(CHICAGO) Illinois lawmakers were moved to compromise on a stopgap budget after a year-and-a-half stalemate by a powerful force: a high-stakes November election and a voting public one legislator described as near “revolt.”
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner signed legislation Thursday evening to keep state government operating for six months and schools open for another year.
The plan allows Rauner and legislators up for re-election this fall to head into the campaign season without the looming threat of shuttered schools or further cuts to colleges and social service agencies.
The pressure to avoid those crises had grown particularly intense in recent weeks.
Dozens of newspapers ran front-page editorials demanding lawmakers on both sides take action. A national satirical news program ridiculed the state. And protesters have interrupted Rauner events.
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