By Illinois Radio Network
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers spent about 48 hours in Springfield this week — all on their own dime — and a growing number of them aren’t happy about it.
Lawmakers last got paid in late August or early September for the work they did in May.
State Comptroller Leslie Munger’s office said legislators are caught up in the same late-payment cycle that everyone else who does business with the State of Illinois must endure.
State Sen. Mike Noland, D-Elgin, is one of several lawmakers who are not happy.
“It’s a real hardship for my family during my time away,” Noland said. “But we do it because we believe in public service.”
The State Comptroller’s Office said lawmakers will be paid in full, but the office said legislators will be paid five months late, like everyone else waiting on a state check.
State Rep. Mike Tryon, R-Crystal Lake, said Illinois’ Constitution is clear: Elected officials’ paychecks can’t be docked or changed.
“The question here is ‘when do you get paid?’ and I don’t believe that it’s unconstitutional to delay payment,” Tryon said. “But I believe they have to pay you before the end of the term.”
Munger’s office said lawmakers eventually will be paid everything they’re owed.
But State Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth, said that until lawmakers fix the mess in Springfield, they don’t deserve a paycheck.
“In January of this year, I proposed a ‘No Budget, No Pay’ plan,” Mitchell said. “That means if the General Assembly doesn’t pass a balanced budget, that’s certifiably balanced, then no one gets paid.”
