ILLINOIZE: May 2009

Sunday, May 31, 2009

GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - May 31, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 46,162 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the May 31, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

Down to the wire

By Jamey Dunn and Bethany Jaeger, with Hilary Russell contributing
Some of yesterday’s moving parts actually started revolving around each other late in the day Thursday. The Illinois Senate approved two major revenue enhancements, one a sizable tax hike and another a major gaming expansion. That immediately put the onus on the House, which was in the middle of trying to advance an “insurance budget” to fund agency programs at bare bones levels.

Income tax increases and education funding
The momentum started in the Senate. Democrats tweaked a bill that was intended to address education funding, which would include an income tax increase of 2 percentage points for individuals. It would increase from 3 percent to 5 percent. Different versions of the measure have long been presented by Sen. James Meeks, a Chicago Democrat, but never found the support to pass. However, a looming deadline and $7 billion budget deficit this fiscal year has created new possibilities for an old concept.

One difference this time around is that the plan would only raise the corporate income tax rate from 4.8 percent to 5 percent, a much smaller increase than previously sought. It also would expand the sales tax to include services.

Senate President John Cullerton said the tax restructuring would help solve some of the chronic budget woes, but the plan would still come up $2 billion short of what the state needs to fully fund pensions and to maintain current spending levels. A vote for the tax plan, he said, inherently would be a vote for $2 billion in budget cuts.

House Bill 174 (the "new 750"), would provide some targeted tax relief. It would raise the personal exemption and increase the earned income tax credit over two years to protect low-income residents. It also would provide property tax relief, which attracted Democratic Senators.

Over time, the tax plan would funnel more money into education and higher education, something Meeks wanted for years to address funding disparities between school districts throughout the state.

Republicans opposed the tax increase and sales tax expansion, describing it as a mistake during a recession. Sen. Matt Murphy, a Palatine Republican, said: “There’s a lot of different ways we can go at this if we go line-by-line through this budget, and I know because I’ve done it. This will cause more Illinoisans to lose their jobs, without a doubt.”

The bill passed with only Democratic votes. Sen. Dan Kotowski, a Park Ridge Democrat, gave an emotional speech about making his last-minute choice to vote for the bill. He said he had been praying about his decision and cast the vote that he knew would make his family proud. He said he had been telling leadership that he would vote “present,” but he changed his mind during floor debate. After the vote, Kotowski encouraged some House Republicans to follow suit.

Cullerton said that passing the bill in the Senate may help House Democrats feel safer about changing their minds. However, he said that the bill would need Republican support to pass. “When one chamber starts and passes a bill, they see that we’re still walking around — we’ve got a different version of what the governor has — that there’s a way to do this. So I think it’s a good start.”

But Gov. Pat Quinn is still backing the income tax proposal that has been introduced in the House. “I think the [temporary income tax] plan we have here in the House is probably the one we’ll have to go with. It’s straightforward. It’s pretty simple. It’s for two years. And the whole idea is for at least at this time to hold off dire catastrophes.”

Gaming
Momentum to consider alternative revenue sources continued with a Senate vote to expand gaming by adding four new facilities, including new gaming facilities in Chicago, Waukegan, Rockford and Danville. Existing gaming facilities, including horse tracks, also could start operating more slot machines. Senate Bill 744 would generate at least $150 million upon issuing the licenses, according to Sen. Terry Link, a Waukegan Democrat. Once the new facilities were up and running and the economy improved, he said the package could generate up to $1 billion a year.

Building new casinos and riverboats has been tried numerous times in the past few years, and similar proposals haven’t advanced in the House. But, Link said: “They need money and here’s a good way to give them money. So I think it's future is a lot better tonight.”

Rep. Bill Black, a Danville Republican who would receive a gaming facility in his district through Link’s bill, said the state may need an income tax increase. Then again, he said: “When you’re drowning and a life preserver floats by, your impulse is to grab it. When you have a community that’s so desperate for investment and jobs, you turn to things you normally wouldn’t even consider. I would support the riverboat. I don’t have the luxury to say I don’t.”

Bare bones budget
The so-called “insurance budget” advanced by House Democrats as a back-up plan would fund state agencies at about 80 percent of the level they were funded at last year, which would be about 50 percent of the governor’s proposed budget.

Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie tried early in the day to advance a temporary income tax increase. That wasn’t gaining enough votes. So late Saturday night, Currie tried to at least approve the “insurance budget” to keep the lights on, so to speak. Without it, agencies would be funded at 32 percent of Quinn’s proposed budget.

But after word spread that senators approved an income tax increase across the rotunda, several House Democrats started to peal off support for a bare bones budget. Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, a Chicago Democrat and vocal advocate of human services, urged fellow lawmakers to hold off on a bare bones budget to “continue to fight for more solutions.”

Currie said she would prefer either version of an income tax over a bare bones budget, but it was a way to ensure something landed on the governor’s desk just in case chaos ensued Sunday, the last day of the regularly scheduled session.

If all else fails, Currie said she would call the bare bones budget again before Sunday’s midnight deadline. Here’s what it would do:

On the revenue side:

Sweep $356 million from dedicated funds four times throughout the year.
Refinance debt to get a 4 percent interest rate and save $600 million next year, saving $237 million over the life of the bonds.
Along with tapping into federal funds and starting other efficiencies, it would generate about $1 billion.

On the spending side:

State agencies could receive lump sums at half the funding level proposed by the governor.
The administration would have to figure out how to spread the money around and to cut certain grant programs.

House approves recall provision

By Jamey Dunn, with Hilary Russell contributing
Illinois voters could have the chance to vote on whether they want authority to boot the governor from office, thanks to a measure that passed the House Saturday.

The House approved a similar effort last year after frustration from then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s alleged corruption scandals. But it stalled in the Senate.

This year’s measure, Constitutional Amendment 31, would allow voters to cast their ballots on whether they want to change the state Constitution to include a so-called recall provision.

Many said that the provision should include the ability to recall all constitutional officers. Franks said he would like to add that later, but in the wake of the alleged Blagojevich scandal, he wanted to give voters a way to address corruption in the governor’s office.

“I firmly believe if we’d had it during the last administration, we’d have used it,” he said. Franks added that he thinks the legislature would have never removed Blagojevich from office had he not been indicted.

Gov. Pat Quinn Quinn said a recall provision would make the legislature accountable because if a corrupt politician had to be removed, the General Assembly would have to sign on to the effort, along with voters.

The requirement to have legislators sign off on recall drew the most ire from Republicans. They said that making voters get lawmakers’ approval takes the power away from the people.

Republicans said they want Franks to hold the bill and negotiate some changes. Franks’ measure would not need to be approved until six months before the general election to get on the 2010 ballot. But Franks said it could be called in the Senate after the midnight deadline Sunday, when the legislature adjourns.

Here are some numbers associated with the recall process laid out in the bill:

A governor must be in office for 6 months before the recall process is started.
20 House members and 10 Senate members from both parties would have to sign off on an initial recall proposal from citizens.
Once legislators approved the measure to put the question on the ballot, individuals seeking to remove the governor would have 150 days to round up the signatures to put the question of whether to remove the governor before voters. They would need a number of signatures equal to 15 percent of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. For instance, Franks said the number of signatures currently needed would be 750,000 based off of the 2006 election.
There must be at least 25 different counties with 100 signatures each.
This version of the bill would only apply to the governor’s position, and it contains new safeguards intended to prevent abuse of the power. These new aspects came under fire from House Republicans.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Two-tiered pension plan stalls

Gov. Pat Quinn's proposal to provide less generous pension benefits for future teachers and state employees has been held and is unlikely to advance in the state legislature before the May 31 deadline.

Sen. Don Harmon, an Oak Park Democrat sponsoring Quinn's proposal in his chamber, said today that the governor asked for more time to negotiate with public employee and teachers' unions, both strong opponents to the two-tiered proposal. See background here. Harmon held HB 2643. Another version is SB 1292.

The proposal also would have allowed Quinn to skim the state's payment into the five public employee pension systems for teachers, lawmakers, judges, university employees and state workers. Illinois is scheduled to pay nearly $4 billion into the systems next fiscal year, but the amount that the state will actually pay is part of ongoing budget negotiations between the governor and the four legislative leaders.

They continue to meet behind closed doors this evening as they try to hash out an operating budget that's projected to have a nearly $12 billion deficit by the end of next fiscal year. We'll have more as soon as possible.

