Illinois attorney general files request to halt state workers’ pay
By
George Gallanis
30 January 2017
Last Thursday, Illinois Attorney General, Democrat Lisa Madigan, filed a request in a southern Illinois court to stop payment to over 110,000 state workers. Madigan is seeking to force the Illinois legislature and Republican Governor Bruce Rauner to adopt a new austerity budget by threatening a de facto government shutdown.
Since July 2015, Illinois has operated without a complete budget, relying on a patchwork of court orders and stop-gap budgets instead. This has led to the gutting of higher education and social services in the state.
Madigan is attempting to nullify a July 2015 ruling from St. Clair County Circuit Court Judge, Robert LeChien, that declared state workers must be paid their full salaries despite a budget impasse. Arguing against the ruling, Madigan stated it “has allowed the legislative and executive branches to fail to fulfill their constitutional duties without facing the real threat of a government shutdown…With no possibility of a government shutdown to force action by the legislative and executive branches, the state has continued to operate without a budget to fund many services provided by vendors and grantees.”
Madigan requested that the court enforce a deadline for Rauner and the state legislature to reach an agreement by February 28. If an agreement is not reached, Illinois state workers will stop receiving payments, forcing a statewide government shutdown.
The request by Madigan came the same day the Illinois senate postponed a vote on a new 13-bill budget proposal, SB 11. Had the Senate voted in its favor, it would have required approval by the state House of Representatives and the governor. Rauner favors the new budget…