Lawmakers promote public input on budget

Two state senators say partisan bickering over the state's budget should be set aside for the sake of Illinois residents.

Park Ridge Democrat Dan Kotowski and McHenry Republican Pam Althoff touted the results of a survey of Illinois residents at a Tuesday news conference in Chicago.

Kotowski says both Democrats and Republicans want many of the same things out of the state's budget. That includes more of the state's budget being put toward growing businesses, ensuring public safety and improving infrastructure.

Kotowski and Althoff support a budgeting process that requires more public engagement on state spending.

The lawmakers' push come as various state agencies are petitioning lawmakers this fall to approve supplemental funding on top of the $35 billion budget the legislature approved in May.