Illinois Comptroller Leslie Munger is sitting on 7 point 6 billion dollars worth of bills - and the state has no money to pay.
Munger told state Senators the figure is really even higher, because it excludes some obligations held up because lawmakers and the governor failed to pass a budget.
"So if we add the ten percent that I'm accruing, of the expenses that I cannot legally pay ... but it's higher education, homeless, autism services, mentally ill, etc, small businesses we have no legal authority to pay."
Munger says that could bring Illinois' annual budget deficit to roughly 10 billion dollars.
Illinois has to pay interest on some of its late bills.
Some private agencies that provided services for the state have shut down ... after they couldn't wait months to be paid.
Illinois is approaching nine months without a budget.
