Lawmakers draft plans to keep Illinois paychecks flowing

[TexasTowelie]

CHICAGO (AP) - Illinois lawmakers are preparing legislation to ensure that state employees continue receiving paychecks if a judge agrees with the attorney general's argument that their pay should be halted during the budget impasse.

Republican Rep. Avery Bourne and Democratic Rep. Sue Scherer introduced similar measures Wednesday to keep paychecks flowing in response to a motion filed by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan last week.

Madigan is asking a judge to reverse a previous ruling that not paying state workers would be unconstitutional, even without a budget.

Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan's spokesman Steve Brown calls Scherer's bill a "precaution" against the attorney general's action.

Read more: http://www.pjstar.com/news/20170202/lawmakers-draft-plans-to-keep-illinois-paychecks-flowing

[raging moderate]

1. Why do I suspect that lawmakers' paychecks are not threatened?

Nor payments to rich donors?

[TexasTowelie]

2. The payments to vendors and to the city of Springfield

for utilities are usually the last bills that get paid. The last time that the budget was discussed the city was getting ready to disconnect the electricity and turn out the lights at the Capitol because they were a few million dollars overdue.