I want to thank Judge Robert LeChien for his ruling late Tuesday night affirming the authority of the Illinois Comptroller’s Office under the constitution to pay the state’s bills from the most appropriate funds. This is an important victory reinforcing my office’s role as a check and balance on an over-reaching governor.
Because of Governor Rauner’s failure to meet his constitutional responsibility to propose a balanced budget, we’re carefully managing increasingly scarce resources. That means prioritizing funding for State employee salaries and those who need it the most in our State, especially seniors, people who need medical care, and children.
For years, state maintenance and garage workers were paid from the facilities maintenance and garage funds. The legislature voted to appropriate money from those funds and The Governor signed that appropriation. But then The Governor began stashing cash in the garage and facilities maintenance funds, which he began referring to as “Government Shutdown Prevention Funds” and demanded our office raid the General Revenue Fund to pay those employees.
Pulling from the GRF makes no fiscal sense and it would mean healthcare workers, caretakers for the disabled, and mental health counselors who’ve waited months to get paid, would needlessly have to wait longer.
Those garage and facilities maintenance funds are $93 million in the black. The General Revenue Fund is $12 billion in the hole thanks to The Governor’s failure to propose a balanced budget for three years. The Governor’s demand to take money out of the overdrawn fund instead of the fund the Legislature appropriated it from is part of a public relations hoax he designed to scare state employees. State employees can see what he’s up to.
Judge LeChien ruled that The Comptroller has the discretion to require CMS to use the appropriated funds to pay their employees. We eagerly await CMS resubmitting their vouchers in compliance with the judge’s order so that they do not delay their employees getting paid. If Governor Rauner refuses to resubmit the vouchers, state employees can take that as further proof that his goal all along has been to build up his self-proclaimed “government shutdown prevention funds” at the expense of hard-working state employees’ paychecks.
I hope Governor Rauner takes his loss in court as a teachable moment. Instead of trying to sabotage perceived rivals and waste taxpayers’ money, he should focus on the one and only way out of Illinois’ financial crisis: A balanced budget.
First Governor Rauner killed the Senate’s ‘Grand Bargain,’ and now it looks like he’s orchestrating a government shutdown and socking money away that has been used by the previous Comptroller for payroll. While he talks publicly about collaboration, it’s a siege mentality that’s guiding his actions.
His most recent shenanigans are another attempt to distract from the financial devastation he has wrought on the state through a failure in leadership. If you did not already have enough proof, please refer to the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report our Office released today.
- Deft Wing - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 8:52 am:
“I hope Governor Rauner takes his loss in court as a teachable moment …”
That’s not likely going to happen, Rauner can’t seem to help himself. It’d be great if he engaged otherwise. Of course, the Comptroller would equally do well to demonstrate some professional maturity too, especially given her numerous rookie missteps she’s made.
Thoughtful and serious adults are needed now more than ever. Political hacks have already done their thing.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 8:52 am:
Abdon!
Way too long, bud.
“We won because Bruce Rauner is more concerned about keeping his train wreck under control, irregardless of the honesty in budgeting and budgets. Today’s ruling put a white hot spotlight where Governor Rauner continues to fail Illinois.”
The rest?
Kitchen sinks are best left in the kitchen.
Tighter, bud. Tighter. Save the sink for the Rauner responses.
OW
- Steward As Well - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 8:52 am:
Judge LeChien has been a busy guy lately….
- JoeMaddon - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 8:54 am:
Yea… what OW said.
Write less.
- Bobby Catalpa - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 8:57 am:
Rock star response! Perfect.
More, please.
- Honeybear - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 8:59 am:
That’s gonna leave a mark! Thank a loving God. James 5:4 fr
- Bobby Catalpa - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 9:01 am:
BTW — if there’s one line in that response that’s gonna bug Rauner — like, really, really bug him — it’s the “teachable moment.”
