State Legislature Approves Money for Hospitals, Schools–A Blueprint to Next Year’s State Budget?

(Springfield, IL) — During the last month, the quarreling House and Senate approved key supplemental money bills to provide dough needed by and owed to state hospitals and schools, and they accomplished this feat on unanimous votes. Unanimous.

Could they these rare acts of cooperation show the way and motivation to a budget sometime this year? Or next?

On March 6, the House approved legislation, 106-0, to pay–finally–Illinois hospitals the $1.2 billion in Medicaid money due the hospitals under the deal worked out under the Hospital Assessment Tax program, and the Senate–finally–sent the bill to the Governor this past Friday, March 28.

The payment, which should have gone to the hospitals last year, fell victim to last year’s budget brawl. State Sen. Jeff Schoenberg (D-Evanston), right, revived the hospital payment effort last fall, filing Senate Bill 1863 on September 18, and got it through the Senate on February 28.

In addition to the $1.2 billion paid to the hospitals, the State is now eligible to claim $600 million more in a federal match, according to the Illinois Hospital Association.

All good news.

Yesterday, the House approved, 109-0, a senate supplemental appropriations bill, Senate Bill 1874, to provide $21 million to local school districts this fiscal year to pay for special educations expenses who are getting less this year than last.

The program, adopted by legislature in 2004, provides reimbursement to school districts for individual students with disabilities whose program costs exceed 4 times the district’s per capita tuition rate.

The schools, like the hospitals, were due the money. The legislature, with State Sen. Gary Forby (D-Benton), left, spearheading it in Senate, got it done. Finally.

Which brings us to next year’s budget.

The complete absence of trust among the warring parties has incinerated the leaders’ budget-making process. House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) has already signaled that he has no interest in attending budget meetings with Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago) and Gov. Rod Blagojevich. So, now what?

Budget making bill by bill, amendment by amendment, continuing resolution by continuing resolution, drip by drip. The howling of unpaid vendors and local governments drives the process. Voila. Federal budget making. A budget in pieces. Late. No session end. No session beginning.

No face-to-face negotiations amongst the leaders. “Look, Ma, no meetings!” Just an ‘Ugly Betty’–a.k.a. a budget by a different name built on need not trust.

Ok, maybe not. But can you image all five of these dudes in same room anytime soon?