The Illinois budget news just keeps getting worse. The auditor general says the overall state budget deficit passed the $43 billion mark last year.
Five years earlier, the deficit was less than $19 billion.
The report Thursday from Auditor General William Holland looks at all state government assets and liabilities. It's a broader picture than the annual budget. The report is also a year out of date. It shows some improvement in the state's main account. The deficit in the General Revenue Fund shrank to $8.1 billion, a drop of $700 million.
Holland says the state's overall deficit of $43.8 billion is easily the worst in the nation.
Support Your Public Radio Station