Illinois’ new fiscal year begins tomorrow, but the state still doesn’t have a budget. Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes says some state employees might start missing paychecks. He’s urging the governor and legislative leaders to work out their differences.
HYNES: We are now in a game of chicken. We are now basically in a staring contest to see who blinks first. And the ones who are going to get hurt in this contest are tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of vulnerable, innocent people. And that needs to change. And it starts with the leadership at the very top.
Hynes says a court order last year required state employees to get paid, even though Illinois missed the budget deadline by several months. Hynes predicts the court won’t grant that same protection this year.