Illinois Comptroller Leslie Munger (R) decided to delay the pay of state lawmakers until they play ball with Governor Bruce Rauner (R) and resolve the 10-month crisis to pass a budget plan like grownups. It’s a creative solution that could work, but only if both sides feel the pinch – and they don’t.
The governor doesn’t get a paycheck, so there’s no incentive for him to compromise, and that puts the pressure solely on the GA, held by a Democratic majority. Is this really about the businesses, like Comptroller Munger says, or is the move a partisan sneak attack designed to force the GA to cave to the Republican governor’s extreme budget plan wish list?
Bipartisan Budget Plan Vetoed
The GA passed a bipartisan budget plan, and put it on the governor’s desk in July 2015. Gov. Rauner vetoed it because it didn’t cut Medicaid or contain his unconstitutional provision to cut the state’s pension plan. Illinois has been without a budget since, according to the Chicago Tribune.
The governor and GA agree that Illinois needs “spending cuts and new taxes to balance the state’s books,” according to the Chicago Tribune, but,
“Before getting there, Rauner wants Democrats to help him pass his pro-business, union-weakening legislative agenda, which they have refused to do.”
Gov. Rauner promised to veto the current bipartisan budget on his desk for spending on education, and threatened to veto anything that doesn’t contain his required Medicaid cuts and pension provisions. He’d gladly sign a budget plan containing corporate welfare giveaways, though.
He’s also expected to sign legislation passed by the GA on April 20, though, which gives $600 million to public universities to keep them open for the summer.
Partisan Politics And Coincidences
Gov. Rauner, would rather shut down the Illinois government than compromise with Democratic lawmakers, says House Speaker Michael Madigan (D). Rep. Madigan led the GA for all but two years since 1983, and he’s worked under four Republican governors during his tenure. All four compromised with Rep. Madigan to pass a budget plan.
The bipartisan compromises ended when Gov. Rauner took office, said Speaker Madigan. Coincidentally, Illinois’ budget plan has been in crisis only since then.
Comptroller Munger is using what she calls “pocketbook political pressure,” to force lawmakers to work with Gov. Rauner, who coincidentally appointed her after Judy Baar Topinka passed away in 2014. Comptroller Munger faces Susana Mendoza, the Democratic city clerk of Chicago, in at the November elections, according to NBC Chicago.
Mendoza called the play, “10 months late and many dollars short,” and emphasized the Governor’s role in budget impasse, wondering when she’d stand up to the governor’s agenda instead of forcing GA lawmakers to suffer.
How And Who Will Pay Delay Hurt?
Elected officials work part time and receive a $67,836 base salary annually, according to the Chicago Tribune. That’s about $1.3 million in government paychecks every month that go to 177 lawmakers although most make “thousands more” serving as party and committee heads.
All state office holders including the governor and comptroller, should be affected by the delay, except Gov. Rauner works for Illinois free of charge in order to fulfill a campaign promise. Rank and file members on the other hand must be paid on time via court order, and elected officials must be paid on time because it is written into law, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Rep. Jack Franks says delaying lawmakers’ pay is illegal. Comptroller Munger says she’s in line with the law and court order since she’s issuing paychecks, just delaying when they’re paid. The checks will be added to the state’s pile of unpaid bills, and be paid on a first come first serve basis within 2-10 months.
Comptroller Munger’s tactic might work if both sides were affected, but she’s pressuring the GA disproportionately and not giving the governor a reason to compromise.
Her tactics and the timing make it difficult to see Comptroller Munger’s move as anything other than partisan politics – a favor for the governor designed to force GA Democrats to their knees so they’ll cave to the Gov. Rauner’s extreme budget plan whims.
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