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Lawmakers: "Emergency Budget Act" Isn't an Emergency
The governor's proposed "Emergency Budget Act" isn't such an emergency if you ask state lawmakers. Gov. Rod Blagojevich wants more budget power, saying he needs to borrow money, ask the feds for more dollars, and slash up to 8 percent from government agency's budgets.

While the governor apparently considers this an emergency, even his allies say it's only "urgent." State Senator Donne Trotter (D-Chicago), a budget negotiator who often sides with the governor, says the economy may not hurt the state budget until the spring. "We aren't broke yet, but we are spending resources or spending dollars that would ultimately get us to that broke stage, which is coming up and I don't know if that's going to be February, March," he said.

Another problem is pinpointing the size of the budget hole. Some lawmakers say it could be as much as $3.3 billion. That's no surprise to State Rep. Roger Eddy (R-Hutsonville). "We sat for two or three years and talked about this day coming, the day coming when we really had to deal with this," he said. "That day is here."

State lawmakers were scheduled to continue their veto session through Friday, but may adjourn Thursday, so the budget may have to wait for a solution until January.
11 20 08 by Newsroom
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