Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner visited the East Moline Correctional Center today to promote two bills. They'd provide funding for education and government operations — including the state's prisons — despite the lack of a state budget.
Rauner calls the spring legislative session a "stunning failure." The General Assembly adjourned on Tuesday without passing a budget for the second year in a row. Now the governor is touring the state, calling on residents to pressure Democratic lawmakers to pass two stopgap measures that would pay for schools and government services.
East Moline Mayor John Thodos joined Rauner. He says the prison hasn't paid its water bill since August.
Rauner says Democratic lawmakers have said they won't agree to his legislative agenda before the November election. He’s set passage of that agenda as a prerequisite for negotiating on a full budget. The governor says the stopgap funding would help schools and government continue their services.
