Madigan a no-show at meeting, Rauner's GOP launches attack website
A series of events Tuesday at the Capitol illustrated that Democrats and Republicans are digging in deeper amid the state's historic budget impasse, with the focus quickly turning to the 2018 election even as a temporary spending plan is set to expire at year's end.
First, Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan didn't show up for a meeting called by Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner. Little more than an hour later, the Illinois Republican Party unveiled a new website attacking Madigan and rank-and-file Democrats who have supported him. Talks of rescheduling the meeting for the afternoon soon were scuttled.
Later, efforts to override Rauner's veto of a bill to automatically register people to vote failed as all House Republicans backed their governor. Democrats argued Rauner was trying to suppress minority turnout as he seeks another term in office in two years.
The action unfolded as lawmakers returned to Springfield for the final scheduled week of the fall session. No session dates have been planned yet for the new year, so Rauner has pushed for daily gatherings with legislative leaders to reach a budget deal before the state can no longer send money to universities, social service providers and others come January.
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