By Adam Studzinski
BLOOMINGTON – The budget struggle continues in Springfield and State Sen. Bill Brady (R-Bloomington) doesn’t believe the governor will settle for anything less than a balanced spending plan.
The Legislature, led by the Democratic majority, last week sent Gov. Bruce Rauner a one-month budget which he has yet to act on. Brady told WJBC’s Dan Swaney the state constitution demands a balanced budget and so far the Democrats have only passed unbalanced plans.
“We shouldn’t pass an unbalanced budget. The business community realizes it. They’re leaving in droves, unfortunately, and we need to survive to re-attract business investment in the state,” he said.
Podcast: Listen to Brady’s conversation on WJBC.
Brady said it’s tough to tell when the budget stalemate might end. It might be contingent on House Speaker Mike Madigan’s willingness to talk, but right now Brady said there’s been little dialogue.
“Mike Madigan has pretty much said, ‘I’m not even ready to talk,'” said Brady. “Now, are there meetings? A few. Not many. Not near enough. Is there any dialogue that comes out of this? No.”
Illinois is now in its third full week without a state budget.
Adam Studzinski can be reached at [email protected].
