State Representative C.D. Davidsmeyer is pleased that state lawmakers are heading back to the Capitol to try and finally pass a state budget.
Governor Bruce Rauner yesterday announced that he’s calling Illinois’ General Assembly back to Springfield next week for a ten-day special session with the hopes of working out a balanced budget.
Local Representative Davidsmeyer says many lawmakers have been waiting for this, and that it’s the right thing for the state to do.
“I think that everyone’s been waiting for the Speaker to call us back, it’s the Speaker’s job to set the schedule, but it became obvious that he’s not planning on calling us back possibly until the very last week. I think that this was the best thing that the governor could do is send us back there. He needs to sit us down and tell us ‘do your job,'” says Davidsmeyer.
Davidsmeyer explains how Governor Rauner was able to call this special session, and says he hopes this is finally the time something get done.
“The Governor has the authority to call a special session, he does not have the authority to set the time and how long we have to meet. If you recall, back when Blagojdavich was in office, he called the General Assembly back in session basically all summer, and they would basically come in for ten or fifteen minutes. My hope is that we will actually come in, get together, sit down and talk and actually get something accomplished,” says Davidsmeyer.
In the past, Republicans such as Davidsmeyer and Democrats within the House have been unable to compromise on any real balanced budget. Davidsmeyer says he hopes the House majority Democrats are more willing to work with the other side of the aisle.
“Up to this point, the (Democrats) have kind of tried to shove the same old budgets down our throats, I hope they realize over the last two years that hasn’t worked, so we have to work together to get a budget that actually helps people in the state of Illinois. We don’t need anymore gimmicks. The Senate, frankly, has done a pretty good job at trying to come up with a compromise, they’re the only ones who have passed anything, the House hasn’t even tried to pass anything realistic. The linchpin in this whole thing is the Speaker and his ability, or want, to try and compromise,” says Davidsmeyer.
Illinois lawmakers have until July 1st, when the new fiscal year begins, to pass a balanced budget.