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Budget Came Together Quickly in House
A four-bill package that makes up a state budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1 came together in the Illinois House Tuesday afternoon and evening. The budget vote itself came after bills that borrow $3.7 billion to pay for pensions and that give the governor broader discretion to make spending cuts. Critics say the plan does little to nothing to ease the deficit or the state's backlog of unpaid bills.

State Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago), the House majority leader, told lawmakers the budget is largely the same as the one being used this year, "except that there is a 5 percent cut in the operation of state agencies." The plans passed mostly along party lines, with House Republicans able to provide enough votes to get the borrowing bill to reach the 71 votes it needed.

House members have been told they will be in session Wednesday and Thursday. The Senate returns to action Wednesday for the first time since May 7. The legislature has a deadline of May 31 to pass most bills by a simple majority.

SB 3514 (borrowing for pensions) passed the House 71-44-2.
SB 3660 (governor's powers) passed the House 67-50.
HB 859 (budget) passed the House 66-50.
SB 3662 (budget implementation) passed the House 69-48.

HB 859 is the only one of these four which has passed both chambers. It goes to the governor, and the other three go to the Senate for concurrence.

(Illinois Radio Network)
05 26 10 by Newsroom
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