Illinois hospitals, schools miss out
Posted: 08.15.2007 at 9:27 AM

Meanwhile state officials boost their salaries

SPRINGFIELD, ILL. (AP) -- The governor and legislators will get bigger paychecks soon, but Illinois schools may be out of luck.

A new law signed by Governor Rod Blagojevich gives top officials a roughly 10 percent cost-of-living increase.

It also promises $1.2 billion to hospitals and $150 million for school construction. But officials said Tuesday delays in passing the measure and signing it into law have created technical problems that will block the money for hospitals and schools.

Lawmakers sent the spending measure to the governor on June 14, two weeks before the end of the state's fiscal year. Blagojevich took no action for two months, then signed it Monday night, just before it would have taken effect without his signature.

His aides say it's now too late to provide the school money because schools needing the money failed to reach agreements with the state on planned projects.

(Copyright ©2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)