Illinois lottery winners of 0 or more now will be paid, following Governor Bruce Rauner’s signing of Senate Bill 2039 which passed the state House 107-1 and the state Senate 53-0. The bill gives the Illinois Lottery legal authority to resume all winner payouts. Lottery officials said the paperwork of winners who already have submitted claims will be processed in the order it was received.
In addition to forwarding $1 billion to the lottery to pay winning ticket holders, the stopgap measure will help local governments pay heating bills for the needy, keep shelters open for victims of domestic violence, fund public safety and police training, pay for road maintenance and support emergency dispatch centers. The $3 billion released by the bill includes $28 million from the general revenue account paid for with income and sales taxes, casino and video gambling tax revenue, motor fuel taxes and money previously collected by the state for specific service fees or taxes.
Republican State Senator Matt Murphy said, “What you see with this bill is, frankly, evidence that the governor can reach across the aisle and you can reach back and we can all get on the same page and do things together. Let’s hope that this is an example that produces more similar outcomes as we come into 2016.” Democratic State Senator Thomas Cullerton, who sponsored the proposal, said, “We’re getting a little bit better at working together, getting a little bit better at bringing all of our teams together to actually negotiate good solutions. I see this as a hugely positive step forward with more to come.”
The state has been without a budget due to disagreements between Rauner and the Democrat-controlled state legislature. Rauner said he would not be surprised an overall budget was not announced for several more months.
