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Public Affairs coverage from our award-winning staff |
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Hynes: There's Time for Budget Solution Before State Payments Missed
Produced by Sam Hudzik on Wednesday, July 01, 2009
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Illinois has no budget now, two days into the new fiscal year. But the state wouldn't start missing payments for about two weeks.
Illinois lawmakers aren't scheduled to return to Springfield until July 14th, the day before state employees are due to be paid. Comptroller Dan Hynes - whose office cuts the checks - says the payroll will be ready in case a budget becomes law that day.
HYNES: Ideally we would like to have it earlier, but this is not an ideal situation.
Hynes says social service agencies wouldn't miss any payments from the state until later in the summer, because - even when there is a budget - they aren't paid immediately.
HYNES: If they provided services today, by the time they got their paperwork into the agency and it's submitted to our office, and with the cashflow delays we're having, we're talking several months. So that's why the day-to-day social services don't have a real, hard-and-fast deadline like a payroll does.
Hynes says - since there's no new budget - he can't guarantee agencies they'll get paid for all the services they're now providing. But he says the governor should try to calm their fears while budget negotiations continue.
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Kristin, Sheridan, IL // Wednesday, July 01, 2009 @ 10:44 PM
Good luck calming the fears of those who got their lay off notices today.
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Robert Okazaki, Park Ridge // Thursday, July 02, 2009 @ 9:03 AM
Illinois is already 5 months late in their payments to Commnuity developmental disability providers. As Comptroller, Hynes displays and amazing ignorance of this fact when he says social services dont have a hard deadline. How many employees would he have left if they had not been paid since February? Dan, Lisa and the others seeking higher office better have more awareness and expressed support for human services if they expect to go anywhere.
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Rod Patterson, Pontiac, IL // Friday, July 03, 2009 @ 9:36 AM
Providers of services for people with disabilities received letters telling them in detail which services would no longer be funded after July 1. Hundreds of people have been discharged from services and hundreds of employees laid off, yet Mr. Hines apparently does not see this as an Issue because it is not involve state employees. No wonder Illinois is 51st in the nation when it comes to supporting people with disabilities.
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