Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Rauner budget director to brief reporters at noon

Posted in:

Illinois
Updated Posts

* I’ll post a special ScribbleLive feed just before this starts…

SPRINGFIELD – GOMB Director Tim Nuding will hold a conference call to discuss the consequences of the General Assembly adjourning without passing a balanced budget with reforms.

Time: 12:00 p.m.

Date: Friday, May 27, 2016

…Adding… As promised, here’s the new
ScribbleLive feed

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, May 27, 16 @ 10:56 am

Comments

Oh goody, is he going to present the numbers on the reforms?

Comment by burbanite Friday, May 27, 16 @ 10:57 am
===GOMB Director Tim Nuding will hold a conference call to discuss the consequences of the General Assembly adjourning without passing a balanced budget with reforms.===

Nice try.

See Rauner quote from Monique’s Tweet and the Sandack Tweet.

Rauner has decided to “own” this. Reforms?

What a sad way to destroy under the guise of helping.

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, May 27, 16 @ 10:58 am
Tim will do OK describing the hazards of not having a budget. Of course, we’ve been getting constant updates on that. The reforms stuff is more Rauner baloney.

Comment by Norseman Friday, May 27, 16 @ 11:00 am
DONNA ARDUIN: Why doesn’t Illinois have a budget?

TIM NUDING: Simple. The Legislature has not passed a balanced budget. Last spring, the Legislature passed a budget plan. It was wildly out of balance, a fact admitted openly by those who voted for it.

So, in a break from the practices of some past governors, Gov. Rauner actually vetoed the unbalanced budget. Honestly, it was refreshing to see an Illinois governor veto an unbalanced budget. Illinoisans haven’t been accustomed to that. Since the governor’s veto, the Legislature has not passed an alternative budget.

DONNA: Why didn’t the governor just veto the budget down to a level that was affordable? Couldn’t he have done that?

TIM: This is a claim that a lot of Democrats that supported the unbalanced budget have made. Because of the way the budget was presented, that approach was not feasible. I’ll explain. The Legislature locks in a lot of state spending in various big-spending areas by state law – state law that can only be changed by the Legislature. So, vetoing appropriations in those areas would not have resulted in savings, because the spending is controlled by law, not by appropriation. Since those laws weren’t changed to reduce costs, simply reducing the line items would have done nothing to cut costs. It would have resulted in higher backlogs of unpaid bills. The budget would not have been balanced at all.

So by leaving many spending laws intact, the Legislature effectively prevented the governor from making vetoes in those areas. What was left was a more than $4 billion out-of-balance budget that mostly protected areas such as Medicaid, state-employee pension payments, and payments to cities and counties, while leaving funding for our schools exposed to the veto pen. And be assured, the Democratic majority structured it this way by design. They knew exactly what they were doing. They were daring the new governor to veto funding for schools. It was politics.

As a result of this approach, where the Democrats protected almost every other area of the budget, the only true option the governor had with his veto pen was to slash funding for schools by billions of dollars in order to balance the budget. Because education is the governor’s top priority, that was not an approach consistent with his values or his priorities. Therefore, he signed the education-funding bill and outright vetoed the rest of the budget, asking the Legislature to send him a balanced budget. The Legislature hasn’t passed an alternative budget since.

https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illinois-budget-from-the-inside-a-conversation-with-state-budget-director-tim-nuding/

Comment by Handle Bar Mustache Friday, May 27, 16 @ 11:02 am
Translation: Sorry, hostages, we had to do this.

Cue Ron Sandack tweets.

Comment by Handle Bar Mustache Friday, May 27, 16 @ 11:04 am
“The Governor shall prepare and submit to the General Assembly, at a time prescribed by law, a State budget for the ensuing fiscal year.” — Illinois Constitution, Article VIII, Section 2(a)

Will Mr. Nuding address the governor’s ongoing dereliction of duty?

– MrJM

Comment by @MisterJayEm Friday, May 27, 16 @ 11:05 am
The news report said Rauner need the meeting. He owns the deliberate destruction.

Comment by illinois manufacturer Friday, May 27, 16 @ 11:09 am
Hope he gets a question regarding the size and details of the Rauner Five Billion Dollar Tax Increase. Rauner wants taxes raised really badly. Actually, he needs them. Two years of willful negligence to the duties of the Office of Governor by failing to produce a balanced budget. No revenue plan. Deliberate, willful and hurtful Failure. Hey Capitol Press corps, press Rauner on his missing Revenue plan. His agency directors have asked appropriation committees for billions more than the current $32 billion in revenue. Ask him about his Revenue plan for FY16. He should have one by now as we only have one more month in the year. No more delay, the year is nearly done. Ask him! Ask him already.

Comment by Beaner Friday, May 27, 16 @ 11:09 am
And 2nd prize? Two Nuding calls…hopefully someone will ask about the two $4 billion gaps in the two BigBrain budgets and how big a whuppin’ Wingman got after not mentionin’ the TA on Sam’s show.

