Comptroller: Pay For Office Holders To Be Delayed

Comptroller Leslie Munger announced Sunday that Illinois elected officials' pay will wait in line, just like other bills. Vendors and agencies that perform work for the state are waiting months to be paid.

With a handful of constitutional officers and 177 state legislators ... the paychecks total $1.3 million a month.

"Now some may say that that's not very much compared to the state's staggering financial problems. But it all adds up. And that $1.3 million can mean a lot to a non-profit. It may prevent some from being laid off, or keep a critical community program going," she said.

Munger will still process elected officials' paychecks every month, but they will no longer be paid out at regular intervals.  Rather, the paychecks will go out once the comptroller's office has the available cash on hand.

Illinois is in its tenth month without a budget. Absent a budget, state universities, community colleges and various social service organizations aren't even in the comptroller's cash queue.