Casino news source: Chicago Sun-Times - http://www.suntimes.com
Chicago casino could plug budget holes
SPRINGFIELD | But lawmakers can't agree on how to split money, pushing fiscal crisis to breaking point
August 1, 2007
BY DAVE MCKINNEY AND WHITNEY WOODWARD Sun-Times Staff Reporters dmckinney@suntimes.com wwoodward@suntimes.com
SPRINGFIELD -- A Chicago casino emerged Tuesday as a potential way out of the state's deepening budgetary morass, but top lawmakers couldn't agree how to divvy up the massive windfall it might generate.
And so another round in the 61-day budget stalemate ended without a deal, leaving open the possibility of disruptions in government services as soon as next week.
State spending authority lapsed at midnight Tuesday after a hectic day of back-and-forth, closed meetings, mostly involving House and Senate leaders from both parties.
After instructing state workers to report to work today, Gov. Blagojevich renewed his call for lawmakers to pass another 30-day stopgap spending plan so state contractors and workers won't miss their paydays.
To a one, the legislative leaders dismissed that approach and continued trying to craft a full-year budget amongst themselves. That's where talk of slot machines and roulette wheels in the city popped up.
"My goal is to get enough money for education, to get a balanced budget, where we can get the heck out of here," said Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago), when asked about a possible city casino.
Use city funds statewide: GOP
Jones has advocated a $900 million jump in education spending but has failed to reach consensus on how to pay for that.
But GOP leaders said they would like to see revenues from a city casino go, at least in part, toward a statewide construction program.
Last week, Senate Democrats proposed a 90-cent hike in state cigarette taxes to fund a capital program -- a plan Republicans oppose.
Questioned about the prospects of a city casino deal, Senate Minority Leader Frank Watson (R-Greenville) said, "I don't want to mislead anyone. We've got a long ways to go." |
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