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Senate leaders promise their budget will balance in FY 18

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Illinois

The Illinois Senate’s “grand bargain” package of bills will be revised to create a balanced budget, Senate President John Cullerton and Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno said Monday.

During a meeting with The State Journal-Register editorial board, Cullerton, D-Chicago, said he will show Senate Democrats a draft for the state to have a balanced budget by June 30, 2018. […]

Cullerton said he believes the analysis produced by Rauner’s budget office contained some flawed assumptions, and that lawmakers will be able to work throughout the spring on a balanced spending plan for next year that will be based on additional revenue. […]

Cullerton warned that the state could be facing another credit downgrade if it doesn’t take action this month to show it is dealing with the budget crisis.

Subscribers know more about those claimed “flawed assumptions” by GOMB.

* More on the possible credit downgrade from Pierog and McKinney…

Fitch has warned that inaction on the budget front would result in a downgrade by the end of this month.

“If they do not do something that comprehensively addresses their budget problem and their long-term accumulated budgetary liabilities, then we certainly would take action,” Fitch analyst Karen Krop said Monday.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 8:56 am

Comments

I believe it was Word, last week, that asked where the COGFA analysis of the plan was. There a bit more independent than that wholly owned subsidiary of the governor, GOMB.

Comment by PublicServant Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 8:59 am
Cullterton (from the article)_ “…and that lawmakers will be able to work throughout the spring on a balanced spending plan for next year that will be based on additional revenue.”

OK… now what about the rest of this year and all the past due bills??? How long is “spring” going to take?

Another casualty of the Budget Battles- funerals…

“…many funeral homes are now waiting to make sure a family can pay before they take custody of a body from the morgue.

That means a heavier burden on local governments to keep those bodies stored. It also likely means more families who never get to say a proper goodbye to their deceased loved ones.”

http://northernpublicradio.org/post/no-budget-means-state-unable-provide-funerals-financially-strapped-families

Comment by Anon221 Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 9:06 am
===and all the past due bills?===

Try to keep up. We’ve gone over that several times already.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 9:13 am
==now what about the rest of this year==

This FY is already so close to over that the only way to balance the budget at this point is to basically send everyone home, turn off all the lights, lock all the doors, and try again in July.

Comment by Arsenal Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 9:23 am
I believe economists profess that a dollar circulates 5-7 times in the local community. Borrowing to pay the 10-13 billion in due bills translates to 50-90 billion in economic stimulus. certainly worth considering, right Mr. Governor?

Comment by don the legend Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 9:27 am
Plan based on additional revenue! Translation, your taxes will be going even higher, without reform and less spending, if this becomes law!

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 9:36 am
===your taxes will be going even higher, without reform and less spending, if this becomes law!===

The governor’s “reforms”, according to his own figures provided to Rich, barely register any financial savings. In addition, the governor, who said he could balance the budget without tax increases has yet to show his work. Cut the baloney! New taxes are needed period. Time for both sides of the isle to acknowledge that fact. And lastly, you’re just plain wrong. The plan has reforms, and spending cuts too.

Comment by PublicServant Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 9:48 am
Gah! Aisle.

Comment by PublicServant Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 9:49 am
Smell the roses Public Servant! This rush through plan, with a 4.9% state income tax rate, will not be enough to balanced the budget by 2018. Their plan is to increases taxes by an even higher rate, than proposed, with no additional cuts in spending, once this is passed!

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 9:59 am
===…your taxes will be going even higher, without reform and less spending, if this becomes law!===

Really? How so?

Show your work. Also, show the actual monetary measures of “reforms”

Rauner’s reforms measured out to $500+ million.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 10:02 am
Roads, bridges, teachers, cops, firefighters = taxes. You don’t want to live in civilized society? Head for the woods, build a little hut, don’t pay taxes. Stop crying.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 10:03 am
Lo siento, that was me at 10:03.

Comment by Ray del Camino Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 10:04 am
Do we have 2 ” - Anonymous - ” now arguing both sides?

To the Post,

Rauner asked for the GA to come up with a budget, since as a governor, Rauner refuses to come up with a budget. Now Rauner sits. Now IPI attacks. Now Cullerton and Radogno work.

More working towards an end that IS a budget, please.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 10:07 am
Structural deficit is and has been the issue. A tax system that has not kept pace or expanded to capture the growth in the economy to cover the growth in the expenses. Now that the pension fund seems off limits state government is running out of ways to deal with the SD without raising taxes and cutting spending. Reforms (the right kind) can and should be a part of the equation. The senate is trying to do the doable and I give them great credit!

Comment by facts are stubborn things Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 10:18 am
Road and bridge construction does not come out of the General Revenue fund. Road and bridge construction is paid for using motor fuel tax funds (among others) every time you fill your car with gas. MFT hasn’t gone up sites the 1990’s and there are no plans to increase it.

Comment by Huh? Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 10:20 am
>The Illinois Senate’s “grand bargain” package of bills will be revised to create a balanced budget, Senate President John Cullerton and Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno said Monday.

Great leadership here, worthy of celebrating. Instead of attacks on their plan, I’d rather see attacks on Rauner for not having an alternative balanced budget proposal out there, and on the Illinois Democratic Party for not having their alternative out there.

Comment by Earnest Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 10:23 am
Movement on trying to reach a grand bargain is commendable, but there may still be issues that get ignored or overlooked in the rush to reach that bargain. My main concern is if all past due issues will be adequately addressed. There are cuts that have happened that are a direct result of the mess to date, and those cuts will probably not be part of the overall fiscal analysis of this multi-part, all-or-nothing proposal.

http://tinyurl.com/hfa3y72

“Under the Senate’s proposal, SIU would receive $93.4 million on top of the $106.2 million it received from the June stopgap spending plan. But the university, like others across the state, used the stopgap money to pay for expenses from the 2015-16 school year, during which it received only $57.5 million from an emergency funding measure approved in April.

In effect, Charles said, because the June stopgap money was used for last year’s expenses, the $93.4 million from the Senate plan would be SIU’s only state funding for the current year, compared with $199.6 million for the 2014-15 school year.”

The same thing has happened for human services that had to borrow to stay open to fulfill their contracts with the state. Those that are still open are, in effect, supporting the State and getting no relief for the additional costs incurred to keep their doors open.

Comment by Anon221 Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 10:34 am
===Their plan is to increases taxes by an even higher rate, than proposed, with no additional cuts in spending, once this is passed!===

Well, since you used an exclamation point, I know you’re serious. Thanks for that. Oh, and I’m smelling something emanating from your general direction, but I don’t think it’s roses. And, again, there are spending cuts and reforms in the plan!

Comment by PublicServant Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 10:53 am
==Cullerton said he believes the analysis produced by Rauner’s budget office…==

What he meant to say is “Since Bruce refuses to fulfill his constitutionally required duty (to propose a budget), Christine and I decided to give it a shot.”

Comment by Jocko Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 12:34 pm
You say flawed assumptions, I say alternative facts.

Comment by Shemp Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 12:36 pm
The “input” from the governor’s office about an “unbalanced proposal” are like when you help your buddy move, and he yells at you to be careful carrying his bedroom set up the stairs, while he’s carrying sheets and pillows.

“Anytime you want to show me how to do your job, pal, grab the heavy end.”

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 3:04 pm