Another installment of “Budgeting on the Fly” is underway in Springfield.

The Illinois Senate passed a nearly $4 billion spending bill – about half of which would come from the general revenue fund – to pay for some social services – including autism and child care programs — and lottery prizes.
The state’s refusal to pay its lottery winners is one of the latest embarrassments for the state and has prompted lawsuits.
The governor’s office has said Gov. Bruce Rauner will veto the bill if it reaches his desk. The House could take up the bill when it is next in session Sept. 24.
SB 2046 has passed the Senate, 36-19.
And in other state news, the Illinois Senate followed the House’s lead and overrode the governor’s amendatory veto of a heroin bill.
Supporters say heroin is an epidemic in the state, and the multi-pronged bill – among other things – provides for education, promotion of the antidote Narcan, and alternative sentences. Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed a portion funded by Medicaid, saying it went beyond what private insurance would cover, a contention the bill’s supporters denied.
State Sen. Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago) argued for the override, saying heroin is the sort of thing people want to pretend does not affect them – quarantining it, as he put it, in low-income, crime-ridden areas.
The only No voter to speak during the debate was State Sen. Kyle McCarter (R-Lebanon).
The problem is a personal one for McCarter, who voted to support the veto despite the fact one of his children died of a heroin overdose.SB 1 has passed the Senate, 44-11, overriding the governor’s veto.