Farewell to Yet Another Vendor

by Kate Piercy Illinois’s late payments are catching up with it, and businesses are responding. Yet another vendor is saying farewell to Illinois because of our state’s dismal budget situation. The Department of Corrections scrambled this week when the Industrial Soap Co. refused to deliver foam food trays to Menard Correctional Center because it hadn’t been paid,...

by Kate Piercy

Illinois’s late payments are catching up with it, and businesses are responding. Yet another vendor is saying farewell to Illinois because of our state’s dismal budget situation.

The Department of Corrections scrambled this week when the Industrial Soap Co. refused to deliver foam food trays to Menard Correctional Center because it hadn’t been paid, saying, it “will not deliver due to delinquent invoices.”

This isn’t the first time vendors have refused to do business with the state prison:

Earlier this year, a company that provides ammunition to help train new guards stopped delivering bullets because it was owed money. Another company that supplies eyeglass lenses also stopped shipping the stock until it was paid.

Comptroller Dan Hynes has listed the current backlog of bills at nearly $5.6 billion. How can Illinois get on a path out of this budget mess? How can it start attracting businesses to this state? Check outsome ideas from the Institute.