CHICAGO – Illinois State Comptroller Leslie Munger said after June 30th, her office will have no authority to write any checks from the state treasury unless the legislature passes a state budget.
Urging the passage of a stop-gap budget for the next year at the very least, Munger said on July 1st, the state will continue to make the court-ordered payments and those that are legally authorized, but any new unauthorized expenditures that come in will not be paid.
"I can make payments only with legal authority, without a budget in place we can't make those payments for FY 2017," Munger said.
Munger says she recommends a three-pronged approach to correcting the state's financial situation, including changes that would take the cost out of how Illinois runs government and make it more efficient; raising the state's income taxes, and changes that would get the economy growing and broaden the state's tax base.
"We need to focus on where we can agree," Munger said. "It is irresponsible to delay passing a state budget until after the November election."
Munger said to get the state's finances in order with a tax hike alone, the hike would need to be at least eight percent – something she said just wouldn't happen.
As of July 1st, four major funds that do not yet have authorization in FY 2017, including K-12 school funding, 911 emergency funding, human services and higher education funding.
The press conference is available online at Livestream HERE.