Comment by Annonin' Friday, May 27, 16 @ 11:11 am
“We’re winning”. No questions. Dial tone.

Comment by unspun Friday, May 27, 16 @ 11:12 am
BTW Durkie and/or SqueezeTheBeast said they knew noting of BigBrain bid to cut retiree health care…check on last nite Collective Bargainin’ Meetin’

Comment by Annonin' Friday, May 27, 16 @ 11:17 am
Once again Rauner shows what a coward he is by sending an underling to answer the questions.

Comment by Daniel Plainview Friday, May 27, 16 @ 11:20 am
=== @MisterJayEm

Read a bit further in that sections and we see that the state constitution also calls for for the budget to be balanced …. The dems in the ILGA have not been willing to compromise on the expenditure part of the equation that will result in balance - so the GOV has no budget to present.

“Proposed expenditures shall not exceed funds
estimated to be available for the fiscal year as shown in the”
budget.

Comment by lech W Friday, May 27, 16 @ 11:21 am
Changes to redistricting reduces our overall debt by how much?

Changes to workers compensation reduces our overall debt by how much?

Changes to tort law (is this still no the table?) reduces our overall debt by how much?

A property tax freeze reduces our overall debt by how much?

Comment by Under Influenced Friday, May 27, 16 @ 11:26 am
== Once again Rauner shows what a coward he is by sending an underling to answer the questions. ==

Rauner knows he personally has zero credibility.

Comment by RNUG Friday, May 27, 16 @ 11:28 am
Rauner owns this crisis and Republicans will probably suffer from his incompetence in November. His inaction continues to harm the people of Illinois and our communities. Instead of pushing for a fake turn-around agenda, he should be proposing the balanced budget that he claims he wants. The lies need to end, Illinois needs to move forward.

Comment by Ree Friday, May 27, 16 @ 11:28 am
It is an outrage to have the budget director talk about the budget

Comment by Lucky Pierre Friday, May 27, 16 @ 11:29 am
Will Greg Baise, Todd Maisch and Mark Denzler be there on backup vocals?

Comment by Handle Bar Mustache Friday, May 27, 16 @ 11:31 am
Does he RNUG? I have an impending crisis list……No pay for workers w/o appropriation July1….Fall no school of any kind.Now no more social service system.Anytime now a forced AFSCME strike plus the litigation that will result from no DCFS boo food for prisons.Chaos from sorting out who is an essential employee and if they can get paid. This would apply to a shutdown or forced strike.What happens to say home health workers who arestate and fed and there is no one to process their pay or any other Bill?Have I missed something or added to much? Honeybees or others involved when this all hits the fan?

Comment by illinois manufacturer Friday, May 27, 16 @ 11:38 am
Rauner: “The beatins’ will continue until morale improves.”

Comment by Anonymous Friday, May 27, 16 @ 11:42 am
We could have reformed the tax structure, by sending a progressive/graduated income tax structure measure to the voters. But…

Comment by here we go Friday, May 27, 16 @ 11:46 am
Illinois has been a failing state for years, growing ever so slowly, and ignoring budgeting realities. However, if you read these comments it seems like it is all on the Governor. Interesting.

Comment by The Machine Friday, May 27, 16 @ 11:48 am
It is all on the gov the consitution says so. I also think this budget showed we are limited on cuts by mandated spending.most so called discretionary spnding is education higher and k12 and that we need. The only way we could balance by cuts would be to pull out of Medicaid somehow.

Comment by illinois manufacturer Friday, May 27, 16 @ 11:53 am
hey machine - there are many other comments that never get though Rich . I am sure many of those comments acknowledge the the man in charge for the last 3 plus decades is just a guilty as the Johnny come lately.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, May 27, 16 @ 11:53 am
Hopefully Nuding Will Be His Spokesman From Now On. Tired Of Listening To Rauner’s G Droping, S Droping…

Comment by SHAKE Friday, May 27, 16 @ 11:54 am
He’s making a great case for new revenue.

Comment by DeKalb Guy Friday, May 27, 16 @ 12:09 pm
===Says it’s a “myth” that Rauner can use line item veto to balance budget===

It’s far from a myth Tim, it’s a fact that the governor has that option.

Comment by PublicServant Friday, May 27, 16 @ 12:10 pm
Is there, or will there be audio/video of this presser?

Comment by Anon221 Friday, May 27, 16 @ 12:14 pm
“The governor is not going to cut education by 40 or 50 percent to balance this budget, he’s not gonna do it.”

And this is your problem, Tim. If the Governor had shown a willingness or desire to actually implement cuts, even if he disagrees with them, he would have much stronger negotiating position. But instead we get pensions holidays and demands for local government collective bargaining changes so that he can get more revenue that his own budget needs. Even noted tax and spend liberal Quinn was more willing to take an axe to spending than this guy.

