By Cole Lauterbach/Illinois Radion Network
CHICAGO – A panel of state lawmakers at the City Club of Chicago gave some insight into the fate of Illinois’ budget impasse. It still looks bad.
State Sens. Daniel Biss (D-Evanston) and Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill) traded polite barbs with State Reps. David McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills) and Patricia Bellock (R-Hinsdale) while trying to explain the current dysfunction in Springfield.
The party differences still lie in cuts versus revenue. Manar said not all tax hikes are anti-business. “I want to challenge the idea that you can’t raise the revenue you need to fund the government you want and not be good for business at the same time.”
McSweeney said billions of dollars in spending should be cut before lawmakers look to hike taxes. “Until we address Medicaid and pensions, nobody should even talk about raising taxes.”
Manar still pinned the impasse on Gov. Bruce Rauner. “When you don’t have clarity on the position from Rauner on all kind of issues that are embedded in our politics as you could imagine, that presents certain challenges for legislators.”
Bellock said Illinoisans won’t accept another tax hike until they see a change in the status quo.
“If you look at revenue or anything else, they’re not going to be for that unless they see that something in the state of Illinois has changed,” she said.
Lawmakers have until May 31 to approve a budget measure with a simple majority. After that, any new legislation would have to be approved by a super majority of 71 House votes and 30 Senate votes. Illinois has been without a budget since July. Since then it has built up almost $6.7 billion in unpaid bills.
