Busting the Myths About the Illinois Budget Impasse

Gov. Bruce Rauner recently has said the $5 billion unbalanced budget passed by Democrats last year not only was unconstitutional, but that it also has led to the current standoff in Springfield.

What Rauner hasn't talked about his the fact that his own proposed budget, introduced in February, was balanced only after including $2.2 billion in savings from a pension reform plan that, realistically, had no hope of becoming law before 2017 and, even more realistically, probably never would become law.

Rauner also has said it's the General Assembly's job to deliver a balanced budget that meets state constitutional muster.

The Illinois Constitution, however, says otherwise:

(a) The Governor shall prepare and submit to the General Assembly, at a time prescribed by law, a State budget for the ensuing fiscal year... Proposed expenditures shall not exceed funds estimated to be available for the fiscal year as shown in the budget.
(b) The General Assembly by law shall make appropriations for all expenditures of public funds by the State. Appropriations for a fiscal year shall not exceed funds estimated by the General Assembly to be available during that year.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Michael Madigan for the last four months consistently has demanded that Rauner drop his demands for political and economic reforms as conditions for negotiating on tax increases to create a balanced budget.

He describes Rauner's reforms as "non-budget issues" that should not be used to leverage bargaining on the state budget.

If you've followed Illinois politics over the years, you should know that everything is in play when getting a balanced budget passed is on the line. Any issue can become relevant to the state budget if legislative leaders decide to make it so. Horse-trading in the General Assembly often includes budget votes.

There is a deep philosophical divide between the Republican Rauner and the Democrats who control the General Assembly, but it doesn't help our current situation when either side blurs the context of the budget standoff for political gain.

That's what we're talking about on this week's "Only in Illinois." Watch the full video here.



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