Comment by Juice Friday, May 27, 16 @ 12:24 pm
The idea that the Governor is cowardly for sending his budget director is just plain silly. All Governors have their budget directors do things like this. It’s part of the job, Nuding isn’t feeling dumped on, and he’s very good at this

Comment by steve schnorf Friday, May 27, 16 @ 12:28 pm
== refinancing bonded debt for savings is “one option we’re looking at.” ==

Follow the money. More profits for the 1.4%.

Comment by RNUG Friday, May 27, 16 @ 12:29 pm
===A tax increase alone is not going to solve Illinois’ problems, and that’s why reforms are necessary.===

Stick to the budget Timmy.

Comment by PublicServant Friday, May 27, 16 @ 12:30 pm
“The governor is not going to cut education by 40 or 50 percent to balance this budget, he’s not gonna do it.”

I thought Voices for Children pointed out that even cutting 100% of K-12 funding won’t balance the budget. Revenue is a need, not a give.

Comment by illini97 Friday, May 27, 16 @ 12:32 pm
http://thetelegraph.com/opinion/83392/becker-on-seniors-and-the-state

On consent decrees.

Comment by Anon221 Friday, May 27, 16 @ 12:32 pm
Rauner Feb 6, 2016: “Borrowing money is just a tax hike delayed, and it is wrong.”
relating to torpedoing CPS Bond Issue.

Comment by Beaner Friday, May 27, 16 @ 12:34 pm
If Rauner was politically smart he would’ve cut a balanced budget deal with no turnaround agenda items with Madigan from the get go and then go after AFSCME with all of his might. No one, not even the Dems , would’ve cared about afscme’s fate. Not so anymore. Now governor has super low approval ratings and has brought afscme together with GA dems, Social services, higher ed and the rest of labor. Rauner made the mistake of trying to do everything at once. He doesn’t seem to realize that politics is the art of the possible and it was very possible to destroy afscme in January 2015. Not so much anymore.

Comment by DHSJim Friday, May 27, 16 @ 12:58 pm
the state constitution also calls for for the budget to be balanced …. The dems in the ILGA have not been willing to compromise on the expenditure part of the equation that will result in balance - so the GOV has no budget to present.

“Proposed expenditures shall not exceed funds
estimated to be available for the fiscal year as shown in the” budget.

I can’t possibly address all of the misunderstandings contained in this, so I will merely try to address the most glaring: The gotcha quote is from Article VIII, Section 2(a). That section enumerates the Illinois Constitution’s budgetary requirements of the GOVERNOR. That’s why the drafters started Section 2(a) with the helpfully unambiguous phrase “The Governor shall…”

By contrast, Section 2(b) — the one that begins “The General Assembly by law shall…” — enumerates the constitution’s budgetary requirements of the General Assembly.

So rather than rebutting my (admittedly pedestrian) observation that the Governor is constitutionally required to present a budget, the quoted language merely clarifies the nature of the mandated budget that this governor has failed to submit.

(I want to get a jump on the three-day weekend, so I will not have time to fully address the scientific and philosophical problems inherent in the post’s causality violation. Suffice to say: Effect must always follow Cause, never vice versa.)

– MrJM

Comment by @MisterJayEm Friday, May 27, 16 @ 1:00 pm
The only cowards here are the legislators that continue to send appropriation bills without any way to pay for them and then complain that the governor won’t specify on revenue. Really?! Since he’s SOOOOO bad, how about the Legislature send him a real budget to sign? Not going to happen, because they don’t really care about constitutionality at all. They only care about the politics of it. I have a difficult time holding one side as any “better” than the other at this point. Someone needs to remind legislators, though, that the Governor isn’t up for election this year. Only legislators are. And there are a WHOLE lot more Dems than Republicans up. Right now, both sides are gambling, and it’s hurting real people. Get it done.

Comment by Anon Friday, May 27, 16 @ 1:34 pm
Easier said than done Anon. Rauner wants the Dems to sell a key constituent of their’s down the river to pass a budget. The only thing he’s offering in return is to raise taxes, something that he not only wants but needs to do. He’s obviously a horrible negotiator. And he’s the governor. And governors own.

Comment by DHSJim Friday, May 27, 16 @ 1:41 pm
DHSJim +1 TOTALLY RIGHT The best way to isolate AFSCME would have been to get the other stuff off the table. Then NO ONE WOULD HAVE CARED! Exactly right. But for those of privilege they have to been seen as “fighting”. What arrogance.

Comment by Honeybear Friday, May 27, 16 @ 2:59 pm
Hopefully that arrogance is their downfall. And hopefully they don’t drag the rest of the State down with them.

Comment by DHSJim Friday, May 27, 16 @ 3:47 pm