A Cook County judge is dismissing a lawsuit from nearly 100 social service agencies that sued the State of Illinois.
Those groups lost their case against the state, which still owes them money due to the year-long budget impasse.
Those 100 social services contracted with the state to do things like counsel people who are homeless or advocate for early childhood education.
A new stopgap budget pays those social services some of what they’re owed - and they sued for the rest.
But Cook County Judge Rodolfo Garcia sided with attorneys for the state -- who said each contract had a clause saying “subject to appropriation.”
Meaning the state hasn’t violated its contracts by not paying them everything owed.
During yesterday’s hearing, Judge Garcia said, “The real problem we have is where would additional funding come from?”
Illinois First Lady Diana Rauner runs one of the social service organizations that sued.