House Dems paint picture without tax hike

By Bethany Jaeger, with Hilary Russell contributing
House Democrats maintain that without Republican votes, an income tax increase is likely to fail. And the back-up plan isn't pretty.

House Democrats did advance a two-year income tax increase and a phased-in earned income tax credit for low-income families this morning. Senate Bill 2252 would net about $4.5 billion for state coffers, House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie said in committee. The personal tax rate would increase from 3 percent to 4.5 percent, while the corporate rate would increase from 4.8 percent to 7.2 percent, ending in 2011. The earned income tax credit would phase in from 5 percent to 7.5 percent the first year, followed by an increase to 10 percent the second year. It would be permanent after that.

Without new revenue, House Democrats could resort to sweeping money out of dedicated funds and refinancing debt as the only new revenue sources for a total of about $4.5 billion, according to Assistant Majority Leader Frank Mautino. That would result in state agencies getting about 80 percent of their annual budgets, and only about half of the grants for community services would get funded.

“So it’s not a partial budget,” Mautino said after committee. “That’s how much money is approved, and that’s how much they will get.”

Currie said during committee that the state is more than $7 billion out of whack today. And even if a temporary income tax increase generated $4.5 billion, the General Assembly would still have to curb spending.

“If anybody thinks this is a way to duck out of our responsibility to tighten our belts, the answer is, it doesn’t make it. But it will help prevent the kinds of disasters that real people face if we don’t do something to stem the tide.”

The lack of new revenue, she said, would result in a 68 percent cut across the board for state agencies. That would affect everything from childcare programs for low-income working parents to services for the developmentally disabled and mentally ill.

All Republicans in the committee voted against the tax increase and sided with business groups, which argued that the proposal would give Illinois the second highest tax rate in the country and further discourage businesses from investing in this state. Todd Maisch of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce added that the income tax increase would not address the deeper problem. “Between pensions and government-funded health care, if you don’t do anything to address those issues, you’re going to be back here in two years still needing another tax increase,” he said during committee. “The drivers of the costs are going to outrun the revenues you’re going to get from the tax increase.”

Rep. Mark Beaubien, a Barrington Hills Republican, said Illinois has gone down the road of a temporary tax increase before. “I think the citizens know where that’s going to go in the future.” The General Assembly levied temporary income tax increases twice in the 1980s. The 1989 increase was made permanent under then-Gov. Jim Edgar.

Meanwhile, the House committee also advanced a measure that would intend to soften the blow for retailers if the state increased the sales tax on cigarettes by a $1 over two years, as proposed in SB 44. Rep. John Bradley, a Marion Democrat, sponsored SB 415 in response to retailers' concerns, which we wrote about before. It would only take effect if the cigarette tax increase were approved.

Shakedown Street

by Cal Skinner

While I was out getting the withheld-since-February, now released sweetheart contract the McHenry County College Board so generously financed out of something approaching $300,000 of our tax dollars, I noticed this bumper sticker on an older car with a round baby walker-rocker in back.

It was so, so appropriate to a new type of fund raising committee working its way through the legislative process in Springfield.

It's called a “constituent services committee.”

People like State Rep. Jack Franks regularly spend more money on their district office operations than provided by their office allowances. Campaign fund money pays for the rest.

Skip Saviano once told me his whole district office operation was financed with campaign money.

By using campaign money, legislators can operate overtly politically.

After all, campaign money is for running campaigns.

You read the definition of such a committee below and tell me if there any political restrictions:

“'Constituent services committee' means a political committee organized by an elected public official to accept contributions and make expenditures solely to defray the costs related to constituent services and upkeep of that official's office.”

The process is ripe for abuses.

“Sorry, Mam, we can't help you if you don't contribute to our constituent services committee.”

I am not suggesting that skillful politicians like Franks or Saviano would do that, but don't be surprised if you see such a scandal after this law takes effect.

If Congressmen have such a creature, a long-time congressional aide was not aware of it.

Friday in a last minute switcheroo, Franks has been made House Speaker Mike Madigan's first chief co-sponsor on this House Bill 7.
Posted first at McHenry County Blog, open for business this session weekend.

GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - May 30, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 46,100 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the May 30, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

Friday, May 29, 2009

Too many moving parts

By Bethany Jaeger, with Jamey Dunn and Hilary Russell contributing
Plan A failed before it even got to the House floor for an official vote Friday.

Democrats said they don’t have enough support for a temporary income tax increase without Republican votes, so rank-and-file legislators were sent home early while leaders met to hammer out Plan B behind closed doors. Meanwhile, different plans to expand gaming and restructure state taxes to change the way the state funds education were floating around in the Senate. But that chamber went home early, too, leaving many legislators to see the May 31st adjournment date slipping away as no combination of revenue and spending options appear within reach.

House Democrats emerged from a closed-door meeting this afternoon with reports of competing priorities. Rep. Monique Davis of Chicago described it this way: “Some people want a tax increase. Other people don’t want a tax increase. Some people want a smaller tax increase. Others want it a little larger. Some don’t want to bypass the pension payment plan. Some people want to make the pension payment. So we’re absolutely all over the board.” She said House Speaker Michael Madigan is letting his members decide. “I think speaker’s doing what he does and that’s let everyone make up their own minds and their own decisions, but we’re going to have to realize what those decisions mean.”

House Minority Leader Tom Cross said Democrats don’t need GOP votes. They could do it on their own. “They’ve got 70 votes — 70 votes. Does anybody in this building think that if the speaker really wants to do this, he can’t do it? Everybody knows that if the speaker wants to get something done, he puts 60 votes on.”

Even if a majority of Democrats or Republicans agreed to raise the state income tax, the General Assembly would still have to cut spending, according to assistant Majority Leader Frank Mautino of Spring Valley.

But they can’t agree on where to scale back, either. That’s partially because Democrats say one of the only places left to cut is from the part of the budget that provides grants to community services, including everything from programs for AIDS patients to after-school clubs. But individual legislators don’t want to stop funding projects or programs in their districts.

“The state budget has become this mosaic of all these individual grant programs that even in times of crisis, we can’t move away from,” said Rep. Marlow Colvin, a Chicago Democrat, adding in frustration, “so it’s ridiculous.”

Mautino added: “There have been uncomfortable votes in the General Assembly, but never a hard vote. Any vote you make this year, someone gets hurt.”

House Democrats do agree that lawmakers can’t balance the state budget solely but cutting spending. “We don’t have enough money for a full year at the levels there at this year,” said spokesman Steve Brown.

Among the alternative plans being considered is minimizing the budget to reflect the level of revenue available. That would include approving lump sums of state funding to agencies, which would then have to decide how to spread the money around to keep the lights on and the doors open until the money ran out. It’s expected that they would have to return to the Capitol to ask for more money early next year.

“I see leaving Springfield with a budget that reflects exactly what we have and what we’re willing to vote for in revenue,” Mautino said, later adding, “We’re just all trying to find something that will keep services running and provide the least amount of pain possible because there’s going to be pain — no matter what we do.”

Across the rotunda, Sen. John Sullivan, a downstate Democrat, said as the day progressed, it appeared more likely that the legislature would resort to a budget based solely on revenues available. But he wasn’t happy about it. “If we go past the 31st without a full budget being passed, all we’ve done is put off the inevitable,” he said. “We’re going to have to come back at some time and face reality.”

Both chambers will resume business Saturday, potentially, with Plans B and beyond.

Medical marijuana may have to wait for a vote

By Hilary Russell
Despite two victories this week for legalizing medical marijuana, the bill probably won’t get a floor vote in the Illinois House before the May 31 deadline for the spring legislative session, according to it’s sponsor, Rep. Lou Lang of Skokie.

The bill passed out of a House panel last night. The Senate approved SBill 1381 the previous day. See background here.

But medical marijuana is taking a back seat to the state budget and whether it will include income tax increases, which could come up for a vote this evening.

If the medical marijuana bill isn’t called by Sunday, Lang said he could try again when lawmakers return from their summer break. “This bill is only difficult because people want to turn it into politics,” he said. "There are many people on this floor who have said to me, ‘It’s a really great idea, and I think it would help a lot of people, but I can’t vote for it.’”

Campaign finance limits one step closer

By Jamey Dunn, with Bethany Jaeger contributing

A bill intended to reform campaign finance in Illinois that passed through the Senate yesterday is expected to come up for a vote in the House today.

