in the past usually set about to make the pain felt, to put the blame on the legislature to force them to come to the table. Not here."
Meanwhile, the state is spending and racking up bills at roughly the same rate as it did last year — $38 billion — while it only expects to take in about $32 billion after much of a 2011 temporary income tax hike expired in January.
Read more in our daily News Update...
From the Chicago Tribune
With Illinois in its second month without a budget, the standoff between Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democrats who control the General Assembly hasn't resulted in a government shutdown.
Roads are being paved. Schools are funded for the upcoming year. The poor are getting health care. Driver's licenses are being renewed. State workers are being paid. And state parks remain open.
It's estimated that 8 out of every 10 state tax dollars has been freed from the limbo of the budget impasse, much of it either by law or a judge's ruling.
As for the money that's tied up in the fight, many companies and social service providers are still doing business with the state, taking it on blind faith that eventually there will be a budget and they'll get reimbursed. Others, like state universities, can afford to move money around for several months as they wait for a resolution.
Call it the new normal, where money continues to flow despite the absence of a budget. So far, that political dynamic is leaving little incentive for one side or the other to try to strike a deal.
"The governor had an opportunity to create pressure, and he went out of his way to avoid crisis," said Chris Mooney, director of the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois. "Most chief executives in the past usually set about to make the pain felt, to put the blame on the legislature to force them to come to the table. Not here."
Meanwhile, the state is spending and racking up bills at roughly the same rate as it did last year — $38 billion — while it only expects to take in about $32 billion after much of a 2011 temporary income tax hike expired in January.
Read more in our daily News Update...