Rauner says he will veto Madigan-backed state shutdown bill

Gov. Bruce Rauner on Thursday morning sent all state employees an email with a two-minute video attached, telling them he is doing what he can to avoid a state shutdown and assuring them they will continue to be paid during the state’s budget impasse.

Rauner said he supports a bill by Rep. Avery Bourne, R-Raymond, and Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer, R-Jacksonville, that would ensure state employees would continue to get paid while lawmakers try to agree on a state budget. The bill is one of two that have been brought up. House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, is supportive of the other bill, which would stop employee pay and shut down the government on June 30.

Madigan’s daughter, Attorney General Lisa Madigan, filed court papers last week asking to suspend state workers’ pay by the end of February.

“Speaker Madigan will try to sell his June 30 government shut down proposal as a solution in case his daughter wins in court,” Rauner said on the video. “But don’t be fooled. It’s not a solution. It’s a crisis showdown set for June 30 when the Speaker will use the leverage of a forced shut down to finally get the massive tax hike he recommended in December 2015.”

Rauner went on to say that he would veto the Madigan-backed bill if it reaches his desk.

“The General Assembly should fix this problem once and for all by sending the Bourne-Davidsmeyer state employee pay proposal to my desk immediately,” Rauner said. “I don’t take a paycheck — never have, never will — but I believe state employees who show up to work every day for the people of Illinois should get their paychecks no matter what.”

This story was originally published February 9, 2017 at 10:49 AM with the headline "Rauner says he will veto Madigan-backed state shutdown bill."