It appears to be a compromised version that could get enough votes to pass both chambers. However, Gov. Pat Quinn’s support of the bill went against the recommendations of the Illinois Reform Commission, which he created.

None of the major reform groups in the state support the bill. Cynthia Canary, director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, described HB 7 as “phony reform” filled with loopholes.

Canary’s organization partnered with a large coalition called Change Illinois to advocate for reforms that mirror the federal system of campaign contribution limits: $2,400 limit on individuals, $5,000 limit on political committees, business and unions and a $30,000 limit on legislative leadership. The Illinois Reform Commission recommended the same limits.

Quinn said that enacting contribution caps for the first time in the state would be a historic change, even if they were more lenient than recommended by his commission. “This is a new world for Illinois,” he said shortly after he and House Speaker Michael Madigan testified in favor of the bill before a House committee this morning.

Madigan said that federal limits were too low and forced candidates to spend too much time trying to find multiple donors to contribute small amounts of money. He also said that they benefit incumbents who have an established list of donors that they could ask for cash.

Some aspects of the bill that Madigan outlined before the committee include:

Limited in-kind donations of advertisements, yard signs and people to knock on doors from businesses and labor unions supporting candidates.
Unlimited in-kind contributions for legislative leadership or statewide political parties.
Fines for violations of election rules would be increased. The Illinois State Board of Elections would be able to audit candidates and committees only if they missed two consecutive reporting deadlines.

Most of the new provisions would not take effect until January 2011, after the next general election. Madigan said that it was designed to keep the next election fair because candidates that started fundraising under the old rules would have an advantage over those who started under the new ones.

The Illinois Democratic Party also would be prohibited from offering support to a candidate in the primary immediately after the bill became law. Yesterday, Senate President John Cullerton said the Democratic Party voluntarily would abide by the new provisions before the law were enacted.

Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno said she would like to see the same restriction applied to the Republican Party, but it was not included in the bill because Republicans were cut out of negotiations.

The provision actually could help Quinn because it would keep Madigan, chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois, from using the party to support his daughter, Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who is considering challenging Quinn in the Democratic primary for governor in 2010. When asked if he had compromised by accepting a less lenient cap on contributions in exchange for a ban on the Democratic Party's involvement in the primary, Quinn said, “Slate-making by the Democratic Party and using party resources in a primary has been a stock and trade for many decades.” He added: “I think this is a good step for reform and openness. It empowers everyday people who want to run for office. They don't have to run in machine politics. I think this is a very good reform.”

Speaker Madigan echoed supporters by calling it an imperfect bill but the result of compromise. “We don’t represent in this bill that there will be a complete shut down of money being spent for campaigns,” he said, “and we don’t represent that this bill is perfect. We don’t represent that it satisfies everybody. We do represent that it is a significant step forward for the state of Illinois.”

Rep. Ed Sullivan, a Mundelein Republican, responded, “Some of us have a disagreement on how big of a step it is.”

Shortly after HB 7 advanced through committee, House Republicans tried to push a measure, HB 24,which would mirror federal limits. It’s similar to recommendations from the Illinois Reform Commission. However, the GOP was unable to get the support needed to have the bill called on the floor for a vote.

“We will have an ethics bill presented in this House later today that fails the people of the state of Illinois miserably,” said House Minority Leader Tom Cross. Check back for updates on the bill.

Texting bans head to the governor

By Hilary Russell
Drivers would be banned from texting while driving if Gov. Pat Quinn signs HB 71 into law. It passed both chambers, most recently in the House by a vote of 96-25. Quinn has 60 days to approve or veto it before it automatically becomes law.

Rep. John D’Amico, a Chicago Democrat, sponsored HB 71, which prohibits the use of cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers or any device that allows users to write, read and send an electronic message.

The bill does, however, exclude global positioning devices built into cars, as long as the devices are used only for getting directions. The bill also excludes law enforcement, emergency vehicle operators and drivers reporting emergencies. Commercial vehicle drivers also would be allowed to use electronic devices, provided they’re no larger than 10 inches by 10 inches.

Drivers also could use electronic devices as long as they are hands-free or voice-activated. And they could still pull over and text while parked on the side of the road.

