Earlier this week, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner signed into law a measure that provides emergency spending to state higher education.
Although a shot in the arm to some institutions, lawmakers like Democratic Representative Jack Franks say the showdown doesn’t bode well for the overall budget.
Franks has repeatedly called for special sessions on restoring funding to state social services, which have either cut back or are in danger of closing entirely. He was disappointed in the recent funding bill, not only because it didn’t include such funding, but also the precedent it sets.
“There was a lot of self congratulating going on when this bill passed, and they tried to pretend that this is somehow a bipartisan victory. What we did last week was cut funding to public education by 72%,” he says.
Franks says such a piecemeal approach to funding is ineffective, and a symptom of Rauner staying firm on his agenda.
"Heck, I can tell you, I passed a law last week to allow for property tax freezes throughout the state of Illinois, and the governor was critical because it didn’t have union busting measures in it. As long as the governor sticks to his union busting requirements, we’re going to have real problems getting things done in the state," he said.
Because of this partisanship, Franks doesn’t expect much progress on the budget.
"I don’t’ believe that we’re going to see a meaningful budget until after the November elections, and that might not even be until January, when there’s not 71 votes needed for a budget, but only 60,”
Without such negotiations, however, Franks says Illinois risks “financial armageddon.”