Keokuk, IA – Lawmakers are returning to Springfield, this morning, to continue work on a budget for the fiscal year that is already underway.
Illinois' junior US Senator says his former colleagues need to finish the spending plan soon.
The state is currently operating under a one-month emergency budget.
Governor Rod Blagojevich called the special session for the entire legislature even though he and the legislative leaders are expected to negotiate a new deal.
Democrat Barack Obama, who served in the legislature for eight years, says it is time for everyone in Springfield to put their egos aside and settle the budget once and for all.
Obama says Illinois residents are getting discouraged by the actions of the legislature.
He made his comments during a campaign stop in Keokuk.