Lights Out At Capitol? Impasse Starts To Sting
From the Bloomington Pantagraph
With Illinois poised to enter its fourth month without a budget, the drum beat of a more pervasive government shutdown is getting louder.
Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration warned last week that vendors are starting to balk at delivering food to state-run nursing homes for veterans.
And, Secretary of State Jesse White says he's worried the lights might be turned out in the Capitol and other state offices if he can't convince utility companies to hold on much longer without being paid.
"We are concerned the local utility companies will discontinue providing electricity, gas and coal," White said in a letter to the Republican governor. "In addition, the entity that performs daily garbage pickup and removal has threatened to discontinue this service."
The prospect of mounds of garbage surrounding one of the state's most historic buildings comes as much of state government continues to operate via court orders and agreements between Rauner and the Democrats who control the Legislature.
Schools have been promised state funding this year and a judge has ordered that state workers and some welfare-related services be paid, creating the facade that even one of the most dysfunctional state governments in the nation can continue to operate without an official spending blueprint.
The lack of a budget, however, means the entities that keep the wheels of government rolling are not being paid.
Read more in our daily News Update...
From the Bloomington Pantagraph
With Illinois poised to enter its fourth month without a budget, the drum beat of a more pervasive government shutdown is getting louder.
Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration warned last week that vendors are starting to balk at delivering food to state-run nursing homes for veterans.
And, Secretary of State Jesse White says he's worried the lights might be turned out in the Capitol and other state offices if he can't convince utility companies to hold on much longer without being paid.
"We are concerned the local utility companies will discontinue providing electricity, gas and coal," White said in a letter to the Republican governor. "In addition, the entity that performs daily garbage pickup and removal has threatened to discontinue this service."
The prospect of mounds of garbage surrounding one of the state's most historic buildings comes as much of state government continues to operate via court orders and agreements between Rauner and the Democrats who control the Legislature.
Schools have been promised state funding this year and a judge has ordered that state workers and some welfare-related services be paid, creating the facade that even one of the most dysfunctional state governments in the nation can continue to operate without an official spending blueprint.
The lack of a budget, however, means the entities that keep the wheels of government rolling are not being paid.
Read more in our daily News Update...