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Illinois Still Without a Budget; Rauner Calls 911 Bill A Tax Increase

Illinois still does not have a budget as of Saturday night.  Republicans and Democrats in both houses, negotiated into the night on Friday night and were back at it on Saturday, in hopes that both chambers would vote on a budget for the new fiscal year that started on Saturday.

But Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan ruled while the House was in session on Saturday, that there would not be a vote on a budget, and that prompted an outburst in the House chamber.

House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, told House members he thought that the negotiations were going well enough in both chambers, that the House and Senate could be voting on the budget on Saturday.  That didn't happen.

The House had passed a procedural test vote on the budget on Friday, by a wide margin, with both Democrats and Republicans voting for it.

Madigan announced later in the day on Saturday, that he was calling a vote on the proposed tax increase, on Sunday.

The Illinois Channel is reporting that Republican Representative Tom Demmers, and Republican State Senator Jason Barickman of Bloomington-Normal, held a news conference on Saturday, complaining that Speaker Madigan's tactics had slowed negotiations, and they were both disappointed. 

Meanwhile, Governor Bruce Rauner said he was disappointed that the General Assembly overrode his amendatory veto of a bill that will continue to fund 9-1-1 emergency call centers across the state.  Rauner released a statement saying that the increases in fees that will be assessed on Illinois residents' phone bills as part of the 9-1-1 bill, amounts to a tax increase.

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