As Illinois draws close to entering its second year without a budget, one of its many unpaid bills threatens to provoke a dispute with the nation's top crime-fighting force.
Documents obtained by The Associated Press show that the state owes $3 million to the FBI for processing fingerprints and conducting background checks. The debt is now so long overdue that it could be turned over to the federal government's collection agency _ the Treasury Department.
The delinquent payment is just latest unexpected consequence to emerge from a long stalemate between the Republican governor and Democrats controlling the Legislature.
The impasse has left Illinois without a budget since July 1. More than $7 billion in unpaid bills have piled up.