SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois has entered its second month without a state budget, and there’s no indication that summer’s dog days will present any new opportunities for a breakthrough between Republican Governor Bruce Rauner and majority Democrats.
Senators face a tricky vote when they return to the Capitol on Tuesday — whether to reject a pay increase for themselves and violate the state Constitution, as the House already has done.
Lawmakers were unable to gather the votes necessary to override a gubernatorial veto of the budget adopted in May and continue to rail against Rauner’s demands for pro-business structural reforms even as they appear to be buckling to his pressure to reject the automatic pay raise.
House Speaker Michael Madigan characterizes the weekly meetings in Springfield as a “continuous session.”