SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - The Latest on legislative action in Springfield (all times local):
The Illinois Senate clocked out Wednesday without taking a much-anticipated vote on a budget compromise.
The Senate adjourned abruptly early Wednesday evening after Democrats and Republicans held private caucus meetings that lasted more than three hours.
John Patterson is spokesman for Senate President John Cullerton, a Chicago Democrat. He issued a statement saying Senate leaders continue to discuss the massive compromise plan and the Senate will return to session Thursday.
The wide-ranging plan is an attempt to drive a wedge in stalled negotiations for an annual state budget. Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Legislature’s Democratic majority have been unable to agree on spending and deficit reduction since 2015.
Cullerton and Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno (ruh-DOHN’-yoh) negotiated the plan to raise revenue and create the more business-friendly climate Rauner wants.
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2:55 p.m.
Democratic leaders in the Illinois Legislature are responding to Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s State of the State address.
House Speaker Michael Madigan says Democrats in the House “reject the idea that the only way to create jobs in Illinois is to cut wages and strip away workplace protections.” Madigan says he believes reforms are possible without measures that he says would hurt the middle class.
Illinois has been without a budget for two years as the two sides have been at an impasse.
In the Illinois Senate, President John Cullerton says Illinois’ residents are wonderful and it’s the government that “has failed and fallen behind.” He says he’s “optimistic that we are near an agreement.”
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2:40 p.m.
Illinois Legislative Black Caucus members say it’s hypocritical for Gov. Bruce Rauner to speak about “intolerable” violence in Chicago when his policies have hurt communities hardest hit by shootings and murders.
During his State of the State address Wednesday, Rauner called for a “joint commitment” among city, county, state and federal governments to find a solution to increased violence in Chicago and elsewhere.
Black caucus members - who are all Democrats - say the Republican governor’s unwillingness to approve a budget without certain conditions has led to cuts that made the problems worse. They include slashing funding for after-school programs, job training and social services.
State Sen. Kwame Raoul says there’s “absolutely” a correlation between Illinois’ budget crisis and increased violence. He says “We need investment in those communities.”
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1:15 p.m.
A House Democratic leader says Illinois should halve its corporate income tax rate as he delivered the Democratic response to GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner’s State of the State address.
Deputy Majority Leader Lou Lang of Skokie says that’s the way to help business and should ensure all businesses pay some taxes.
He says Rauner’s insistence on an agenda that benefits large corporations and hurts middle-class families has created budget deficits and soaring amounts of unpaid bills.
Rauner implored lawmakers in his speech to work on a bipartisan plan to come up with a budget agreement.
Lang says the state can create more jobs by cutting corporate taxes, paying down debt, raising the minimum wage, reinstating a tax-incentive program for new businesses. Lang also cited imposing a surcharge tax on incomes over $1 million that House Speaker Michael Madigan of Chicago favors.
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12:35 p.m.
Gov. Bruce Rauner used his State of the State address to call on lawmakers to work with him to resolve Illinois’ budget crisis, saying both parties agree something needs to change.
The Republican delivered the speech to a joint session of the Illinois General Assembly on Wednesday.
Rauner says any deal to end Illinois’ year-and-a-half long state budget stalemate must include legislation to improve the business climate, such as making workers’ compensation insurance cheaper.
He says Illinois’ economy could “take off like a rocket ship” if lawmakers could agree on pro-business measures.
Rauner has insisted on those changes before he’ll sign off on a tax hike to balance the budget. Majority Democrats have resisted, saying his agenda hurts working people.
The governor says he’s heartened by a bipartisan deal the Senate is considering and the Legislature should “build on that cooperation.”
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12:20 p.m.
Gov. Bruce Rauner called violence in Chicago “intolerable” during his State of the State address and said Illinois needs to end violent crime in the nation’s third-largest city.
Rauner gave the speech to a joint session of the General Assembly on Wednesday. Rauner’s statement came after President Donald Trump tweeted late Tuesday that he would “send in the Feds!” if Chicago’s high homicide numbers don’t improve.
Rauner called for a “joint commitment” among city, county, state and federal governments to “find a solution to curb the violence.”
The Republican says Illinois State Police officers are helping the Chicago Police Department and have stepped up efforts to stop crime that has spread to the city’s expressways.
Rauner says the state must strive for a cure to violence by providing good jobs, eliminating slums with incentives for development and school choice.
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12:10 p.m.
Gov. Bruce Rauner says he is “deeply optimistic” about the future of Illinois despite the state’s problems.
He addressed a joint session of the General Assembly on Wednesday with his third State of the State address.
The Republican says he is frustrated by the “slow pace of change.” The governor has completed two years in office without agreeing to an annual spending plan with Democrats who control the General Assembly.
But he did not address the budget at the start. He opened his third State of the State address by trumpeting advances in ethics reform and government streamlining. He says he closed the “revolving door” of government officials going into lobbying and tightened gift bans.
He also applauded technology advances.
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11:55 a.m.
An Illinois Senate committee is considering a massive expansion of riverboat casino gambling as part of a legislative package to break a state budget logjam.
The Senate Gaming Committee took testimony Wednesday on the plan permit casinos in Chicago and five other locations. It would OK slot machines at Illinois’ remaining horse-racing tracks.
Similar gambling expansion plans got legislative approval but former Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn rejected them. GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner is open to more casinos if communities want them.
Licensing fees would help pay the state’s bills. Other revenue would go for education. The land-based Chicago casino’s profits would bolster the city’s police and fire pension accounts.
Critics are worried about public safety and an already saturated gambling market because of the explosion of video poker.
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4:45 a.m.
Illinois Senate leaders face a potential embarrassment if they can’t arrange a vote on their compromise budget package.
Democratic Senate President John Cullerton of Chicago and Lemont Republican Leader Christine Radogno negotiated a 13-part proposal to break a budget logjam with Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.
It includes an income-tax increase that many agree is necessary to tackle a multibillion-dollar deficit. It also includes provisions such as cost-saving changes to the workers’ compensation program - something Rauner insists on.
But the quick action promised by the Senate leadership drew skepticism Tuesday when lawmakers appeared skittish and lobbyists lined up to testify in opposition to its provisions.
Instead of committees hearing and voting on the proposals, they just took testimony. But Cullerton says he’ll push for a Wednesday floor vote anyway.
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