Rauner one of those dudes that assumes he knows everything he needs to know. He doesn’t, but that’s the kind of arrogance that vulture capitalism millions buys.
- Deft Wing - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 9:01 am:
Criticizing a spokesperson for not using “irregardless”.
That’s your best, OW. No doubt about it.
- Ole' Nelson - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 9:03 am:
Agree with Mr. Catalpa on the “teachable moment.”
It is hard to learn anything when you know everything. The Governor believes he and his millions have it all figured out.
- Stumpy's bunker - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 9:10 am:
Hopefully, many more “teachable moments” are ahead for our governor through November, 2018
- Cubs in '16 - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 9:11 am:
I agree with previous commenters about the “teachable moment” dig at the Gov. It’s been really refreshing to see various individuals recently calling Rauner out (Mendoza, Cullerton, Chance, et al). I find myself wildly cheering any Rauner loss because my hope is each one moves us closer to an end to this mess.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 9:12 am:
- Deft Wing -
I was trying to capture the Spirit of the Thing.
Regardless of your own critique, thanks for adding to the discussion!
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 9:18 am:
“Writing less” on complicated matters of budgeting and law leads to unsupported snake-oil claims that bumper sticker slogans like “Turnaround Agenda” are actual thoughtful policy and worth their ROI.
The governor’s position here sounds like the result of a head injury, arguing more bills should be paid from a fund already $12B in the hole.
What passes for a fiscal conservative businessman these days in some circles.
- Robert the Bruce - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 9:27 am:
I actually thought the release was great. Long, yes, but full of both good quotes and facts.
And CEO’s hate being on the receiving end of condescension: “teachable moment” was brilliant.
- Pundent - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 9:28 am:
I have no problem with the length of Abdon’s message and there is a narrative here that requires some explanation to truly understand the issue. Most press shops are going to pluck the noteworthy lines and “teachable moment” will leave a mark.
- non - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 9:35 am:
Hate to break it to you. The only teachable moment the governor could understand will be losing his next election.
- JS Mill - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 9:38 am:
The Mendoza Shop (cherry picking from OW) seems to be picking up speed in terms of messaging.
As relentless as the Rauner Shop has been over the last two plus years, Mendoza seems to be putting some wins on the board of late.
Throwing the proverbial kitchen sink at ‘em may not be a bad idea as they develop the message, eventually they need to keep it to the “facts” to sound different than the Rauner droning though.
Keep on keepin’ on.
- How Ironic - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 9:39 am:
Rauner does a slow burn muttering “Mendoza and the purse-strings she controls!”
- Flynn's mom - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 9:42 am:
Great response from the Comptroller. Loved the teachable moment part but I’m not sure he’ll allow himself to learn.
- bigred - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 9:44 am:
rookie move….you dont thank a Judge for a ruling. signed, the Judge ( retired )
- Scottish - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 9:50 am:
I doubt the funds are $93 million in the black; that number doesn’t include outstanding liabilities like the $12 billion number does.
Another issue with shifting payrolls to GRF is that the group insurance costs associated with those employees is being absorbed by GRF rather than paid from appropriate funds. The insurance costs are built into the rates agencies pay.
- Norseman - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 10:03 am:
Looks like Rauner is going to miss his wingman. Well done Mendoza.
- Bored Chairman - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 10:09 am:
Gotta love that Judge LeChien. There isn’t a case that a Democratic machine pol or a union files that he isn’t all about ruling in favor of. Is St. Clair County our own banana republic?
- The Dude Abides - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 10:10 am:
In the past week things haven’t gone well for the self described “persistent rascal”. OW nailed it as usual. The Governor needs funds to keep the train wreck he created going as long as necessary. I wonder if his objective for running for Governor ever had anything to do with making this state a better place to live. If so he appears to have lost sight of that objective.
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 10:11 am:
Rauner isn’t even trying to govern. His actions tell us this. It is good that his duplicity is being exposed.
