CHICAGO – Imagine the pain of losing your husband, a firefighter, in the line of duty. Left to raise your children alone, you get a compensatory payment from the state for $351,383. But no check comes from the state because the Governor has not fulfilled his constitutional duty to propose a balanced budget for the General Assembly to consider.
No budget means the Illinois Court of Claims has no appropriation to pay the $2.1 million owed to the families of two Illinois policemen and four Illinois firefighters killed in the line of duty, Court Administrator Bradley Bucher testified before the House General Services Appropriations Committee Wednesday.
Bucher said the court gets calls from the families awarded sums by the Court of Claims and must tell them, “I’m sorry. We can’t pay it.”
The situation gets more ridiculous: Some of those families have been waiting two years. When the state does finally pay, it will have to pay 1 percent interest a month for every month past six months that the payment was held up. That means the state’s cost grows $21,000 a month. The state has already shockingly accrued over $200,000 in late payment interest penalties as a result of this delay.
“It's unconscionable that these families of our fallen heroes are further victimized by our state’s failure to pass a budget,” said Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza.
Committee Chairman Fred Crespo asked Bucher if he had talked to Comptroller Mendoza's office. He said Comptroller Mendoza had reached out to him.
“We cannot send anything to the Comptroller’s office,” Bucher said. “We are unable to voucher anything to the Comptroller’s office without an appropriation.”
"These families have already sacrificed beyond measure and should not have to bear the brunt of the state's inaction a day longer," said Comptroller Mendoza. Comptroller Mendoza is calling on The Governor to propose a balanced budget and work with the legislature to pass one so that she can immediately send out those checks to the widows and orphans of these fallen heroes.
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