The Illinois Senate Passed A Budget Tuesday, With A Big Caveat

The Illinois Senate Passed A Budget Tuesday, With A Big Caveat

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The Illinois State Senate is making another go at trying to reach a compromise to end the 20-months-long state budget impasse. The Senate is trying to pass what it calls a grand bargain in which a dozen different bills all must get approved, or else the whole deal falls apart. Senators passed a bill Tuesday to fund Chicago Public Schools pensions and expand gambling — and they passed a budget. However, a bill to address the state’s underfunded pensions failed, leaving the fate of the grand compromise up in the air.