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Aug 1, 2007 7:45 pm US/Central
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Casino Less Likely To Fix State Budget Problems
CBS 2's Kristyn Hartman and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (CBS) ―
The state of Illinois is officially operating without a budget and risking a government shutdown within weeks.
The budget expired Tuesday night at midnight, and lawmakers have not passed an extension.
Governor Rod Blagojevich still wants lawmakers to pass a temporary 30-day budget and says he's prepared to keep working for months to get the budget he wants with health care for all.
CBS 2 Political Editor Mike Flannery reports a big new land-based casino proposed for downtown Chicago as a source of new revenue is suddenly in jeopardy.
"No casinos on the table. Zero casinos," Senate President Emil Jones said. "Two steps forward, two steps back. They want it for capital. I want it for education."
Jones voiced frustration after hosting another bargaining session with legislative leaders, but not Governor Rod Blagojevich. For his part, the governor told CBS 2 he is still counting on the revenue an expansion of gambling would generate in the year ahead.
"One day, gaming is on the table. The next day, it's off the table," the governor said, and he added he thinks it's likely to return to the bargaining table.
The governor also signaled a new strategy in a new letter to legislative leaders, saying he would not sign a budget he dislikes.
The General Assembly, with a 60% super-majority could quickly pass into law any budget Blagojevich vetoed, and would face stern pressure to do so in the face of next Wednesday's deadline for hundreds of millions of dollars in state worker paychecks and state school aid to be paid. But the governor has the option to sit on a bill for up to sixty days before he signs it or vetoes it.
State Workers Concerned "I think that they've had ample time to come up with a budget, and the fact that they haven't is just really upsetting," said state employee Sydney Cohn.
The governor had sent a letter urging the 56,000 state employees to go to work on Wednesday and afterward. On Wednesday, employees did come to work at the Thompson Center, but not with the most cheerful attitude.
"When it comes to a paycheck and coming to work, it's like, nobody wants to volunteer every day," said state employee Benjamin Lane. "People don't want to come to work now. The motivation is that they don't want to get paid or not."
Paul Green, the director of the Institute for Politics at Roosevelt University, said the negotiations should have been resolved a long time ago.
"This notion of 'keep making progress' is getting kind of ridiculous. The progress should have been made. There should have been a deal cut," Green said. "Clearly, the political agenda of various players is becoming more and more important."
Green called the budget impasse a joke.
"That's my political analysis – it's just silly. They're taking an inordinate amount of time to do a budget," he said. "I'd but them in a room, lock the door – no bathroom breaks – the four leaders and the governor, do it."
If they do not, consequences loom large. If a budget is not in place by Aug. 8, the state will miss dates for paying employees and sending $170 million in aid to schools.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)