Gov. Bruce Rauner says there's general agreement on a partial-year budget to keep Illinois state government going past Thursday's end of the fiscal year.
The Republican on Monday urged Democrats who run the General Assembly to approve that plan and one to open public schools on time. Rauner says his discussions with Democratic leaders indicate there's agreement on a stopgap funding plan. He didn't name the leaders he spoke with.
The House and Senate return to session Wednesday in Springfield.
Steven Brown is spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan — a Chicago Democrat. He says Democrats' partial-year plan increases higher education funding by $400 million over what Rauner-backed legislation proposes.
Brown says House Democrats approved hundreds of millions more for elementary and secondary education than Rauner seeks. So the schools issue remains unsettled.
