SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Following reports that Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration has failed to submit billions of dollars in bills for payment, forcing taxpayers to foot the bill for late payment penalties, state Rep. Kelly Burke, D-Evergreen Park, voted to override the governor’s veto of bipartisan legislation that will give taxpayers a more transparent account of state finances.

“Middle-class families are required to pay their bills in a timely fashion and they should expect the same thing from their government,” Burke said. “Governor Rauner’s veto of this bipartisan measure was a desperate attempt to hide the damage done to our state by his budget crisis. Enacting this measure despite the governor’s veto will provide some much-needed accountability over how our money is being managed.”

Burke sponsored the Debt Transparency Act, House Bill 3649, which requires state agencies to report the liabilities they are holding to the comptroller ever month, and also provide an estimate of the amount of late interest penalties that will be paid on those bills, giving taxpayers a clear look at how their tax dollars are being managed. A recent report by the Associated Press found that state agencies have failed to submit $7.5 billion in bills for payment, expanding the state’s debt and incurring additional late-payment penalties.

Rauner vetoed the measure, refusing to reveal the full extent of state debt accrued as a result of his budget crisis. Burke joined with Democrats and Republicans to override the governor’s veto and ensure that taxpayers do not end up paying more than they already have because of financial mismanagement.

“Overriding the governor’s veto sends a message that transparency is a bipartisan issue and that the best government operates in the open, not behind closed doors,” Burke said. “I would like to thank my colleagues on both sides of aisle for setting aside partisanship and doing what’s right for the families of Illinois.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Michelle Mussman, D-Schaumburg, issued the following statement after the Illinois House of Representatives unanimously voted to override Rauner’s veto of bipartisan legislation aimed at improving how state agencies report their finances:

“Illinois still faces financial challenges each day, but there is no excuse to keep our constituents in the dark about the state’s finances. The Debt Transparency Act will provide the taxpayers of Illinois with a much clearer picture about how much the state owes venders, schools and non-profits each month. Earlier today, both Democrats and Republicans worked together to unanimously override the governor’s veto of this common-sense bill.

“The House acted to inform people how much state agencies owe and their accompanying interest payments, giving Comptroller Mendoza and the General Assembly the tools needed to make necessary plans for the state. After nearly three years of a budget crisis that tripled the state’s debt, Illinois taxpayers are one step closer to having a more transparent government.

“This bill was one of the Better Government Association’s top rated measures to originate from the Illinois House of Representatives, and I sincerely hope the Illinois Senate wastes no time in following our lead. House Bill 3649 will pave the way for legislators to make decisions that spend tax dollars responsibly and efficiently.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill.  – State Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, is calling on his colleagues in the General Assembly to override Gov. Rauner’s veto of legislation that would provide taxpayers with greater insight into Illinois’ unpaid bills and state debt.

“When Bruce Rauner became governor, Illinois was on a path to paying off its massive backlog of outstanding bills,” said Welch. “As a result of Rauner’s three-year budget crisis, unpaid bills have more than tripled, and some are still sitting in state agencies unaccounted for. Taxpayers will now have a better understanding of Illinois’ outstanding debt obligations.”

A recent report by the Associated Press found that state agencies failed to submit $7.5 billion in bills for payment, incurring additional late-payment penalties. This is half of the over $15 billion in unpaid bills the comptroller is trying to pay.

Welch is a sponsor House Bill 3649, and worked with Democratic and Republican colleagues to unanimously override Rauner’s veto. State agencies are now required to report to the Illinois comptroller’s office on their monthly unpaid bill amount, along with additional interest that would be owed on those bills. Welch’s legislation is designed to provide a more accurate account of Illinois’ finances and begin to reign in the costs of state government and provide accountability to taxpayers.

“This will make Illinois government more accountable to its taxpayers, and it is my hope the Senate quickly votes on this to become law,” said Welch. “This is common-sense, bipartisan measure and I applaud members on both sides of the aisle for transcending partisan divides to pass this bill.”

GRAYSLAKE – State Representative Sam Yingling is calling on members of the General Assembly on both sides of the aisle to come together to override Governor Rauner’s veto of the Debt Transparency Act.

Since Bruce Rauner took office, the backlog of unpaid bills has ballooned to nearly $16 billion. The bi-partisan Debt Transparency Act requires Rauner’s administration to be transparent and accountable to taxpayers by disclosing the full extent of unpaid bills each month.

