Six months since they last collectively met, Governor Bruce Rauner and the four top legislators will gather again. They're set to meet Tuesday afternoon in Springfield. It comes as Illinois rounds out a fifth month without a state budget. Rauner says he'll talk finances once changes are made he believes will improve the business climate. But Steve Brown, the spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan, says Madigan will press budget issues at the meeting.
"I mean he's said that since May, that the state needs to have a budget if we're going to begin to get back on sound footing and clear up some of the other problems."
Opening remarks will be streamed online; then they're to go into a closed-door session. Observers question whether the meeting will be an exercise in political theater, or earnest negotiations. The meeting had initially been scheduled for a couple weeks ago, but was pushed back to December First after a death in the Speaker's family.
