Lawmakers react to late-night budget passage 'trend' in Illinois

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WICS/WRSP) — Another year, another Cinderella story for the Illinois state budget.

Thebudgetwas brought to the House floor just after 11:30 p.m. Monday and voted on shortly after.

The Senate did not see the bill until 2 a.m. Tuesday.

Republicans say the last-minute votes aren’t fair to the people of Illinois, but Democrats say the budget itself is not rushed.

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In a Monday press conference, House GOP Leader Jim Durkin expressed his disappointment in another year of what he says is becoming a pattern.

“We saw a 1,000-page budget bill dropped at the 11th hour, literally about 11:30," Durkin said. "That was classic [former House Speaker] Mike Madigan."

House Republican leaders claimed this budget rush happens year after year.

“The same old song and dance, the same last-minute budget that spends billions of dollars irresponsibly," Durkin said on the House floor.

But Democrats say they weren’t being nefarious, they were just negotiating.

“That’s not because you’re not being transparent, that’s because you’re trying to be collaborative," said House Speaker Chris Welch, a Democrat, of the late introductions. "The legislative process takes time."

RELATED: State budget heads to governor

GOP members said they didn't have time to fully read the bill.

State Rep. Tom Demmer, R-Dixon said it was nearly impossible to get through it all, and that he's still looking through it.

But State Rep. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur, disagrees.

"When the other side says that, it does a disservice to the people of the community," Scherer said. "Because I've been meeting on appropriations probably since September. If they chose not to be on an appropriations committee, we can't help that."

Demmer said the budget meetings often happened behind closed doors.

He serves as the Republican caucus' chief budget negotiator.

We asked Scherer how fair it was to Illinoisans to have leaders vote on a bill they say they aren't familiar with.

"I don't feel that way," Scherer said, saying nothing in the budget was a surprise. "It's just become such a struggle in Springfield. They know how to do 'Control+F' and search a budget just like everyone else does."

The budget is now headed to the governor's desk.

It was briefly halted after Senate President Don Harmon filed a motion to reconsider the vote.

He withdrew that motion Tuesday afternoon.