Gov. Bruce Rauner has signed SB 2059, which provides $600 million in emergency funding for Illinois' public universities through the rest of the semester. In a statement, the governor says "now is the time to build on this bipartisan momentum and focus on enacting a truly balanced budget for Fiscal Years 2016-2017." But he reiterated his call for business reforms at the same time.
To the shock of Republicans, the Democratic sponsor of a bill to provide partial state funding for state colleges and universities withdrew her measure just before a scheduled vote Thursday night.
GOP leaders in the Illinois General Assembly are proposing $1.3 billion in spending for human services. They say most of the money would come from state funds set up for special purposes.
A stalemate persists, as Illinois begins a tenth month without a budget. Legislators are back in Springfield after a spring break. They now have a few months to also find an agreement on a new budget, to cover next year.
The Democratic-led Illinois House passed legislation Thursday that would allocate nearly $3.7 billion for colleges and various human service programs. Republicans, though, say it a pre-primary sham because the state has no money. GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner's budget office sent a letter to House lawmakers before the vote saying he opposes the proposal.