“Given the extreme damage Bruce Rauner has done to our state, it’s absurd for him to argue that his administration should not be forced to be transparent and accountable to the taxpayers,” said Yingling.  “The General Assembly must override Rauner’s veto to ensure the Governor’s agencies cannot keep additional unpaid bills secret through bookkeeping tricks.”

The General Assembly will have an opportunity to override the Governor’s veto during the upcoming veto session this fall.

COLLINSVILLE, Ill. – Frustrated by recent news reports that Gov. Rauner’s agencies have failed to submit $7.5 billion in unpaid bills for payment, masking the state’s true debt crisis, state Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, is again urging lawmakers to override the governor’s veto of the Debt Transparency Act, which would require state agencies to be more transparent about their debt and unpaid bills.

“It is insane and irresponsible for the state’s agencies to hide their unpaid bills and mask the true magnitude of the state’s debt,” said Stuart. “As a taxpayer, I’m angry. As a state Representative, I’m taking action. I supported the Debt Transparency Act and am urging all of my colleagues to override the governor’s irresponsible veto of this bill. This bill puts an end to state bureaucrats hiding their unpaid bills while racking up more debt and more taxpayer-funded interest payments. Taxpayers deserve to know how much the state owes. Policymakers need a clear and complete picture of the problem in order to tackle it. This is common sense.”

House Bill 3649, the Debt Transparency Act, passed the House with bipartisan support and would have required state agencies to give monthly reports to the Comptroller’s Office on the number of bills that they are holding and an estimate of the amount of late payments that would be paid on those liabilities. Currently, agencies only have to report once a year, making most of the information outdated by the time it is received by legislators and taxpayers.

“The governor’s veto of this pro-taxpayer, pro-transparency bill and the continued recklessness of his state agencies only add to the state’s debt. This hurts the small businesses and service providers in our community who continue to provide goods and services to the state in exchange for an IOU from Illinois,” Stuart added.

ROUND LAKE BEACH, Ill. – State Rep. Sam Yingling, D-Grayslake, is vowing action in response to Gov. Rauner’s rejection of legislation that would require state agencies to offer more transparency with spending levels, debt and interest owed.

“You can’t run a business if you don’t know what your expenses are, and government is no different,” said Yingling. “Gov. Rauner is trying to run our government without fully knowing its expenses, and middle-class families are getting stuck with the bill.”

The Yingling-supported House Bill 3649, the Debt Transparency Act, is an initiative of Comptroller Susana Mendoza and would require state agencies to provide monthly disclosures of their unpaid bills, as well as the penalties from resulting interest. Illinois owes at least $800 million in penalties as a result of agencies that are too slow in reporting liabilities. By forcing state agencies to report liabilities in a quicker and more transparent manner, the legislation would protect hard-earned, taxpayer dollars from mismanagement. Yingling is thus calling for the legislature to override the governor’s veto.

“The governor should not be trying to keep the state’s books a secret,” Yingling said. “I urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to stand with Illinois taxpayers and vote to override the governor’s veto.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Fred Crespo, D-Hoffman Estates, issued the following statement after Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed bipartisan legislation aimed at reforming how state agencies manage their finances:

“Illinois is facing unprecedented fiscal challenges, and in order to overcome them, we must be doing everything in our power to get back on the right track. The Debt Transparency Act would’ve equipped the governor, legislators, and most importantly, the taxpayers of Illinois with a much clearer picture about the state’s finances. Yet, in his veto message, the governor said that his staff should not have to work harder to get the numbers out monthly, and that’s unacceptable.

“While Illinois lacked a budget, the governor often acted unilaterally and spent funds that weren’t approved by the General Assembly. So now that Illinois has an honest, balanced budget in place, it is essential that we all know how much is actually owed to schools, social service organizations, small business owners and others across the state. And it’s infuriating that as a person who often talks about the need for good government reforms, he blocked one of the Better Government Association’s top rated reforms of the year.

“As policymakers, we need up-to date financial information when making decisions that will affect the lives of millions of people, so I am disappointed that Governor Rauner rejected this common sense transparency measure. Taxpayers deserve better. So I will be working with all of my colleagues to ensure that this reckless and ill-advised decision is overridden, and enacted into law.”

State Rep. Fred Crespo was the Chief Sponsor of House Bill 3649 and has filed a motion to override Governor Rauner’s veto.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – As Illinois’ estimated bill backlog sits at a record $14.3 billion, state Rep. Sonya Harper, D-Chicago, is calling on Gov. Rauner to sign legislation that would reform how state agencies manage their finances and reveal the full extent of the state’s debt obligations.

