MATT DIETRICH MADELEINE DOUBEK
JUN 6, 2014
Reboot Illinois
This week Reboot Illinois teamed with Rep. Scott Drury, D-Highwood, for an Illinois budget forum in Lake Forest titled “Spent and Taxed.” Also on the panel were Rep. David Harris, R-Arlington Heights, Stericycle Executive Chairman Mark Miller and Carl LaMell, president of Clearbrook, a suburban agency that serves people with developmental disabilities. The topics of the evening were Illinois tax and budget policy. Much of the focus was on the recently approved and deeply flawed 2015 state budget. Though members of different parties, Drury and Harris both were very critical of both the process behind the budget and the plan that eventually was approved. Though the budget passed on Democratic votes, Drury was a consistent dissenter on the eight bills it comprised. A few high points from the discussion included Harris calling out Democratic leadership for pushing a “maintenance” budget that managed to find extra funding for a handful of select entities.LaMell noted that agencies serving the developmentally disabled asked for an increase that amounted to $15 million, but got nothing. Drury, one of two House Democrats who had vowed to not vote in favor of making permanent the 2011 income tax increase, gives an interesting explanation why he believes taxpayers need to live under the promised tax decrease if they really want it. We’ve boiled it down to the highlights for this week’s “Only in Illinois.”
Rep. Scott Drury introduced legislation during the spring legislative session that would have required the state to pay its bills on time and forced those owed payment to seek it in the Illinois Court of Claims. The bill failed, but Drury explained its logic in this Reboot Illinois op-ed piece in March.
Rep. Scott Drury: Welcome to the backward state of unpaid Illinois
“[Illinois’] use of borrowing and budgeting maneuvers such as putting off bills until the following year can obscure the truth.” – Moody’s Analytics (from State of Illinois Economic Forecast – Feb. 2014) __________________________________________________________________ “Backward” is defined as “in the reverse of the usual or right way.” A simpler definition might be “the State of Illinois.” Last week, the Illinois House had the opportunity to pass historic legislation that would have required Illinois to pay its bills in a timely fashion. Instead, the legislation failed to receive the 60 votes it needed to pass. Because the definition of “backwards” is unlikely to change anytime in the near future, Illinois should simply change its name to “SIONILLI” (Illinois spelled backwards) as a constant reminder of the current state of affairs.
Illinois presently has approximately $4.65 billion in unpaid bills. The payments are owed to hard-working vendors throughout the State who have been forced to provide credit to Illinois. I have spoken with many of these vendors and heard first-hand how they are forced to take out loans in order to meet payroll and cover costs while they await payment from the State – which sometimes takes over one year. While the vendors wait, interest accrues, further hurting Illinois’ budget and making it even more difficult for Illinois to pay its bills.
Matthew Dietrich is Reboot’s executive editor. An award-winning journalist, Dietrich is the former editorial page editor of the State Journal-Register in Springfield. He believes in holding our politicians accountable. Read Dietrich’s take on the leadership vacuum that sent Illinois sinking. You can find Reboot on Facebook at and on Twitter @rebootillinois.
Madeleine Doubek is Reboot’s chief operating officer. She previously managed the Daily Herald newsroom. An award-winning journalist, Doubek served as the Daily Herald’s political writer and editor and led the paper’s project and investigative work. She believes in more of us taking charge of our state government. Read Doubek’s personal take on why she’s rebooting. You can find Reboot on Facebook at and on Twitter @rebootillinois.