Governor Rauner issued his third state budget address yesterday afternoon. During the speech, he outlined his Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18) funding priorities with an emphasis on state funding for Pre-K – 12 education. While he signaled his position on various elements of the Illinois Senate’s ‘grand bargain’ package of bills, the bottom line remains the same there – there will be no progress on adopting a budget until the Legislature passes some combination of non-budget, structural reforms.
Governor Rauner and the Legislature have yet to agree to a fully funded, year-long operating budget since he took the oath of office in January 2015. According to a survey conducted last year by the United Way of Illinois, more than 1 million residents... Continue Reading