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State Comptroller Shares Budget Frustration In Rockford Stop

Phil Masterton
/
WNIJ

Illinois Comptroller Leslie Munger says cooperation and common sense in the General Assembly are the only solutions to the budget impasse. She stopped in Rockford Friday as part of her state-wide tour to talk about the state's financial troubles.

Munger is flat out frustrated. Shackled by a General Assembly seemingly unable to create a balanced budget.  She says when she was called before them to testify as to why the state missed a court-ordered payment to the developmentally disabled, she thought, "Really? You have to ask this question? You are spending more money than we have coming in every day, you passed a budget that was four billion dollars overspent, you've been unwilling to talk about anything."

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Munger says the now-nearly $7-billion backlog of bills will only continue to grow until lawmakers are held accountable and come together to implement new spending guidelines.

Because of the budget impasse, 25,000 Illinoisans with special needs have lost access to their agencies. 911 centers around the state are struggling to stay open and 130,000 college students have had their grants cut off.

Philip Masterton (“Phil”, nobody calls me Philip) was born just outside Dublin, Ireland and emigrated with his family as a lad. Growing up in Chicago’s northern suburbs he eventually graduated from Loyola University of Chicago with a degree in Mass Media Communications/Radio & TV.
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