The sooner Rauner is out, the better. He raised our taxes through his gubernatorial mismanagement. Rauner cost us more and it will take Illinois a decade to catch up to the bad old days we had before Rauner made our situation even worse.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 10:15 am:
Remember: for Team BigBrain, this was a self inflicted wound. Mebbe some of those lawyers he’s got on staff can tell him to consider the risks of spouting off like this.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 10:19 am:
- Bored Chairman -
===There isn’t a case that a Democratic machine pol or a union files that he isn’t all about ruling in favor of. Is St. Clair County our own banana republic?===
Please, keep up.
“Thanks!”
http://bit.ly/2mG8z6p
- Arthur Andersen - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 10:37 am:
Simply because those two revolving funds have a $93 million balance at the present time in no way means they have “surplus funds” and/or are stockpiling cash.
Someone who knows what they’re doing needs to look at the receivables and payables for each fund and determine the true balance. Slow pay on rent, or just let the JRTC slide a bit more into the crapper are a couple ways to build that balance.
The Rauner Crew screwed up when they tried to play the game with something as obvious as payroll. Once again, the OODA Loop crashes and burns because they don’t “D” very well.
- Seats - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 10:40 am:
I’m a bit curious why Rauner would file this at St Clair County. Wouldn’t his odds be better if he had went somewhere else?
- A Jack - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 10:40 am:
Perhaps the Governor and his staff might take a course in governmental accounting.
They teach a good course out at UIS, if it hasn’t been shut down by the Governor’s budget failures.
- Flynn's mom - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 10:56 am:
@OW, I think this calls for a Dad’s Home State episode. Maybe it could be shot at a remote location, such as a court room in St. Clair County.
- Rico - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 11:32 am:
Squirrel found a nut
- P. - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 11:37 am:
Simply because those two revolving funds have a $93 million balance at the present time in no way means they have “surplus funds” and/or are stockpiling cash.
The administration called them government shutdown prevention funds last week. Wouldn’t by that definition be an indicator they are stockpiling cash?
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 12:01 pm:
So does this mean, my receivable, as a vendor, that she has been sitting on for 3 months now- & 9 on my books,,,from a fund that is specifically for them, vouched to pay them with cash in it to pay them, she will release to me? This is a joke
- A Jack - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 12:19 pm:
The Comptroller was not going after the whole balance of the fund, but the amount that had been previously appropriated for salaries, but had been not been expended. Rauner had no legal rights to those funds, but obviously needs a course in appropriations, expenditures, and fund accounting.
Governmental accounting is a different animal than public accounting. Apparently someone from a private equity background is ill equipped in understanding that.
- Ghost - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 12:20 pm:
this was a dumb fight by Rauner and the loss works to support the idea he is the problem. it was a poorly thought out move by his team
- Jimmy H - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 12:25 pm:
There’s a new Sheriff in town… Great job Mendoza!
- Honeybear - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 12:31 pm:
P- correct me if I’m wrong but squirting away funds for strike breakers when it wasn’t intended for that is
Unfair labor practice
Add that one to ULP mountain
- Beeker - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 12:57 pm:
Ramble, ramble, ramble. On and on and on. Another politician with no actual substance. Easy tell.
- Arthur Andersen - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 1:03 pm:
P-wasn’t it the Comptroller and not the Governor’s staff who coined the term “government shutdown prevention funds?”
If they even try to take funds intended by law to pay rent or gasoline for the State fleet, some landlord may well beat feet over to the Sangamon County courthouse and kill that plan.
Rauner Crew, here’s a chance to pull out of the loop before your plane hits the ground.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 1:40 pm:
“Shutdown prevention” doesn’t automatically mean related to strike, although that seems to be the hard wired response around here. They said these funds are being used for things like rent an emergency infrastructure, without which many things would “shutdown”
- Honeybear - Wednesday, Mar 8, 17 @ 1:53 pm:
Sorry AA replied on different post. It was CMS acting director Hoffman who said it.