Cell phones banned in school and construction zones
Another bill that passed both chambers would ban the use of cell phones in school speed zones, construction zones. The House approved HB 72 by a vote of 96-21.

The bill, also sponsored by D’Amico, would allow construction workers to use wireless phones. And using cell phones during emergencies would be exempt from the ban.

Legislative Leaders Clothesline Citizens

by Cal Skinner

Don't see clothes lines much anymore.

Guess most people have clothes dryers now.

I think my bit-too-uppity Village of Lakewood has even banned this “green” way of drying clothes.

I found this clothes line in the blessedly unincorporated early McHenry County settlement of Ridgefield. It's northwest of McHenry County College in Crystal Lake on, would you believe, Ridgefield Road, not to mention Hillside Road and a bit of Country Club Road.

In any event as I drove by, I knew I didn't have a photo of a clothes line, so I took it.

When I arrived home and read how the legislative leaders had put no meaningful restrictions on their ability to gather all the money and decide which of their subservient members or to-be subservient members would get how much, I knew it had to be my “Message of the Day.”

Illinois voters have been “clotheslined.”

Or as some folks think “closelined.”

Do you think those who use the incorrect spelling are just too young to know what a clothesline is”

If Pat Quinn wants to go out in a blaze of glory and pass a petition seeking a constitutional amendment on Term Limits for Legislative Leaders, count me in.

Posted first on McHenry County Blog.

ICPR SAYS MUCH MORE WORK NEEDED ON CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION LIMITS LEGISLATION

HOUSE BILL 7 IS FULL OF LOOPHOLES

Cross-posted from ICPR's blog, The Race is On:

Over the objections of reform advocates throughout the state, the Illinois Senate on Thursday approved a bill (HOUSE BILL 7) to establish contribution limits but with so many loopholes that the legislation is "limits" in name only.

Cynthia Canary, Director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform (ICPR), issued the following statement:

“The disappointing Senate action should not be rubberstamped by the House,” said Cynthia Canary, Director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform (ICPR). “This phony reform should be blocked, and reform-minded legislators should insist on filling the loopholes created by the Senate.”

ICPR and the CHANGE Illinois! coalition have advocated real reform modeled after the federal system of campaign limits -- $2,400 limit on individual contributions, $5,000 limit on PAC, business and union contributions and a $30,000 limit on contribution from legislative leadership PACs to legislative candidates.

SOME OF THE PROBLEMS WITH HOUSE BILL 7

NO LIMIT ON IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS: Not only are the dollar amounts of the limits high but there are no limits on "in-kind" contributions from one candidate's committee to another. That means legislative leaders could use campaign funds to hire staff, pay for commercials and send direct mail on behalf of candidates. None of those would be covered by a contribution limit. It has the potential to exempt millions of dollars from the limits.

ANNUAL (CALENDAR YEAR) vs. ELECTION CYCLE LIMITS: Because the federal system uses election cycles of primary and general elections, officeholders and challengers are treated the same. But the Senate bill would set limits -- $5,000 for an individual and $10,000 for a PAC, business or union -- on a calendar year basis. That protects incumbents. For example, using the federal system, a governor and challenger could each get no more than two maximum contributions in a four-year period. But under the calendar year system, sitting governors could collect the maximum level in each of the governor's four years in office. Because challengers usually don't gear up for campaigning and fundraising until about two years before the election, a challenger could collect the limit from a contributor only twice before the general election. That's a potential 2-to-1 advantage for an incumbent.

TRANSFERS FROM LEADERS' (AND OTHERS') COMMITTEES: Any candidate for any office in Illinois could transfer up to $90,000 in cash to another candidate's committee. There are so many potential transfers of funds from committee to committee that it would be easy for legislative leaders to maneuver millions of dollars to targeted candidates. The end result would be the same as exists today.

ENFORCEMENT: Enforcement of campaign finance laws would remain extremely weak in Illinois. We had recommended the State Board of Elections be directed to make random audits of campaign committees to determine whether they were disclosing the contributions and expenditures required by law. The Senate bill would only give the State Board of Elections the ability to order an audit when a committee failed to file a quarterly report two times in a calendar year.

GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - May 29, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 46,023 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the May 29, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

As good as it gets?

