Illinois

Report: Madigan to Attend Tuesday Meeting with Rauner, Party Leaders

After missing a Monday meeting due to a scheduling conflict, Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan agreed to meet with the state’s top legislative leaders Tuesday, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

After missing a Monday meeting due to a scheduling conflict, Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan has reportedly agreed to meet with the state’s top legislative leaders Tuesday. 

Last week, Gov. Bruce Rauner was able to chip away at the Illinois’ Democratic House supermajority after spending more than $30 million on political campaigns across the state. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Republicans picked up five seats in the Illinois House.

During a press conference Monday, House Republican Leader Jim Durkin urged Madigan to move past the election and “start governing."

After Madigan announced that he would skip the meeting Sunday, Senate President John Cullerton also pulled out, claiming the meeting wouldn’t be productive without his party’s leader.

In response, Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno called the Democratic leaders’ absences “completely inexcusable" at Monday's press conference.

Nevertheless, Madigan is now set to meet with Rauner, Durkin, Radogno and Cullerton at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The Illinois General Assembly will reconvene in Springfield Tuesday for a series of veto sessions. During the sessions, Durkin has asked leaders to consider focusing on the budget, instead of overriding vetoes, the Sun-Times reports.

“We’ve got six days, there’s some action up before the chambers on vetoes and amendatory vetoes," Durkin said Monday. “I’m going to ask the Democrat leaders, as a sign of good faith to not call any of those bills and use the time that we have scheduled strictly dedicated towards a full balanced budget."

According to the Sun-Times, Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said Durkin “figured out the clock is running and those bills are going to be dead.”

“Clearly it was nothing new,” Brown told the Sun-Times. “We’ve already heard this 30 times before. Maybe tomorrow they’ll have a budget to propose."

The state’s stopgap budget agreement is set to run out at the end of December. Rauner penned an op-ed Monday urging lawmakers to pass a full, balanced budget, as well as a series of reforms.

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