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Police and firefighter widows are also impasse hostages

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Illinois

Illinois owes a group of women whose police officer and firefighter husbands died in the line of duty more than $351,000 apiece for their losses, but the state’s chronic inability to pass a budget has left all of them unpaid like thousands of state vendors.

The widows’ plight in a state with a $12.7 billion unpaid bill backlog represents yet another frustrating byproduct of lllinois’ 22-month budget stalemate, a span of fiscal ineptitude unmatched by any other U.S. state.

Illinois has limped along without a full operating budget during that time because the state’s Democratic-led legislature and Republican Governor Bruce Rauner have clashed over a list of nonbudgetary demands he has insisted be part of any budget deal. All told, seven Illinois women have been waiting as long as a year for their shares of more than $2.7 million in awards and interest owed under the state’s Line of Duty Compensation Act, which mandates one-time payments and burial reimbursements to the families of fallen first responders.

The Senate passed a stand-alone appropriation for this program last year, but it went nowhere in the House. Instead, the House put the line item into its budget which went nowhere in the Senate.

* And the governor is saying the widows will have to wait until there’s a deal on the governor’s reforms and a balanced budget plan…

Rauner spokeswoman Eleni Demertzis told Reuters the governor believes the state should “uphold any promised payments made to the families” of fallen first responders. But she emphasized the payments should be part of a broader budget deal.

That is something the governor has failed to broker since taking office in January 2015. He has butted heads with Democrats over his insistence that his enactment of a budget be conditional on approval of state workers’ compensation changes, term limits for legislative leaders and a property-tax freeze, among other things.

“Unfortunately, they cannot be paid until the General Assembly passes a balanced budget,” Demertzis said of the widows in a statement. “Governor Rauner continues to advocate for a solution that balances the budget and ensures payment of those types of benefits.”

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Apr 3, 17 @ 11:54 am

Comments

Term limits before widows

Comment by Anon E. Moose Monday, Apr 3, 17 @ 11:56 am
== “Unfortunately, they cannot be paid until the General Assembly passes a balanced budget,” ==

Pass a stand-alone bill like the GA started to last year and put the Governor on the spot. If Rauner doesn’t sign it, it becomes one powerful campaign ad against him.

Comment by RNUG Monday, Apr 3, 17 @ 11:58 am
This is another example of how politically wounded anyone with ties to political insiders or mean spirited hardline cut government/Trump/GOP types will have in 2018 elections. Always help the first responders and their families.

Comment by Rocky Rosi Monday, Apr 3, 17 @ 12:02 pm
The hostage-taker is now an advocate for the hostages? This can officially get no more bizzare

Comment by Harvest76 Monday, Apr 3, 17 @ 12:10 pm
“fiscal ineptitude”

I think he’s on to something!

Comment by WhoKnew Monday, Apr 3, 17 @ 12:12 pm
For crying out loud, the Rauner Administration has been screaming their heads off that pinstripe patronage IT consultants should be paid right now, but police and fire widows have to get in line?

Think you can do take a swing at that one, Democrats? You haven’t taken your bat off your shoulders for two years for every outrageous beach ball down Browdway that Rauner has served up.

Has rigor mortis set in?

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Apr 3, 17 @ 12:13 pm
When some give all, you don’t hold their families hostage. I agree with RNUG- pass a bill and see how long Rauner sits on it. If he vetoes it, override and use that as a solid reminder for 2018.

https://www.fsi.illinois.edu/content/library/iflodd/
https://www.odmp.org/search/browse/illinois

Comment by Anon221 Monday, Apr 3, 17 @ 12:15 pm
Where could this money come from?

Rauner’s glitzy new fleet of vehicles?

His IT boondoggle?

His army of Munger cronies that were shuffled into the governor’s office?

Comment by Precinct Captain Monday, Apr 3, 17 @ 12:37 pm
Literally shocked Team Rauner didn’t find a way to work in a hit on Mendoza here.

Comment by hisgirlfriday Monday, Apr 3, 17 @ 12:44 pm
Somebody dig up the footage of Rauner praising cops and fire fighters and telling them he’s behind them 100 percent and there’s no more important work than what they do… and then show him vetoing a bill to pay these widows. You don;t need a million dollar ad campaign. I guarantee you the viral earned media from one airing will carry it for weeks, months, even. Agree with RNUG and ‘Slinger, Dems, it’s not a cheap shot to point out something evil the guy is doing or in this case not doing. Time to hold up the truth mirror to this guy’s daily lies.

Comment by Newsclown Monday, Apr 3, 17 @ 12:45 pm
I think the widows money comes from the Court of Claims, and I don’t know this for sure, but I thought the Court of Claims funds were stand alone appropriations and not part of the budget proposed by the Governor. This may be on the hands of the GA and not the Governor. I think Rich had a post a few months back about no appropriations for the Court of Claims that had some explanation.

