Why ignore over half of the illinois state budget picture?

The state of Illinois has hundreds of separate funds for budget accounting purposes. But most discussion of the state budget concentrates only on the four General Funds, which represent less than half of the total state budget. Focusing only on General Funds:

• Allows important budgetary choices, such as changes in transportation spending, to be made with little scrutiny.
• Makes it harder to monitor actual changes in spending from one year to the next.
• Makes it more difficult to foresee future budgetary problems.

The Fiscal Futures Project created a consolidated funds budget that tracks 380 funds and uses historically consistent categories of spending and receipts. Adding more funds to the budget reporting presents a more accurate picture of the state's fiscal situation.