Democratic Sen. Dan Kotowski's legislation, unveiled Tuesday, would allow Gov. Bruce Rauner to use $580 million of funds dedicated to various purposes, including roads, bottled water and radiation protection. The funds maintain reserves by drawing in money from state services and fees.
But the legislation doesn't give the governor the power to spend the money. Spending still has to be approved by the Legislature.
Rauner has asked for expanded authority to patch the full $1.6 billion hole in the budget.
Senate Republicans call the effort a "half-hearted'' attempt at a fix.
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