An opportunity of a lifetime missed is how one local lawmaker describes the last six days.
State Sen. Chapin Rose says Illinois Senators were 12 hours away from a budget deal that would have put Illinois on a path of fiscal health and prosperity before budget bills were called in the Illinois House.
The Senator does not see the budget agreement as a way to making much movement on the backlog of bills and also notes Illinois still faces a junk bond status from Moody's Investors Services.
Sen. Rose says the language around school funding is essentially handcuffing downstate schools until Chicago Public Schools get a bailout.
Sen. Rose hopes lawmakers can find middle ground on an evidenced based school funding model.
He notes he maintained a no vote because he was not for a tax increase that was not tied to reforms.