Illinois Collaboration on Youth v. Dimas

Illinois Appellate Court
Civil Court
Contracts
Citation
Case Number: 
2017 IL App (1st) 162471
Decision Date: 
Thursday, June 15, 2017
District: 
1st Dist.
Division/County: 
Cook Co., 4th Div.
Holding: 
Affirmed.
Justice: 
BURKE

Plaintiffs are social service agencies that have contracts with state agencies to provide human services for State of Illinois for fiscal year 2016, and were not paid for services they provided in 2016.  Appellate court has no inherent right to order payment on Plaintiffs' contracts. Court gives effect to appropriation contingency clause of contracts, which does not prohibit Governor from exercising his veto powers or require him to use a line-item veto to preserve appropriations specifically for the contracts. Failure of appropriations contingency did not amount to unconstitutional impairment of Plaintiffs' contracts. Plaintiffs failed to state a valid claim for violation of their equal protection rights, as there are rational reasons for State to assure appropriations do not outstrip available revenues. (McBRIDE and HOWSE, concurring.)