SPRINGFIELD, Ill (WAND)- The Debt Transparency Act is now law after the Senate voted to override Governor Rauner's veto. 
 

The bill backed by Comptroller Susana Mendoza will require state agencies to report on a monthly basis to the comptroller's office the total amount of unpaid bills they have and estimate how much interest is owed on those bills.  

"This is commonsense reform that will ensure the government is being transparent with its taxpayers. In order for Illinois to become more fiscally sound, we need real-time accurate information of the state's financial status, and this bill is a good first step in achieving that." said State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign). 

Governor Rauner vetoed the measure saying it was micromanaging the agencies. 

The override comes at a time when Illinois backlog of unpaid bills reached more than $16.6 billion. 

“The financial pressure on Illinois government has not lifted, as evidenced by the growing bill backlog. Businesses all over Illinois are patiently waiting to be paid for services and goods they’ve provided. The least we can do is engage in basic, responsible accounting practices and communicate across offices as we try to work through this.” said Senator Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill)

The Senate voted 52-3 to override.