Rauner consolidates Illinois IT systems into new agency

The Illinois Supreme Court later found the measure unconstitutional. Calhoun, who just took over from embattled president Wayne Watson, continues to fight back.

Gov. Bruce Rauner is consolidating all IL agencies’ information technology functions into one department in a move he says will save money and make operations more efficient.

The group’s chairwoman Sen.

“Illinois has been without a proper budget for almost eight months”, McGuire said in a statement. Rauner wants Democrats to support items on his pro-business, anti-union “turnaround agenda” as part of the budgeting process.

When Rauner makes his state of the state address, they say they’ll all be watching and waiting to hear real answers and leadership.

He also said Illinois’ largest public-worker union is pushing in contract negotiations for compensation he described as “out-of-touch with reality”. “It’s time to get IL moving”. This week, Eastern Illinois University was the latest to feel the repercussions from the budget deadlock, with school President David Glassman telling employees in a letter there will be delays in maintenance and repairs, cuts to all non-instructional equipment purchases, and no reimbursement for travel. Rauner and his wife also have donated significant money to help Chicago Public Schools.

State Rep. Jerry Costello II, D-Smithton, said: “Today, the governor made more bold pronouncements about his values and the strength of his resolve to make a mark on IL”.

Rauner’s next scheduled appearance before the Legislature will be February 17, when he makes his fiscal year 2017 budget address. “It’s not that hard”, Love said. Illinois’ current prison population is about 49,000.

“Undeterred and unashamed, AFSCME is demanding $3 billion in overall compensation”, the governor said.

CORLEY: Some agencies have laid off workers or are closing because of the freeze in state funds.

Berkowitz: The pensionable benefits have to be taken out of collective bargaining, right? It’s just in how Rauner wants to do it that his critics oppose. It has the dubious distinction of having the worst-funded pensions and lowest credit rating of any state.

“I understand that union leaders and trial lawyers are putting pressure on you to keep the status quo – but if we don’t offer a competitive environment for businesses, pretty soon the unions won’t have any more jobs to unionize and the trial lawyers won’t have any more businesses to sue”, he said, to applause from Republicans and peeved groans from Democrats.

Democrats are big supporters of community care. He later reversed course.

“Ultimately, we need state funding to be tied to a measure that is weighted and integrated so that all students across the State of IL are depending on their need, can get the funds need so that we can give them a great education”, said Humphries.

Speaking very little on the state’s budget gridlock, which has left social service agencies reeling, Rauner said businesses and jobs are leaving IL left and right because of the state’s costly workers’ comp system, liabilities, labor regulations and high property taxes.

The agenda items are the center of a stalemate over the state budget that’s approaching its eighth month. Rauner won’t agree until Democrats pass some of his priorities. Our average working family is making less than they were 8 years ago.

The Responsible Budget Coalition’s rally was Wednesday morning in the building’s first-floor rotunda. We have to create a situation that fosters business and people moving back into IL. Although Gov. Rauner did not go into detail about what he and lawmakers will do to pass a budget, he did call on lawmakers to act in a non-partisan manner to better reach an agreement in the future. He held a sign with “Budget Now for Families”.

Bruce Rauner delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the General Assembly in the House chambers at the State Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016, in Springfield, Ill.

Cullerton said he looks forward to working on a plan to address Illinois’ $111 billion pension debt, but said there are still “many disagreements” about other pieces of Rauner’s agenda.