98 Day Illinois Budget Impasse Could Delay 911 Calls

NPR

Published October 6, 2015 at 12:35 PM EDT

The Illinois State Museum in Springfield, Ill. has been closed indefinitely because of a budget impasse between Gov. Bruce Rauner and the legislature. (Seth Perlman/AP)

Illinois has gone almost 100 days without a budget and Republican Governor Bruce Rauner, at odds with Democrats in the legislature, signaled that a deal could still be far down the road.

The impasse has racked up more than $6 billion in unpaid bills and week-by-week, state services are struggling to find funding.

Among other services, the state has halted free STD testing public, the Illinois State Museum in Springfield closed to the public indefinitely for the first time in its 138-year history, and local 911 call systems are in jeopardy after it was announced that they would stop receiving state revenue from cell phone taxes.

Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson speaks with WBEZ reporter Tony Arnold for the latest on the shutdown and what needs to happen to reach a resolution.

Guest

Tony Arnold, Illinois politics reporter for WBEZ. He tweets @tonyjarnold.