By Jamey Dunn

A measure that would limit campaign contributions advanced through the Senate today. Supporters tout it as a historic first step towards reform, while opponents say it’s filled with loopholes that would preserve the status quo.

“I see holes in this that you could drive a Mack truck through,” said Sen. John Jones, a Mount Vernon Republican.

Sen. Don Harmon, an Oak Park Democrat, said HB 7 is not perfect because it is the result of long and difficult negotiations. “It does an awful lot more than I thought we would be able to do when I started this process a few months ago,” he said.

The bill includes:
$5,000 limits on contributions from individuals.
$10,000 limits on contributions from corporations or labor unions.
$90,000 limits on transfers from statewide political parties.

The measure did not win support from numerous government reform groups, including the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform and a conglomeration of powerful groups called the Change Illinois. It also was opposed by Gov. Pat Quinn’s Illinois Reform Commission on principle, said Commissioner Patrick Collins. The commission wanted a lower limit on donations and real-time disclosure of campaign contributions year-round. House Bill 7, on the other hand, would only require real-time disclosure during May, the height of the legislative action and budget negotiations. Otherwise, candidates would file campaign contribution reports four times a year.

Many Republicans stood in opposition, as well, and identified one “hole” in the legislation as creating a new category of committees, called constituent services committees. Under the measure, legislators would have a separate fund to pay for maintaining their offices and assisting people in their legislative districts. Contributions to the fund would be capped at $5,000. The money could not be used for campaigns.

However, Kent Redfield, a political scientist who runs the Sunshine Database to track campaign contributions, said money from the new special “constituent services” fund could be used to hold events for constituents that would actually be thinly veiled campaign efforts.

Good government advocates also didn’t like how often people could donate to each candidate. For instance, Harmon’s bill would allow individuals to donate up to the $5,000 limit every calendar year, as opposed to every election cycle. Opponents said the annual cycle would favor incumbents. Redfield said the annual cycle would benefit politicians who could start fundraising in office well before their next races. Yet, he said challengers would probably not be as successful starting early without an office and name recognition backing their efforts.

The most hotly contested aspect of the bill was the lack of limits on in-kind contributions from statewide political parties to candidates. For instance, the Democratic Party of Illinois could only donate $90,000 in cash, but it would still be able to give unlimited amounts of airtime for advertisements, yard signs, mailers and manpower to knock on doors to its candidates.

“That’s the big loophole,” Redfield said, adding, “it’s codifying the status quo.”

Redfield also said that limiting campaign contributions from lobbying groups might force legislators to seek contributions elsewhere, particularly their statewide political party leaders.

Gov. Pat Quinn, who testified in favor of the bill before a Senate committee Thursday, said it was good enough to move the public interest forward, but it was not perfect. He called it the “best we can do at this time.”

Harmon said HB 7 was the only version that could pass both chambers.

Collins, former assistant U.S. prosecutor, said legislators told him that the measures couldn’t be changed because they were tightly negotiated between the legislative caucuses, and any changes could kill the bills. Commissioner David Hoffman, inspector general for the City of Chicago, added that it was a convenient way of saying that no one really knows what would happen if changes were made, but they won’t take the chance to find out.

Sen. Minority Leader Christine Radogno also criticized the process and said that Republicans had been shut out of negotiations.

Harmon said that the issue could be revisited outside of “the pressure cooker” of a looming deadline and budget negotiations.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

FOIA rewrite passes both chambers

By Bethany Jaeger
All public bodies could be held to much higher standards when withholding documents and other information from the public. Legislation to strengthen the Illinois Freedom of Information Act and its enforcement will be sent to the governor’s desk. The House and Senate approved SB 189 with only one person voting against it.

The measure is part of a series of government reforms approved by the General Assembly in response to two consecutive governors being targeted by federal corruption charges. It’s also one area targeted by Gov. Pat Quinn’s Illinois Reform Commission.

We’ll have more about how the commission and the legislature have worked together — or not — soon. But the FOIA revisions demonstrated one area where all interested parties made compromises.

The negotiation process wasn’t exactly smooth, however. One week ago, the Illinois Press Association deemed a draft of the proposal “worse than existing law.” But the new version contained within SB 189 won “enthusiastic” support from the association.

