The state government owes the City Water, Light and Power of Springfield $3.5 million on past-due utility bills for state offices. The past-due utility bills are just one part of Illinois’ more than $14.3 billion bill backlog.

New numbers from the Illinois comptroller’s office show that Illinois’ unpaid bill backlog has climbed to more than $14 billion. In August 2016, Moody’s Investors Service predicted Illinois’ bill backlog would reach $14 billion by summer 2017.

Illinois needs to enact structural spending reforms to avoid following Puerto Rico down the path to insolvency.

Illinois House Bill 3868 would give Gov. Bruce Rauner the authority to trim costs and reorder the state’s spending priorities to balance the budget.

The New York-based credit agency cited the lack of action on a budget as the primary reason for the downgrade.

The status quo isn’t working for Illinois; the state needs serious reforms to get its spending under control, pay down its debt, and rein in the taxes that are driving its people across state lines.

Fiscal mismanagement by Illinois politicians has resulted in mounting deficits that are hurting the state’s economy, leading to ever-higher taxes, and driving people and their income out of the state.

Illinois will spend $1 billion more on annual debt payments than it will on human services in fiscal year 2017.

The Illinois comptroller warns Illinois' backlog of unpaid bills will reach $10 billion by December.