Refusing to wear the collar alone for painful choices, Gov. Pat Quinn today said he’s rejecting a budget bill approved by lawmakers and directing lawmakers to cut $1 billion from state operations.Quinn said he’s vetoing House Bill 2145 entirely with specific instructions for lawmakers to make cuts in state government, including for the General Assembly. He’s also sending out notices to lay off 2,600 state workers and asking workers - union and non-union - to take 12 furlough days as part of the cuts.
“It’s clearly way, way out of balance. They want me to do it,” Quinn said at a news conference in Chicago. “We’ve got to do that as a joint exercise.”
By rejecting the bill entirely, Quinn avoids taking all the heat for the cuts and tries to put the onus back on lawmakers. He could have used his amendatory veto power and signed the bill but made the cuts himself, but instead decided to veto the whole bill.
Quinn said lawmakers simply did not cut enough from government expenses at a time when Illinoisans are being forced to scale back.
Full Article...http://www.sj-r.com/breaking/x737359780/Layoffs-furlough-days-in-latest-budget-cut-plan
