Rauner signs legislation reforming juvenile justice system

Cullerton appeared to address that issue in his remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday, noting that the effective date of the bill makes clear the intent is to apply the pay and expense-allowance freezes to all of fiscal year 2016, which began July 1. Rauner and the union have agreed to extend talks to September 30.

The American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees on Tuesday announced it had received notices involving 94 state employees in the following departments.

“It’s a fact that the union has made very few and very modest proposals that focus on improving public services, preventing privatization, ensuring safety and making certain workers can afford health care and keep pace with rising costs”, Lindall said. “That shouldn’t be mandated by Springfield”, Gov. Rauner said. “Public service workers in state government deserve fair treatment, our union is committed to reaching an agreement at the table”.

As part of the reforms that were approved by Rauner, juvenile offenders would also be kept out of state facilities for misdemeanors.

Democrats say they’re willing to discuss the numbers further, but Rauner is holding the annual budget hostage for what they consider non-budgetary demands and an imbalanced business-friendly agenda they argue will hurt working Illinoisans.

AFSCME wants lawmakers to override Rauner’s veto of legislation that would block public-employee strikes and management lockouts, and to send any contract-negotiation impasses to binding arbitration.

The Department of Natural Resources will lose 107 people. The House voted to stop the pay hike last week.

The bipartisan legislative Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability rejected Rauner’s proposal to close the Illinois State Museum system, which includes the Lockport Gallery, with a 7-2 vote.

State Sen. Heather Steans, a Chicago Democrat and chairwoman of a Senate appropriations committee, said human services will continue to suffer, even with access to the federal funds, and she hopes lawmakers negotiate a full budget soon.