Gov. Rauner Not Softening Budget Stance As He Prepares For His Second State Of The State Address

(CBS) -- As he prepares to deliver his second State of the State address in front of legislative leaders who he's battled over his "Turnaround Agenda," Governor Bruce Rauner is not backing down.

While some might see the more than six months without a state budget as a reason to abandon several anti-union initiatives he's tied to it, the Republican governor says the protracted fight is proving its worth.

"I don't take the fact that this has taken a long time as anything other than to demonstrate how important it is and how broken our current system is," Rauner said.

He told reporters in Springfield for a press conference about modernizing the state's information tech systems that he's not giving up on it.

The governor says there's no excuse for not having a budget at this point - and called it a tragic loss that the state's largest social service provider is making massive cuts because of it.