ILLINOIS (WIFR) --The State of Illinois is two billion dollars behind on paying its bills according to House Speaker Michael Madigan. He says as lawmakers draw up a new budget, they'll be faced with the challenge of deciding what essential services will need to be cut.

The speaker says he's all for keeping Illinois' seven state mental health facilities open. Those include Rockford's Singer Center and Dixon's Mabley Center. Governor Quinn actually said today he expects the legislature will set enough money aside to prevent their closures, which would result in 2,000 layoffs. He even said he's optimistic on how negotiations are going. Madigan tells us even though the state's finances are in bad shape, there's a continuing appetite in the legislature to spend money.

"There are certain items I think should happen such as money for mental health, money for community service providers that deal with substance abuse, domestic violence, Madigan says, "But beyond that, we need some tough negotiating, because Illinois doesn't have that much money to spend today."

Lawmakers return to Springfield for a special session November 29th. It's unclear whether a gambling expansion bill will be called in the Senate. It did fail in the House, however Madigan says he thinks Rockford still stands a chance of getting a casino. He was the guest speaker at Wednesday night's 10 year anniversary celebration of the Northern Illinois University's College of Law Zeke Giorgi Legal Clinic.