Ill. Auditor: state budget deficit 'easily' worst in the nation

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 The report is also a year out of date.

The report 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 said the state's overall deficit of $43.8 billion was easily the worst in the nation.

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