Governor Rauner says he thinks he can strike a budget compromise with state lawmakers next month, and says he might pay for a special session if that's what it takes.
Rauner told an audience in southern Illinois that he's optimistic about a deal after lawmakers from both parties agreed last week on a six-hundred-million-dollar package of short-term funding for state colleges and universities. Lawmakers return to Springfield next week for the final month of this year's regular legislative session.