Rauner Encouraged By Progress Of 'Budgeteers' In Springfield
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Gov. Bruce Rauner said a group of lawmakers trying to craft a budget deal seems to be making good progress, and he's encouraged about possibly reaching what he calls a "grand compromise."
The governor didn't want to talk specifics on Monday, but he told reporters he has heard good things from a working group of lawmakers who call themselves the "budgeteers," and have proposed both tax hikes and spending cuts.
"The working groups are generating some good compromise ideas, and I am supportive of their compromise ideas that I've heard about so far," Rauner said. "I've heard some initial ideas on tax reform. I've heard some ideas on spending reductions. I've heard – not publicly, but privately – some good ideas on reforms around worker's comp, and local control, and government structural inefficiencies."
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The state has operated without a budget for more than 10 months, and the Illinois General Assembly has two weeks to pass a budget for the upcoming fiscal year before they need a supermajority vote to approve any spending plan.
The governor was asked about talk about approving a Chicago-owned casino, which has often been discussed in Springfield ever since the state began allowing riverboat gambling, but has yet to come to fruition. The closest casinos to Chicago are in Des Plaines, near O'Hare Airport, and in Hammond and Gary Indiana.
"We have Chicagoans gambling and getting the economic benefit to the state of Indiana. That's a problem," he said. "I'm a local control person. If there's a community that loves gaming, and wants to do something in gaming, I'm open-minded. I'm supportive of a grand bargain, and that could be inclusive of a lot of different ideas."
The governor said he's not going to be specific about any budget issues until lawmakers officially present a plan.
