Rauner tells Democrats to send him school funding plan or face special session
Rauner plans to use his amendatory veto powers to rewrite portions of the education plan, which changes how money is doled out to local school districts. He says the current version provides too much money for
Caught in the middle are school districts across
"We've let months and months go by, and we've got to fix it now," Rauner said.
At issue is a provision
While Rauner said he generally supports the proposal and called it "historic" on Friday, he's opposed to a portion of the legislation that includes
Despite lawmakers' approval of the proposal, the
The governor visited a high school in
"If it is not on my desk, I will call a special session and I will demand that you do your jobs and stay in
While Rauner put the blame on Madigan, the bill is being held in the
"Education advocates and school leaders across our state support (the education funding bill.) They know what it does. What no one knows is what
If Rauner is given the bill, it's unclear if his amendatory veto would be upheld by lawmakers. This month's budget votes, though, suggest that the governor could have trouble blocking an override. Madigan would need just four
Asked about the possibility that
"Speaker Madigan is clearly hoping that by sitting on the bill until the middle of August or maybe later that the crisis, the pain, the chaos that he can inflict will cause bad policy. He's done this to us for 35 years. He did this to us in May and June with the tax hike. He's trying to do it to us with our schools, and at some point we've got to stop the tyranny."
Rauner would not say what contingency plans may be in place should the issue not be resolved in the coming weeks. He called for a resolution by
Madigan spokesman
Meanwhile, Democratic governor candidate
Rauner had supported the goals of the legislation as the Republican nominee for governor in 2014. But this year he said he would veto the measure to provide for Medicaid and state-employee insurance coverage of elective abortions because it was too "divisive."
Rauner's campaign said the governor has "bucked the party line on birth control and reproductive services" and accused
Tribune reporter
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