Illinois' Attorney General is asking a judge to clarify what the state can and can't pay for, when there's no budget in place.
Lisa Madigan says state law and the constitution place severe constraints that limit the government's ability to pay its bills.
But she says consent decrees and certain laws do allow some payments to continue. Madigan says she wants a court to clarify.
Certainly our state's most vulnerable residents deserve access to the critical services that their lives depend on. - Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan
Certainly, taxpayers deserve the benefit from government operations that they help fund, and state employees deserve to be paid. Unfortunately, without a budget it's difficult to ensure that these payments are made."
Comptroller Leslie Munger says there are a few things they can go ahead and keep paying.
"Including programs at the Department of Children and Family Services, temporary assistance for needy families, childcare assistance, and certain community programs for the developmentally disabled, the elderly, and those with mental illnesses."
Munger's office has set up a hotline for state vendors with questions about their payments. The number is 1-855-ask-us.