“Following up on our balanced and bipartisan budget, this transparency bill is good government bill that will tell the public what our state owes to schools and social service providers and how much is owed,” Harper said. “Now more than ever it is critical that elected officials work to pass bipartisan, honest and transparent policies to bring Illinois out of the shadows and at the forefront of caring for our taxpayers.”

Harper supported House Bill 3649 would require agencies to report monthly to the Comptroller the liabilities they are holding, plus an estimate of the amount of late interest penalties that will be paid on those bills. According to the Comptroller’s Office, liabilities are not being reported quickly enough, and as a result, millions of dollars in penalty fees are accruing on the state’s overdue bills. By reforming how state agencies report their liabilities, the Harper-supported legislation would ensure that hard-earned, taxpayer dollars are protected from financial mismanagement.

“The Debt Transparency Act would give the Governor’s Office, legislators, the media and most importantly the taxpayers of Illinois a much clearer picture of the state’s finances and the amount owed on the state’s unpaid bills,” said State Comptroller Susana Mendoza. “We hope Governor Rauner follows the advice of his fellow Republicans and Democrats and signs the bill.”

House Bill 3649 passed both the House and Senate with bipartisan support at the end of the spring legislative session, and has been sitting on the governor’s desk for more than 30 days awaiting his consideration.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – As Illinois’ estimated bill backlog sits at a record $14.3 billion, state Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, is calling on Gov. Rauner to sign legislation that would reform how state agencies manage their finances and reveal the full extent of the state’s debt obligations.

“Before we passed our bipartisan budget plan, one of the difficulties we ran into was determining how much debt was being racked up by Governor Rauner’s state agencies,” Hoffman said. “Under the Rauner administration, Illinois’ bill backlog has nearly tripled—and this proposal will ensure that spending at state agencies is more transparent and accountable.”

The Hoffman supported House Bill 3649 would require agencies to report monthly to the Comptroller the liabilities they are holding, plus an estimate of the amount of late interest penalties that will be paid on those bills. According to the Comptroller’s Office, liabilities are not being reported quickly enough, and as a result, millions of dollars in penalty fees are accruing on the state’s overdue bills. By reforming how state agencies report their liabilities, Hoffman’s legislation would ensure that hard-earned, taxpayer dollars are protected from financial mismanagement.

“The Debt Transparency Act would give the Governor’s Office, legislators, the media and most importantly the taxpayers of Illinois a much clearer picture of the state’s finances and the amount owed on the state’s unpaid bills,” said State Comptroller Susana Mendoza. “We hope Governor Rauner follows the advice of his fellow Republicans and Democrats and signs the bill.”

House Bill 3649 passed both the House and Senate with bipartisan support at the end of the spring legislative session, and has been sitting on the governor’s desk for more than 30 days awaiting his consideration.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – With Illinois’ unpaid bill backlog at a record high of $14.6 billion, state Rep. Michelle Mussman, D-Schaumburg, is calling on Gov. Rauner to sign legislation that would reform how state agencies manage their finances and reveal the full extent of the state’s debt obligations.

“The recent bipartisan budget agreement has given Illinois a real opportunity to open the books and inform taxpayers of what we really owe to schools, small businesses, and social service organizations,” Mussman said. “This bill would force the Governor to remove the blindfold from the eyes of taxpayers. During the last two and half years, Illinois’ bill backlog has more than tripled, and this legislation would bring much needed transparency and accountability to state government.”

Mussman co-sponsored House Bill 3649, which requires state agencies to report monthly to the Comptroller the liabilities they are holding, plus an estimate of the amount of late interest penalties that will be paid on those bills. According to the Comptroller’s Office, liabilities are not being reported quickly enough, and as a result, millions of dollars in penalty fees are accruing on the state’s overdue bills. By reforming how state agencies report their liabilities, Mussman’s legislation would ensure that taxpayers do not end up paying more than they already have because of financial mismanagement.

“The Debt Transparency Act would give the Governor’s Office, legislators, the media and most importantly the taxpayers of Illinois a much clearer picture of the state’s finances and the amount owed on the state’s unpaid bills,” said State Comptroller Susana Mendoza. “We hope Governor Rauner follows the advice of his fellow Republicans and Democrats and signs the bill.”

House Bill 3649 passed both the House and Senate with bipartisan support at the end of the spring legislative session, and has been sitting on the governor’s desk for 5 weeks awaiting his consideration.