AFSCME represented state workers have been considering foregoing paychecks with the possibility of a strike on the table. They're no longer the only state workers worried about future paychecks.
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan dropped a bombshell Thursday, filing a motion in St. Clair County Court to stop state worker pay until a budget agreement. That motion would dissolve previous court orders allowing the payment of state employees.
Springfield based GOP State Representative Tim Butler, whose district has its fair share of state workers, says the move throws a brand new wrench into efforts to craft a compromise budget.
In a statement Madigan said quote- "Like everyone else in this state, I have long hoped that the Legislature and the Governor would pass and enact a budget. Unfortunately, that has not occurred and an order by the St. Clair County Court has removed much of the urgency for the Legislature and the Governor to act on a budget. However, during this long impasse, the Illinois Supreme Court overruled the sole legal basis for the St. Clair County Court’s order to allow state operations to continue without an appropriation. With a new legislative session now underway, this is an appropriate time to ask the Circuit Court to reconsider this order in light of the changes in the law."
The Rauner Administration calls the move disappointing, especially with the Senate considering a bipartisan, balancd budget agreement. The administration is urging the Attorney General to reconsider this filing and Ruaner officials pledge to do all they can to defend employee pay."
