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House Passes Stop-Gap FY'15 Funding Bill, Senate Could Vote Thursday

The Illinois Legislature is advancing a plan introduced by House Speaker Michael Madigan to end weeks of negotiations over plugging a hole in this year's state budget.

A plan to fill a huge hole in the Illinois state budget has cleared the House and is on its way to the Senate. Democrats and Republicans both supported the plan to use transfers and across-the-board budget cuts to plug a $1.6 billion gap.  The legislation unanimously passed a house committee Tuesday morning. It would authorize Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner to transfer $1.3 billion from other purposes, including parks and conservation. The rest would come from a 2.25 percent across-the-board budget cut. It also gives the governor authority over $97 million to distribute to needy schools.  Lawmakers in the House say those funds would be available on a case by case basis to help severely disadvantaged school districts.

Lawmakers face a fast-approaching deadline to act as money runs out for subsidized childcare programs, prisons and court reporters.  The measure passed the House on a bipartisan roll call. But it still has to get through the Illinois Senate later this week.
 

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