More Illinois death spiral......

Billions in Illinois bills not sent for payment

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois is chasing a moving target as it tries to dig out of the nation's worst budget crisis, and a review obtained by The Associated Press shows $7.5 billion worth of unpaid bills — as much as half the total — hadn't been sent to the official who writes the checks by the end of June.

October 10, 2017

Although many of those IOUs have since been paid, a similar amount in unprocessed bills has replaced them in the last three months, Comptroller Susana Mendoza's office said Monday. That's in addition to $9 billion worth of checks that are at the office but being delayed because the state lacks the money to pay them.

The mound of past-due bills tripled over the two years Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democrats who control the General Assembly were locked in a budget stalemate, which ended in July when lawmakers hiked income taxes over Rauner's vetoes.

In some cases, agencies were waiting to send their receipts to Mendoza because lawmakers haven't approved the spending. For example, the Department of Corrections had $471 million in unpaid bills on hand as of June 30 largely for that reason.
The Department of Central Management Services, which handles personnel, procurement and employee health care, has most of the June 30 bundle, with $5.8 billion. That's mostly doctor's bills owed to employee medical providers under the state group health insurance plan.

Illinois has been without an annual budget for two years, the longest of any state in at least 80 years. The state is carrying a $6.2 billion annual deficit and $14.7 billion in overdue bills. The state has crept along on spending ordered by courts, but a federal judge last week ordered that the state pay nearly $300 million more a month to managed-care Medicaid billers.

Fitch rated Illinois' creditworthiness as "BBB" in February. There is one more level, "BBB-minus," before falling into "junk" status. The tax bill approved Sunday would increase the personal income tax rate from 3.75 percent to 4.95 percent. Corporations would pay 7 percent instead of 5.25 percent.

Democrats rule the legislation! The Republican governor can not pass anything they fight on most everything two years now!!! Governor wants to save money Democrats want to spend and borrow money and give out free money to people who don't work!!! We need legislators term limits! Get them out!!!

I agree the sickness is bad. It's going to take an epic act to change the one sided greedy epidemic culture in leadership. Don't forget double standards. Does one ever wonder how we are ever going to right the 20 t.deficit." I say welcome to the show."

Think California in about 10 years.