SPRINGFIELD – With the end of the spring legislative session less than one week away, and the state operating without a budget for nearly 12 months, House Democrats have walked away from budget negotiations, intent on trying to ram through another unbalanced budget filled with empty promises.

“Our schools don’t know if they will be able to open on time and our social service network is crumbling,” said State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford). “Instead of working with Republicans to finally end this tragic impasse, House Speaker Madigan has decided to offer another rubber check that will simply pull the rug out from under everyone depending on state funding.”

The Democrats’ proposed budget would place Illinois on a path to spend approximately $39 billion, with the state only expected to take in around $32 billion. The legislation wouldn’t actually appropriate spending for many areas, including Medicaid, but due to court rulings, that spending would go on unchecked. In addition, the legislation purports spending $3 billion for capital projects.

In the end, the state would be left with an even larger budget shortfall than previous years.

“Unfortunately, the money simply isn’t there for this level of spending, and Madigan knows it,” said Sen. Syverson. “The worst part of this whole thing is that some schools and service providers would likely plan their budgets based on this legislation, only to find out later that they aren’t actually getting paid, leaving them even worse off than before.”