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Sen. Paul Schimpf (R-Waterloo) told his colleagues they had let down the people of Illinois after the spring legislative session ended on Wednesday with no budget in place.
“It is with profound disappointment that I classify this legislative session as an abject failure,” Scimpf said on the Senate floor. “Months of negotiations have failed to produce meaningful reforms. Even more troubling, session time has been squandered by both legislative bodies that could have been used to prepare for this contingency of negotiations failing.”
Illinois has been without a full-year budget for two years, leaving public schools, higher education institutions and social service providers underfunded. The state also has a mounting log of unpaid bills because of the lack of a budget.
Sen. Paul Schimpf (R-Waterloo)
According to a Reuters report, the General Assembly will continue to work toward a budget agreement in a special session with a deadline of June 30, when the fiscal year ends.
“The reality is that our universities, social service providers, and constituents who are counting on receiving payment for services rendered don't have another four weeks to wait; they needed their funding four months ago,” Schimpf said . “It is past time to focus on how we can move what funding is currently available to those that are in desperate need."
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