Rauner Proposes Open, Then Closed, Budget Negotiation

Five leading IL business groups are urging Gov. Bruce Rauner and legislative leaders to skip the public budget negotiation they’ve scheduled for next week.

Instead, Rauner’s office soon put out its own statement, extending sympathies to Madigan and saying out of consideration, and a desire to have all four legislative leaders in attendance, that the meeting will be rescheduled for December 1.

“Good government groups last month suggested hosting a sit-down to get the two sides talking”.

However, House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, did call for an open or public meeting. The meeting was supposed to take place on Wednesday, but was moved to December 1 to accommodate Madigan’s family obligation. Madigan, a Chicago Democrat, has been the toughest roadblock to the governor’s conservative agenda. I continue to support an open and public discussion about how the Legislature and the Governor can work together to address the state’s biggest issue: “solving the budget deficit”.

Attempts to reach Madigan’s spokesman Friday evening were not successful. Rauner finally agreed but said he would host it and plan the agenda.