Sangamon Sun

The struggle over the Illinois budget is far from over.

Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed a $215 million bailout bill for the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) pension fund, and the Illinois Senate immediately voted to overturn the veto with a 36-16 vote.

Rauner vetoed the measure after Democratic lawmakers backed out of the agreement made when the temporary "stopgap" budget was approved and signed by Rauner in late June. The veto came shortly after Rauner, Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) and House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) met in a closed door-meeting.

"President Cullerton suddenly denied that the leaders had agreed that this bill would depend upon first enacting comprehensive pension reform," Rauner wrote in his veto letter. "Breaking our agreement undermines our effort to end the budget impasse and enact reforms with bipartisan support. The taxpayers of Illinois do not want just another bailout."

The stopgap budget is scheduled to expire on Dec. 31. The negotiations over the temporary budget included discussions of reforms intended to enable the legislature to produce a balanced budget. The bill ensured that essential services, including K-12 education, social services and road construction, would be funded through the end of the year.

The House vote on an override is uncertain. If the House cannot produce 71 "yes" votes, Rauner's veto will stand.

“Democratic leaders today broke their promise to enact statewide pension reform, and instead want to force a taxpayer-funded bailout of Chicago Public Schools," Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Steven Yaffe said in a press release. "House and Senate Democrats will have a clear choice to make – will they support the schools and taxpayers in their districts, or send a $215 million check to Chicago?”