Illinois Democrats defer governor's budget ahead of deadline

Illinois Democrats set aside a seven-month spending plan offered on Tuesday by Republican Governor Bruce Rauner, leaving a full-year budget the governor has vowed to veto as the most likely option to pass on the final day of the legislature’s spring session.

Rauner's administration proposed a framework for a short-term budget that would address unappropriated spending for the current fiscal year, which ends on June 30, and fully or partially fund key fiscal 2017 items including K-12 schools.

Illinois has limped through fiscal 2016 as the only U.S. state without a complete budget, operating under court-ordered spending, continuing and stopgap appropriations, and an enacted school funding budget.

The impasse between Rauner and Democrats who control the legislature showed no sign of relenting. At issue are business-friendly and labor-weakening changes championed by Rauner and opposed by Democrats. Reuters has the story.