Rauner And Legislative Leaders Meet On Budget
Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, during an appearance on public television's "Illinois Lawmakers" program, at the end of the spring, 2013 legislative session. Wikimedia Commons
For the first time since summer ... Governor Bruce Rauner and the legislature's four top leaders got together Tuesday morning.
The meeting didn't last long. Roughly a half an hour.
The tenor, according to House Speaker Michael Madigan: "I think it was very respectful."
But Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno said: "We listened to the Speaker's comments and we're frankly confused by them."
The confusion, or dispute, is over Madigan’s statement that he wants to bring other legislators into negotiations; Republicans say it's time for the top leaders alone to get serious about a deal.
Democrats want a budget -- straight up. Speaker Madigan wants to use the same recipe that led to passage of the stopgap budget that is set to expire December 31st.
"My suggestion: follow the framework from the seven successful budgets that we've done under Gov. Rauner, follow that framework, and we'll be able to come to an agreement on an eighth budget to finish off the remainder of this fiscal year,” said Madigan.
Republican leaders say those budgets were "unsuccessful." Instead, the GOP wants a grand bargain -- pairing spending, new revenue, and with Rauner's controversial pro-business, anti-union platform.
The governor and the four legislative leaders were set to meet again on Wednesday morning.