By Rick Pearson
Monique Garcia and Ray Long
May 31, 2014
Illinois lawmakers did neither candidate for governor any favors with the kick-the-can-down-the-road budget they passed before wrapping up Saturday.
Whether it’s Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn or Republican challenger Bruce Rauner who comes out on top this fall, Illinois’ next governor now faces the prospect of figuring out how to deal with a projected budget hole of $4.8 billion and a pile of unpaid, overdue bills that could be even larger than that.
“Ooh,” said House Republican leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs. “That’s not going to be an easy job no matter who wins.”
Both political parties agree that state government’s finances need fixing, and taxpayers are waiting to see how — and whether — that ever happens.
If Quinn wins, a legislature that is likely to remain under Democratic control could help bail the governor out of the budget hole by giving him the tax hike extension he has made a central plank in his re-election effort. That’s the same scenario that played out after the 2010 election, when Democrats used a lame-duck session to push through a 67 percent increase in the personal income tax rate.