WSIU InFocus Video Player

With the fall veto session completed, Illinois lawmakers have passed campaign finance reform legislation on party line votes but are waiting until the spring to tackle the state's worsening fiscal crisis. House and Senate Democrats reached a compromise with good government groups that sets the state's first limits on campaign fundraising, but Illinois Republicans say the bill falls short of curbing the power of the parties and political leaders. With the Monetary Award Program (MAP), which supplies funds for low-income college students, also a significant financial concern, lawmakers agreed to authorize spending over $200 million, but the program remains to have no agreed stream of funding. To improve the state's financial status, lawmakers must choose between raising state taxes, cutting deeply into state programs and services, or a combination of both to revive Illinois from an estimated $12-to $13-billion hole in its budget.

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