Social service agencies owed money from the State of Illinois say the government should pay them like it’s paying for other services - by going further into debt. Attorneys for the Illinois government say it doesn’t have to fully pay social services for work completed during the 12 months when there was no state budget.
But almost 100 social services that have contracts are suing the state to pay up. Some of those agencies consult victims of sexual assault or help people find public housing.
They say if the state could go further into debt to pay the salaries of government employees during the budget impasse, then Illinois can also pay contractors.
Overall, the state owes more than 8 billion dollars in total bills. In a new court filing, social services call the state’s arguments heartless.