30 Day Emergency Budget Passes Houses

     “I am happy to see that we at least have a temporary budget in place to ensure that retired teachers will receive their pension check and residents will have access to essential state services,” Fortner said.

     Fortner added that the legislature now has until August 1st to pass a fiscal year 08’ budget. If a budget is not passed by that date, state government will be forced to shut down. The legislature has been in session since January and the Governor had met with the Senate President and Speaker only a handful of times before the end of session which was May 31st. Republican leaders from both the House and Senate were not invited to these initial meetings.

     Fortner stated that back in May the House Republicans proposed a “No Tax Increase” budget. This budget included a $5 billion capitol program to meet the state’s current pension obligation, create new jobs and invest in education, roads, and mass transit. Funding for this capitol program would come from a projected $750 million in projected new revenue.

     Since the start of the overtime session, Republican leaders from the Senate and House have been invited to the Governor’s budget meetings; however, the Governor has wasted precious time in these meetings on other non-budget topics.

     Rep. Fortner said, “Passing a fiscally responsible budget should have been a top priority for the Governor and legislative leaders this session. That the Democratic leadership could not come together to pass a state budget during the regular session shows a complete lack of respect for the citizens of Illinois.”

     Additional questions can be directed to Rep. Fortner’s office at (630) 293-9344.