Gov. Bruce Rauner has signed a law requiring his and future administrations to pay employees from the budgets of the agencies they're working for.
The Republican signed Tuesday a ban on payroll "off-shoring" by governors. It was pushed by Democratic state Comptroller Susana Mendoza. She's feuded with Rauner.
For decades Illinois governors have masked the sizes of their payrolls by paying some employees from other agencies. A high-priced gubernatorial adviser might be paid from the Human Services or Transportation departments.
An August 2015 analysis by The Associated Press found that payroll for all employees reporting to Rauner was $8 million. Rauner's payroll budget was only $4 million.
It's all tax money. But Mendoza and others complained that the practice siphons money from important policy initiatives.
People like you value experienced, knowledgeable and award-winning journalism that covers meaningful stories in Bloomington-Normal. To support more stories and interviews like this one, please consider making a contribution.