By JENNY SONG

Associated Press Writer

CHICAGO -- Gov. Rod Blagojevich ordered state lawmakers Wednesday to return from summer break and resume work on the state budget.

He called for a special session of the General Assembly July 9 and 10, during which he said he hopes House Democrats will pass revenue bills to pay for the $2 billion deficit in the proposed budget for the fiscal year that began Tuesday.

But the governor risks triggering the kind of gridlock that kept legislators in Springfield all of last summer. House leaders say there's little evidence that anything has changed to allow a budget deal since the last legislative session ended.

The governor is pressing lawmakers to pass a construction bill that would provide up to $600 million in revenue and a measure allowing the state to tap into state checking accounts not intended for the general fund. Those accounts have $3 billion in surplus money, Blagojevich said.

The state Senate already has passed the revenue measures. Blagojevich said similar measures were employed in previous years and that the House leadership's stalling is disingenuous.

"Why, why can't they do it again in 2008 so that I'm not in a position where I have to make reduction in a budget, reductions I don't want to have to make?" Blagojevich said. The governor said if lawmakers don't vote for new revenue for the 2008-2009 budget by July 10, he will make cuts to services to balance spending.

Rep. Jil Tracy, R-Mount Sterling, said she expected a special session to deal with a deficit budgets.

"I'm certainly glad to go back and try to do what we should have done the first time and make the hard decisions and appropriate the money for our state priorities," Tracy said.

Tracy and the Republican minority in the House had called for a balanced budget in May as the Democrat budget plan was passed. That spending plan has about $2 billion less revenue than needed, according to state forecasts.

Sen. John Sullivan, D-Rushville, said the Senate did pass a balanced budget. He would like to see the House pass that version of the budget but is not optimistic that a political feud between Blagojevich and Speaker Michael Madigan will end quickly.

Sullivan also would like to see the Legislature pass a capital construction plan, but does not see bright prospects for that either.

Blagojevich retreated from some of his earlier threats about cuts he would make if the budget is not revamped. He now says he will not cut funds for rape prevention centers and would keep Amtrak funding at last year's level.

"We're going to preserve the funding for that," he said. "What I'll ask is for more belt-tightening among those of us who were elected by the people. So we'll ask for more sacrifices from government officials, government leaders, government itself."

Still, the governor said he is hopeful House leaders will "act responsibly" and approve the revenue bills next week.

Madigan's spokesman Steve Brown said there's no reason to think the governor's revenue measures can pass, especially now that a legislative deadline has passed and it would take a three-fifths vote to pass anything.

"They didn't seem to have much support in May, and I don't know that much has changed," Brown said.

Brown argued there's little to be gained from testing the amount of support by calling the revenue measures for a vote.

Blagojevich accused Madigan of angling for an increase in income taxes in 2009, after Madigan is safely re-elected and could have enough votes in the House to override a gubernatorial veto.

Blagojevich also is halting construction on dozens of projects across the state because of wording in the budget bill sent him this week.

Legislation awaiting his action for the fiscal year that began Tuesday prohibits payment on any project started after August 31, 2007.

In all, the governor ordered a halt to 39 projects totaling $30.6 million.

Included in those are a $160,000 emergency roof repair of Lincoln's former law office in Springfield and a $5.5 million heating and cooling upgrade for the Michael Bilandic state office building in Chicago.

Herald-Whig Senior Writer Doug Wilson provided information for this story.