By Greg Bishop/Illinois Radio Network

SPRINGFIELD – Republican leaders say they’re confused by Illinois Speaker Michael Madigan’s new tact to negotiating a deal on a budget for the rest of the fiscal year after Tuesday’s meeting with legislative leaders and the governor.

The stopgap spending plan lawmakers passed over the summer dries up at the end of the calendar year. The current fiscal year ends June 30, 2017. After Tuesday’s half-hour leaders’ meeting Madigan said he’s appointing Chicago Democrat Greg Harris to negotiate on a deal.
“If we followed the framework that we’ve followed in the past, we’ll be successful,” Madigan said.

Leading Republican state Sen. Christine Radogno said the past few stopgap spending bills have not been successful.
“Those were stopgap, they were inadequate, they were unbalanced. Those were not successful budgets, and we’re not willing to go down that road,” Radogno said.

Radogno said she was confused by Madigan appointing a negotiator saying it’s a way for him to distance himself from responsibility of not putting a budget together.

“We think it’s a step back if he’s not in the room. I mean it’s just such an old game, ‘I’m going to put someone between me and the decision, to insulate me from having to take responsibility,’” Radogno said.

Leading Republican state Rep. Jim Durkin said the clock is ticking.

“To say we’re going to reappoint new members to our negotiating team, that is a sense of running out the clock. This is now a matter for the four leaders and the governor to resolve the work product for these committees from the last two years which we can get done,” Durkin said.

The stopgap spending plan passed over the summer only lasts through the end of December, leaving no spending plan for the remaining six months of the fiscal year.

Another meeting is expected Wednesday.

Lawmakers are back in Springfield this week for veto session.