Illinois government by the numbers: 27 days into a new fiscal year, the state has no budget, a deficit of up to $4 billion and Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner insisting that Democrats in the Legislature embrace his five pro-business and anti-corruption initiatives.

 

And in the face of those recalcitrant lawmakers, Rauner has brought some new figures into the equation: A 2 percent automatic cost-of-living increase, set to take effect this month to boost the $68,000 base legislative salary by nearly $1,400.

“They’ve taken a pay hike for themselves without any budget and without any real reforms,” Rauner said last week.

 

It's also the first pay hike in seven years for salaries that have not kept pace with inflation.

 

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