Metro East Sun

Dwight Kay thinks it’s time for action when it comes to all the talk about a full and balanced budget in Illinois.

“I admire anyone who talks about bringing a balanced budget to this state, but I would respect them a lot more if they really put forth a balanced budget,” Kay told the Metro East Sun. “It’s easy to talk about, but a lot harder to do.”

The latest chatter comes from Gov. Bruce Rauner, who is pushing a full and balanced budget for next fiscal year. Rauner’s plan further calls for lawmakers to enact a fiscal 2019 budget before July 1 that adheres to a revenue estimate instead of a partial spending plan that would only carry the state through November’s general election.

Dwight Kay

Rauner, who is running for a second term against Democrat J.B. Pritzker, has pressed lawmakers to present him with a bill that would save taxpayers up to $1 billion in annual pension costs before the end of the spring legislative session May 31.

Kay, a Glen Carbon Republican who is running against Rep. Katie Stuart (D-Edwardsville) in the 112th District, joins the likes of Republican House Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) in throwing his support behind Rauner's plan.

“In the past, all we’ve done is just put a bunch of numbers out because our constitution calls for an estimate,” Kay said. “The governor’s numbers have always been different from (House Speaker) Mike Madigan’s, and we wind up robbing Peter to pay Paul and not balancing the budget.”

As much as he’d like for things to be different this time, Kay said he isn’t sure that they will be.

“They’re not working in Springfield like they’re serious about this,” he said.

As it is, Illinois’ $130 billion in unfunded pension liabilities and a two-year period when the state operated without a balanced budget has pushed its credit ratings to just above junk status.

“Most members of Congress have never run businesses or handled large sums of money,” Kay said in explaining why Springfield remains so dysfunctional when it comes to finances. “Then, we have a large group of members that come from the Chicago area that don’t care about budgeting and are only concerned with getting something for their district that will get them re-elected.”