Lawmaker Says Continued Springfield Sessions Are ‘Useless’

Will Stevenson -- Illinois Radio Network

One lawmaker says he thinks the ongoing continuous session in the Illinois House is nothing more than a waste of time as long as there is no budget deal in place.
State Representative Tim Butler (R-Springfield) says the Committee of the Whole meetings like Tuesday's are becoming, in his words, "useless" and only stand to get worse.

"It's disappointing, because I don't think the leadership and the Governor have met for over a month," says Butler.  "There really, unfortunately, isn't a sense of urgency to get a budget deal done.  We've got, I've heard, upwards of 90% of state government being funded right now through various court orders and continuing appropriations and so on."

Butler says he believes 22 members were absent Tuesday, if that's any indication.  He says there are serious issues with groups not getting paid, and those groups needs to keep building pressure on legislative leaders to get something done.

"These folks have to continue to build the pressure a little bit on both sides," Butler says.  "I think both sides are to blame that we don't have a budget deal here."