Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza dropped a video yesterday that made it very clear that our legislators in Springfield shouldn't expect a bump in their paychecks next year.
The photo is just a "stock image," but it could very well be a shot of Illinois comptroller Leslie Munger's desk. We've gone a year without a state budget, and July 1st marks the beginning of a new fiscal year. Without a new budget, Illinois will stop paying lottery winners, along with a host of others.
After generating some huge buzz throughout our state (and, the whole nation) by declaring that Illinois lawmakers and office holders will have to "wait in line like everyone else" for a paycheck due to Illinois' ongoing budget dispute, Illinois Comptroller Leslie Munger spent some time with Michael Koolidge and me this morning after the 8am news.
Last week, I posted in this space about how much we Illinois taxpayers have paid state lawmakers over the past 10 months (What We've Paid Illinois Lawmakers For No Budget). What struck a chord with many is that although the state is delaying payment to many who earned and deserved payment for services rendered, there's been no delay in paying lawmakers. Until now.
Illinois Comptroller Leslie Munger joined the show this week to talk about how the state's lack of a budget is impacting her office. Just this past week, her office said that the state government's backlog of unpaid bills will hit $8.5 billion by the end of December, up from about $6 billion right now...
Dave Dahl --Illinois Radio Network
The comptroller handles the state's checkbook, but the Illinois Democrats who want that job say it's part of the fight for what kind of society we should have, and the ongoing story of income inequality...
John Gregory -- Illinois Radio Network
One state office has finished processing payroll while another is trying to speed up the court schedule on whether state workers can be paid during the budget impasse.
The comptroller's office says paychecks will go out as scheduled Wednesday...
Illinois Comptroller Leslie Munger joined the show this week to explain the potential consequences of having no budget in place at the end of the month, when the current fiscal year ends.
Among other things, she told us:
New Medicaid provider payments will stop
Nonprofits and small employers will be unable to receive expedited payments
State employees will start missing paychecks July 15
General
The late Judy Baar Topinka was a frequent guest on the station. Riley & I enjoyed her upbeat attitude, her passion for her job, and the occasional dog barking in the background of the interview.
This week, we had our first opportunity to chat with her replacement, Illinois comptroller Leslie Munger. Mu...