Laurence Msall, president of the Civic Federation, shares his thoughts on Gov. Bruce Rauner’s $37.6 billion spending plan.

As Gov. Bruce Rauner prepares to give the final budget address of his four-year term, the state’s bill payer is sounding the alarm. 

The governor gives his budget address Wednesday, but with a backlog of unpaid bills hovering above $9 billion, what will he propose to plug the hole? 

Though the state of Illinois finally got a budget this summer, it still has billions of dollars in unpaid bills, and the amount keeps changing.

Gov. Bruce Rauner agrees to refinance the state’s staggering backlog of unpaid bills. Illinois’ comptroller and treasurer weigh in.

The Republican legislator who was instrumental to the passage of Illinois’ first budget in more than two years is leaving state politics. Find out why.

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner hasn’t used authority to borrow $6 billion to begin making a dent in the backlog of overdue bills that tripled during the budget impasse under the Republican’s watch.

“The impact it had on people will likely last for far more than two years, and not just from the past two years but also going into the future,” said Mitch Lifson, one of the report’s co-authors.

Students within the City Colleges of Chicago won’t see any tuition hike this fall as the state’s largest community college district works through its first full budget in more than two years.

Illinois State Sens. Heather Steans and Karen McConnaughay report on the status of school funding and which reforms were passed this session.

While Illinois residents should expect to see a smaller paycheck in short order, Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza says it will takes months for the increased revenue to truly buttress state coffers.

Illinois legislators have finally passed a budget, but the impasse did not leave the state’s public universities unscathed: faculty and staff were laid off, student enrollment dwindled and bond ratings were downgraded.

The new state budget includes significant cuts and a higher income tax. So now what? We address some lingering questions about the fiscal health of the state—and the city.

Illinois Senators discuss the newly passed budget and explain why they voted the way they did.

At long last, Illinois has a budget – its first in more than two years. And residents will be sending more of their paychecks to state government to help pay for it.

After a bruising two-year battle, Illinois may be on the brink of a budget. Lawmakers from either side of the budget divide join us with insights.