Jul 7, 2009 6:06 pm US/Central
State Sending Layoff Notices To 2,600 Employees
Gov. Quinn Trying To Trim Budget By Another $1 Billion
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (CBS) ―
Gov. Pat Quinn says layoff notices have gone out to 2,600 state employees. He vetoed another big chunk of the state budget Tuesday, vowing to cut spending by $1 billion.
As Political Editor Mike Flannery reports, this budget battle may go right to the brink.
After blowing right through a bunch of phony "budget deadlines," Springfield's finally facing one that's very real. One week from Wednesday, tens of thousands of state employee paychecks will bounce all across Illinois, unless the General Assembly and Gov. Quinn can agree. It's tense.
"This is vetoed in its entirety," Quinn said.
With Tuesday's veto, Quinn's kicked back to the General Assembly a total of nearly $10 billion in state spending. To make more money available for social services, Quinn is proposing to cut 2,600 state employees.
"If the General Assembly seeks to rescind layoffs, we'll just veto that budget. We'll keep vetoing it and vetoing it until we get spending in line," Quinn said.
Quinn is also asking employees to take 12 unpaid furlough days.
When legislators return to Springfield next week, Quinn's actions force them to face a very tight deadline. Either they override Quinn's two vetoes -- which would force Quinn to make huge cuts in social services -- or legislators cut a deal with the governor to write a new state budget.
Even as Quinn cuts some state spending, he's still pushing for an increase in the income tax, part of what he calls shared sacrifice.
"We've gotta have our legislators understand that now is the time for decision-making. We cannot, you know, wait for some other day," Quinn said.
"I'm going to be very respectful to Gov. Quinn," said Sen. Dan Rutherford (R-Chenoa). "I'm extremely doubtful that this can be done in one legislative day. I just find the mechanics to be very, very challenging."
Gov. Quinn said that more than 1,000 of the layoff notices went to prison employees. A spokesman said the Department of Corrections is preparing a list of prisoners who might be released early, including some non-violent offenders and those with less than a year left to serve.
But that group could include some bad guys you probably would not want living next door.
Illinois began the new budget year on July 1 without a spending plan in place. Officials can't agree on how to fill a deficit of roughly $11.6 billion.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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