Gov. Quinn Faces Budget Questions During Champaign Visit

While local agencies struggle to get by because of overdue state funding, Governor Pat Quinn says Illinois will meet all of its obligations for fiscal year 2010.

"We have adequate revenue to pay all the bills", Quinn said to reporters in Champaign on Wednesday. "It's been slow. The payments have been delayed, because we have a mountain of debt that I inherited when I became governor. I'm doing the very best I can to pay our debt down. I have to tell the truth about what we have to do to get that done."

Quinn says the most important thing for lawmakers to do is to pass the increase in the state income tax that he's proposed to help pay for education. But the governor avoided saying whether he thought House Speaker Mike Madigan would allow to vote to occur in his chamber.

"Mike Madigan, the Speaker, is a good friend of mine", said Quinn. "I talk to him every day, practically. But I don't agree with him every day, and he doesn't agree with me. And so we have discussions and dialog. And ultimately, I think the best thing for the people is to have a vote. That's what democracy is, and that's what legislatures are all about. And they should vote on something as revenue for education."

Quinn has proposed a list of what he calls "loopholes" in the tax code that he wants to close --- including a proposed tax on digital downloads and requiring banks to disclose the accounts of tax scofflaws. But he says the one percentage-point increase in the state income tax is his top priority.

The governor also proposes extending the deadline by which the state must pay bills from the previous fiscal year by another four months past the current September 1st date. Administration officials says that would help the state pay service providers first, and relieve the pressure on agencies that have struggling to stay open due to delays in state grant money. The deadline extension is part of a proposal that also includes additional budget cuts and borrowing to pay pensions.

The governor spoke to reporters outside downtown Champaign's Virginia Theater, during opening night of the 12th annual Roger Ebert's Film Festival. Quinn introduced the long-time film critic at the festival, presenting him with a copy of a proclamation naming Wednesday "Ebertfest Day" in Illinois. Also during his stop in Champaign, the governor marked the oncoming celebration of Earth Day with a tour of a model solar-powered house designed by University of Illinois students. The "Gable Home" won second place in last year's biennial Solar Decathlon, sponsored by the U-S Department of Energy.