Lake County Gazette

Rep. Sheri Jesiel (R-Winthrop Harbor) wants Attorney General Lisa Madigan to compel the General Assembly to fulfill its constitutional requirements and adopt a revenue estimate before advancing budget legislation.

“The Illinois Constitution makes it very clear that a revenue estimate must be adopted in order to appropriate funding for a budget,” Jesiel and 39 of her colleagues wrote in a letter to Madigan, according to a press release. “Without an estimate, any proposed budget is merely guess work that further exacerbates our financial problems since we won’t know if we have the funds necessary to meet the anticipated appropriations. This is backward budgeting that will only perpetuate the uncertainly already facing our social services network, taxpayers and job creators."

The General Assembly is required by law to pass a balanced budget, and to do so it must first know how much revenue the state is expected to bring in for the fiscal year. While negotiations on the budget have primarily focused on whether to cut spending or increase revenue, lawmakers have yet to settle on a revenue estimate.

Rep. Sheri Jesiel (R-Winthrop Harbor)

“The law and legal precedent demonstrate that the Attorney General’s office has the ability to require the General Assembly to recognize state statue and adopt a revenue estimate,” the letter said, according to the release. “She has also expressed opinion supporting the revenue estimate rule in the past. Considering the dire situation faced by the state, I urge her to act before the limited time remaining in the regular legislative session runs out.”