Metro East Sun

State House candidate Dwight Kay laments that no one seems to be taking much note of some of what he sees as the most critical numbers in the newly passed $38.5 billion spending plan.

“This bill is a 2,000-page document that came out just four hours before debate began on it,” Kay told the Metro East Sun. “I would venture to say [that] no one has really taken the time to read it through and through, and that makes me leery of what could truly be in there.”

Kay’s concerns aside, the bill overwhelmingly passed both chambers of the legislature in Springfield and was quickly signed by Gov. Bruce Rauner as his re-election campaign against Democrat J.B. Pritzker kicks into high gear.

Meanwhile, Kay, who is running against state Rep. Katie Stuart (D-Edwardsville) in the 112th District, said he can’t figure out why Rauner has given up on his demands that any budget deal include his legislative agenda of reduced taxes and regulations, freezing property taxes, and more government accountability at such a critical time.

“I don’t think there are any cost savings as part of this, and that’s a real shame,” he said. “Just from my cursory view, I can tell you (that) I’ve found the potential for the budget to be at least $2 billion out of balance, and that doesn’t account for bills that have to be paid from 2016 or unfunded pension liability.”

Kay said he’s thought long and hard, and thinks that he may have come up with a plan for finally getting the troubled budget situation under control.

“My recommendation would be for the governor to extend an amendatory veto,” he said. “Gov. Rauner needs to pull all the inaccuracies from this budget and start from there. We haven’t really had a balanced budget since 1998, and I defy anyone to truthfully contradict that.”