IVCA Provides Updates for State and Federal Legislative Issues

December 21, 2016

UPDATE provided by Stricklin & Associates on December 21st:

2016 draws to a close with Illinois at the midway point for its FY17 budget with no full-year budget in place or in sight.  

In recent weeks legislative leaders and the governor have met to discuss solutions to end the impasse, and "working groups" of rank and file members have also convened to discuss specific issues. Above it all remains the fundamental disagreement between the Democratic legislative leaders and Governor Rauner about whether various reforms to property taxes and workers comp, term limits, and other issues should be conditions for agreeing to an operating budget, and the increase in income taxes which nearly every participant believes will ‎be necessary at some point in time.

Comptroller Susana Mendoza took office December 5 and her office estimates the current backlog of unpaid bills is now over $11 Billion.

The Illinois General Assembly returns to Springfield for the final two days of the 99th General Assembly January 9 and 10. This is often referred to as the "lame duck" session, and previously has provided an opportunity for difficult votes to be taken and policies to be enacted. There is always speculation around the lame duck regarding the likelihood of a deal being reached, but nothing about the progress of the negotiations would lead one to believe that will happen this time.

The 100th General Assembly will be sworn in January 11th; the Governor's State of the State address is January 25, his Budget Address is February 15.