Posted by Michelle Manchir at 2:24 p.m.; updated at 4:10 p.m.
SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Pat Quinn today received official permission from state lawmakers to delay his budget address until March 10 and give the public a chance to weigh in on state spending.
House Democrats led the 65-44 vote pushing back Quinn’s speech by three weeks. Quinn quickly signed the legislation this afternoon.
The governor, who narrowly won a brutal primary election last week, has said he wants to promote "interaction
and transparency" by asking lawmakers and interested citizens to give
written recommendations about how the state should spend taxpayer
money. He wants to post information about the state’s financial status
on a state Web site near the end of this month, seeking the input for the
budget year that begins July 1.
House Republicans today said the move is a useless delay in passing a working budget.
"The governor can be transparent anytime he wants to. He doesn’t need a law to do that," said Sara Wojcicki, a spokeswoman for Republican House leader Tom Cross of Oswego.
The Illinois Senate approved Quinn’s request on Wednesday after a similar partisan debate.