Comptroller: With Stop-Gap Funds, State Backlog Will Be $10B

Illinois Comptroller Leslie Munger says the state's backlog of unpaid bills will be roughly $10 billion by the year's end after factoring in the temporary spending plan lawmakers recently approved.  

The backlog is roughly $7.8 billion. Legislators approved a stop-gap budget that will cover about six months. The move followed a year-long impasse.  

Munger's office writes the state's checks. She told reporters Thursday that she's prioritizing payments to state-funded nonprofit groups that offer social services, business owners who provided goods and services to the state in good faith last year and education institutions facing cuts and delays.  

Nearly 100 social service providers working without pay for over a year have sued the state. Munger says their payments will be made as soon as she receives vouchers from state agencies.