Wednesday, July 9, 2008

The Illinois Budget Battle: A Primer

From Progress Illinois:

It's been compared to a poker game, a multi-act play, and a three ring circus. No matter what you call it, the special session is back.

At 1pm today, lawmakers convened in Springfield to consider strategies for funding the $2 billion deficit Gov. Rod Blagojevich has identified in the the state budget. If legislators don't support the governor's revenue plans, he has threatened to use his veto pen to cut $1.5 billion out of the spending plan.

Blagojevich's proposals include: tapping into more than $400 million in protected state accounts and privatizing the state lottery system. The House, under speaker and Blagojevich nemesis Michael Madigan, rejected the measures during the spring session. Last year, disagreement between the governor and the legislature left Illinois without a budget until August.

Read the whole thing, I wish I could tell you how things went in Springfield today as far as the special session called by the Governor to address the operational and capital budgets.

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