Post by Logan on May 7, 2016 1:19:05 GMT -6
More than five dozen social service agencies sued Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner on Wednesday for $100 million in overdue payments, perhaps an inevitable byproduct of the historic 10-month budget stalemate.
It's the latest in an increasingly complex web of legal, political and public-relations maneuvers to short-circuit the state Capitol deadlock over a budget plan that should have taken effect July 1. Rauner wants to make the state's business climate friendlier while Democrats who control the Legislature oppose his plans as anti-union and insist on dealing with a multibillion-dollar deficit.
The Pay Now Illinois coalition, made up of 64 mostly religious- or ideologically based community agencies, filed the complaint against Rauner and his administration in Cook County Circuit Court, saying economics ultimately trumps dogma.
"We can't keep functioning in this way despite our commitment to our mission," coalition chairwoman Andrea Durbin said. The group - which comprises agencies that offer health care, youth and elderly counseling, prenatal and parenting services, programs to combat sexual assault and homelessness and more - alleges the state hasn't paid them in 300 days and owes $100 million.
Read more: www.sj-r.com/article/20160504/NEWS/160509814
It's the latest in an increasingly complex web of legal, political and public-relations maneuvers to short-circuit the state Capitol deadlock over a budget plan that should have taken effect July 1. Rauner wants to make the state's business climate friendlier while Democrats who control the Legislature oppose his plans as anti-union and insist on dealing with a multibillion-dollar deficit.
The Pay Now Illinois coalition, made up of 64 mostly religious- or ideologically based community agencies, filed the complaint against Rauner and his administration in Cook County Circuit Court, saying economics ultimately trumps dogma.
"We can't keep functioning in this way despite our commitment to our mission," coalition chairwoman Andrea Durbin said. The group - which comprises agencies that offer health care, youth and elderly counseling, prenatal and parenting services, programs to combat sexual assault and homelessness and more - alleges the state hasn't paid them in 300 days and owes $100 million.
Read more: www.sj-r.com/article/20160504/NEWS/160509814