A constitutional amendment to impose fiscal discipline on state lawmakers is gaining bipartisan support.

History shows lawmakers prefer to avoid tough but necessary choices.

Instead of pushing for further tax hikes on tapped-out taxpayers, lawmakers should rally behind a bipartisan effort to limit state spending.

Illinois' spending on administrative costs is among the highest in the nation, sapping scarce dollars from the classroom. But a new bill would slow the growth in these expenses and align them with taxpayers' ability to pay.

Residents in Madison and St. Clair counties find themselves fleeced by lawmakers' failure to control state finances.

Mandating more reasonable spending growth is the first step in a journey back to solvency for Illinois. The cap provides certainty today for a more responsible state government tomorrow.