Susana Mendoza has been sworn in as Illinois comptroller. The Democrat will serve the final two years of Republican Judy Baar Topinka's term. Topinka was re-elected in 2014 but died suddenly. Mendoza beat appointed comptroller Leslie Munger in a special election last month.
Mendoza takes over during a period of crisis. The state continues limping along without a budget for the second year in a row because of disagreements between GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democrats who control the Legislature.
It has resulted in a backlog of overdue bills topping $10 billion. On Friday, six Democratic state representatives sued the comptroller over paychecks they haven't received since May.
Mendoza says she will continue withholding pay unless ordered by a court. She is not accepting her $136,000 salary.
