State paying bills, but not late-payment interest

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - During the Illinois budget crisis, private companies borrowed billions of dollars to pay government vendors on time with the promise that state repayment would come with late fees.

Now the participants in the Illinois vendor-assistance program say they're not getting hundreds of millions of dollars in late-payment interest they're owed.

The financiers told legislators Monday that lending banks might discontinue participation.

A $6.5 billion bond issue last fall helped state Comptroller Susana Mendoza pay down what was $16 billion in past-due bills.

But Gregory Gac of Illinois Financing Partners says it is still owed $115 million. Brian Hynes says his firm, Vendor Assistance Program, is owed $250 million.

Mendoza spokeswoman Jamey Dunn says Mendoza is still in bill-payment "triage" and is prioritizing schools and the "state's most vulnerable."