Facing the possibility of a “junk” bond rating and eyeing some $15 billion in unpaid bills, state lawmakers decided to work out a deal and pass it over the governor’s objections.
Brian Mackey of NPR Illinois reports that it took “a series of threats” to get lawmakers to the table — including not just the risk of a blow to the state’s credit rating, but also the possibility of universities losing their accreditation.
“In the Illinois House, nearly one in three Republicans broke with their governor, supporting an income tax increase,” Mackey says.
The Legislature took two weeks in continuous session to negotiate the deal, Mackey says. When Rauner vetoed it, the state Senate overrode him in less than an hour.
It took longer in the state House, where legislators had left town and needed to be called back for a vote.
What has the lengthy budget stalemate meant for Illinois residents? Last month, Mackey described it as “a sort of stealth government shutdown,” one that was invisible to most residents but painful for nonprofits providing services:
“Most of the state government is still largely functioning through a series of court orders. …
“There are hundreds of programs [that] haven’t been paid — for homeless teens, AIDS patients and victims of domestic violence. But this aspect of the state budget crisis is happening largely out of public view.
“In fact, almost two-thirds of Illinoisans say they have not been affected by the stalemate, according to a poll earlier this year.
” ‘I figure they’ll get it together sometime,’ said George Cowper, a retiree who lives in Springfield and says he’s been unaffected by the standoff.
“The lack of public pressure has made it easier for each side to stay in its corner.”