Illinois lawmakers reached the end of regularly scheduled spring session on Sunday without agreement on a budget for FY 2016, which begins July 1, and they will continue their deliberations with Gov. Bruce Rauner into June and perhaps beyond.  The House will reconvene on June 4 and the Senate on June 9. House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton said that their chambers would formally remain in “continuous session” throughout the summer, although members would generally not be at the Capitol unless summoned to return. Lawmakers were told that, unlike regular session, they would receive no mileage reimbursements or per diems.

At issue is how to address an estimated revenue shortfall of more than $6 billion in the next fiscal year. 

Over the last week, the Democratic majorities in the Senate and House advanced components of a $36.3 billion budget for FY 2016, though they acknowledged that the spending plan assumes roughly $3 billion in revenue that the state does not currently anticipate. This includes HB4147 HFA1, the University of Illinois budget. Democratic leaders are using parliamentary procedures to hold the appropriations bills in their chambers and prevent them from being sent to the governor for consideration.

We are continuing to monitor the situation and work in partnership with members of the General Assembly and the Governor’s office to work to protect the University of Illinois. 

The 2015 State Legislative Report is linked below. These are bills that we worked on and that would specifically impact the University. 

Again, we appreciate the support and assistance from the subject matter experts on our campuses. If you have any questions on a specific piece of legislation, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Office of Government Relations for more information.

2015 State Legislative Report

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