Illinois governor, legislators hold rare meeting on budget

Even without a fiscal framework, Illinois is spending money at a rate that far outstrips expected revenue, building a deficit that will be added to billions of dollars of debt that has been accumulating for decades.

Democrats continue to rail against Rauner's agenda — restrictions on payouts under workers' compensation, a system that underwent reform in 2011; limits on the way liability lawsuits can be conducted; a property tax freeze that gives local governments freedom to control spending by limiting collective bargaining by labor unions.

Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan has never wavered from his position that Rauner's proposals on workers' compensation and curbs on unions are "extreme" and that a budget resolution will result from "moderation."

Where the implementation of those ideas would reduce wages and the standard of living and send injured workers to welfare and to the emergency room, I view that as extreme," said Madigan, adding that continuing to advocate those positions doesn't "help the resolution of the problem.