Comment by Swift Monday, Apr 3, 17 @ 12:50 pm
===stand alone appropriations and not part of the budget proposed by the Governor===

There is supposed to be no such thing. If it’s appropriated, it’s supposed to be in the proposed budget.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Apr 3, 17 @ 12:51 pm
To Rauner- these men and women and their families are not press releases and tweets for your ego. Your “superstars” could surely craft legislation to make sure these families are paid their just compensation for their loved ones ultimate sacrifice. I am sure it would have strong bipartisan support from both houses. #DoYourJob.

https://twitter.com/govrauner/status/730109412128477185

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/news/
“Every day, Illinois firefighters put themselves in harm’s way and their lives on the line to protect the people of Illinois,” Rauner said. “Unfortunately, some of these brave men and women pay the ultimate sacrifice. It’s important to remember and honor these fallen heroes to ensure they are never forgotten.”

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20160913/south-loop/rahm-rauner-salute-fallen-chicago-cops-at-vigil
“You have a hole in your heart that no one can fill. I personally pledge that I will do everything in my power to help keep you safe.” (Rauner’s comments at the vigil)

http://www.wsiltv.com/story/33614346/major-turnout-to-honor-fallen-chester-police-officer
http://wtax.com/news/101101-law-enforcement-biking-across-illinois/
“To everyone of you law enforcement officers here today, across Illinois: Thank you. God bless you,” says Rauner. “You are our heroes. You put your personal safety on the line every day, to keep the people of Illinois safe. You deserve our utmost support and respect.”

Comment by Anon221 Monday, Apr 3, 17 @ 12:59 pm
Those are widows of Union police and firefighters. They understand that for the state to prosper those unions must be crushed along with their 100% widow pensions. /s

Comment by don the legend Monday, Apr 3, 17 @ 12:59 pm
Does the Governor’s office not realize how utterly uncaring that sounds? I wonder sometimes if they even think before they speak. I certainly hope that’s all it is because the only other explanation is that they simply don’t care about the pain and suffering being caused.

Comment by Demoralized Monday, Apr 3, 17 @ 1:13 pm
Demoralized, the words don’t matter, the actions tell the tale.

The whole public rationale of “we can’t pay people the money we owe them (except bigfoot IT consultants) until something-something happens unrelated to the debt incurred” is screwball ridiculous to begin with.

It’s simply an unethical abuse of power by the executive branch.In this instance, it’s the executive branch abusing police and fire widows.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Apr 3, 17 @ 1:25 pm
I’m with wordslinger… every voter should know about this outrage.

Comment by James Knell Monday, Apr 3, 17 @ 1:40 pm
It is long past time IL Dems remove the corpse of Mike Madigan from the party chair. They can’t respond to this, they can’t respond to Fowler’s dumb comment - other than the occasional statement from Mr. Brown, you never hear anything from the party. It’s unconscionable that Mendoza and Ameya Pawar are better at responding to this stuff than the party is. At this point, liberals in Illinois deserve four more years of a republican governor if they keep going along with this rusted apparatus.

Comment by Lester Holt's Mustache Monday, Apr 3, 17 @ 2:00 pm
Good Lord, did they really say that? Heck, if Rauner were smart he’d write them all a personal check.

Comment by dr. reason a, goodwin Monday, Apr 3, 17 @ 2:13 pm
“Unfortunately, they cannot be paid until Governor Rauner first presents a real balanced budget to the General Assembly, as the state contitution requires, so the General Assembly can then pass a balanced budget,” Fixed.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Apr 3, 17 @ 2:47 pm
The night before the election, candidate Rauner approached myself and a buddy (both of us recent 30-yr. retirees of IDOC) at Rockford airport,thanking us for our service and stating he was “behind us all the way” and offering a handshake. My bud shook his hand. Thanks to Cap Fax, I was aware of his 2012 speech and what his intentions were. Instead of shaking his hand, I looked him in the eye and then turned my back to him. Whenever I talk Illinois politics with that friend, he mentions how much he regrets shaking that man’s hand. I have yet to regret my action….

Comment by Illinoyed Monday, Apr 3, 17 @ 3:14 pm
These are the widows of those who were killed protecting you and me. Now they are being forced to suffer again by Bruce Rauner, a governor who has wasted Illinois tax dollars even as he refuses to help them.

Bruce Rauner had promised to make Illinois work, but after being in charge, has failed to deliver needed reforms, needed balanced budgets, and needed tax reforms, even as he paralyzes us in wasteful spending and endless political battles.

We owe our brave officers the support being withheld by Bruce Rauner to their widows and children. It’s time we make Illinois work again for us all.

Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Apr 3, 17 @ 3:46 pm
Eleni “the govenor has failed…over his insistence…among other things”

Comment by Rabid Tuesday, Apr 4, 17 @ 3:39 am
Anon E. Moose, if you were one of those widows I doubt you would have the same outlook. Not only did I lose the love of my life, I went from 2 incomes to none (I closed down my business when my husband was shot to stay home & take care of him). I have a large mortgage and a child in college

Comment by Sue Maness Tuesday, Apr 4, 17 @ 3:04 pm