With an end of session deadline looming, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner has floated his own budget plan to help bridge the ongoing impasse. The plan was leaked to members of the media late Monday in the form of a memo from the Governor's Budget Director, Tim Nuding. He says "Progressing into Fiscal Year 2017 with no appropriations is not an acceptable alternative as schools must open in the fall, vendor and grantee patience has understandably worn thin and the continued delivery of critical life, health and safety state services would be in jeopardy."
Nuding says the plan is only temporary; it would not span the entire 2016 and 2017 Fiscal Years but would provide for non-general revenue line items for FY-16 that have yet to be funded. That includes some 450-million dollars to provide payments to Human Service agencies that would come from the Commitment to Human Services Fund. It would also provide funding for homeless shelters, domestic violence programs and state parks.
According to the memo, the stop-gap proposal would also provide full FY'17 funding for Pre-K through 12 along with a hold-harmless provision so that no school would receive less money. It also calls for a standalone bill for education - something Democrats have been reluctant to support.
The bridge proposal also includes 600-million dollars for higher education from the Education Assistance Fund. It would also provide stopgap funding for the state's Public Universities.
The so-called "bridge" appropriations proposal was given to legislative leaders during a special meeting Tuesday morning. Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton told reporters following the leaders meeting that they talked with the Governor about his "Bridge" budget proposal. However, Madigan indicated that no action on the plan was likely to happen before the end of the spring legislative session.
