Once the current budget impasse is settled, will politicians be able to avoid similar standoffs in the coming years?

Over the past month of budget meetings between legislative leaders and Gov. Bruce Rauner, the question has been raised as to how the current stalemate can be avoided with the current leadership in place.

Rauner believes putting his current agenda, such as term limits, redistricting, and changes to workers’ compensation into place during this fiscal year will help avoid future impasses.

The state is now halfway through the fiscal year with no budget in place, though passing a spending plan would now only require a simple majority in the legislature. Some lawmakers have indicated a final budget may not be passed until after the March primary.

Lawmakers are set to return to Springfield on January 13, with Rauner scheduled to give his budget address on February 17.

In other State news, Chicago politicians believe there’s momentum for broad policing reform, but say it has to go deeper than more stun guns or extra training.

Speaking alongside other elected officials from Chicago’s West Side, Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin said he supports Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s latest police changes, including providing additional Tasers and increasing crisis-intervention training.

What’s really needed, according to Boykin, is for police officers to better understand and respect African-Americans. He said sometimes African-Americans speak loudly, but it doesn’t mean they’re angry with one another, just that sometimes people are just simply loud. Boykin said if an officer isn’t used to that, they may fear a fight and pull their gun to attempt to stop them.

Boykin believes if stun guns had been in every squad car patrolling at night, as Emanuel has said they now will be, then the shooting death of Laquan McDonald, and the more recent deaths of Quintonio LeGrier and Bettie Jones, could have been avoided.