Commissioner Hanke Gratteau said the FOIA revisions represent a “giant step forward” for transparency in government. They also would narrow the number of exemptions that allow public bodies to withhold otherwise public information, and the law would have stronger teeth with the addition of a so-called public access counselor and the ability to level civil penalties for noncompliance.

A representative of the Illinois Municipal League, however, said lawmakers would start to find out soon after the bill became law that it would place a heavy burden on local governments.

If signed into law by Quinn, a specialized lawyer would monitor and mandate the release of public information. The public access counselor is housed in the Illinois attorney general’s office, which would gain significant power by being able to subpoena information. The counselor would be able to issue binding opinions about whether public bodies, in fact, must release the information being requested.

The process also would get faster. Public bodies would have to reply to requests within five business days, as opposed to the current seven days. And if a public body denied a request, the public would have to take fewer steps and less time to appeal that denial.

“It used to be request, denial, appeal, denial. Now it’s just request, denial, and you’re ready to go,” said Don Craven, interim executive director of the Illinois Press Association. “So we shortened the process.”

Not all of the association’s recommendations made it into the final version, according to Craven. For instance, the association wanted final reports or documents prepared by consultants or independent contractors to be made public. Craven said that suggestion refers back to former Gov. George Ryan’s administration, when the state hired a private firm to issue a report about the economic impact of bringing Boeing Corp. to Chicago. The firm prepared a final report, gave it to the governor and the court held that a FOIA request was exempt because the report was “pre-decisional,” despite being the final report that guided policy, Craven said. Such reports, as well as internal staff analyses, remain exempt from the FOIA.

Some legislators expressed concern about a change to the personal private exemption. Ann Spillane, the attorney general’s chief of staff, said the reforms clarify the standard of a “clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy.” For instance, employees’ electronic time sheets — when they’re officially on the state’s clock — is public information and should be subject to the FOIA. However, if an employee clocked out to go to a doctor’s appointment, the reason for clocking out would be redacted.

Here are some other highlights of the final version, which would become law if the governor signs SB 189:

Courts could decide to impose a fine ranging from $2,400 to $5,000 for public bodies that intentionally failed to comply with FOIA. And if a public body waited too long to reply to a request, then it couldn’t charge a copying fee or rely on the exemption that says the request was “unduly burdensome.”
Courts would be required to award attorneys’ fees to individuals or entities who had to file a lawsuit to force a public body to release public information. Current law permits courts to do so but does not force them.
Public bodies could still redact, or black out, information from public records, but they’d still have to provide the rest of the information.
The bill does include a higher standard for proving a public body’s denial of a request.
Public bodies would have to designate specific employees to complete training about the FOIA and the Open Meetings Act.

Medical marijuana bill advances in the House

By Hilary Russell
The Illinois Senate made history last night by approving a bill that would authorize the limited use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. The measure advanced again tonight when a House committee approved the same measure by a vote of 4-3.

Rep. Lou Lang, a Skokie Democrat, said SB 1381 could be called in the House as early as tomorrow. Lang sponsored another version, HB 2514, which has the same intent but different restrictions. He said he’d try to advance the version sponsored by Sen. Bill Haine, an Alton Democrat, because it already cleared one hurdle by passing the Senate.

Lang said he would only call the bill for a full House debate if he felt sure he had enough votes for it to pass. “I am not a legislator that does test votes,” he said. “I am not going to run this out to the floor and have people vote on this pro and con. If there’s a vote taken on this bill, it will be when I think I can pass it.”

Opponents maintain that marijuana is a gateway drug and will lead to drug addiction and be accessible to children. Republican Rep. Patricia Bellock of Hinsdale said one reason she objects to the bill is because marijuana is an illegal drug. Most law enforcement agencies in the state also oppose this legislation.

Rep. Ron Stephens, a Greenville Republican, said there will be no way to know how many plants patients have in their homes. The bill calls for a 60-day supply of the drug, or two ounces of dried cannabis sativa and three mature flowering plants. See background here.

Haine and Lang maintain that the bill’s language is very strict and clear. Anyone who violated or abused the law would face criminal punishment.

The next step is for the bill to be called on the House floor and debated by the full chamber. We'll have more if that happens.

GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - May 28, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 45,939 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the May 28, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Medical marijuana bill passes Senate

By Hilary Russell
The board read 28 eyes, 30 nays and 1 present when the bill was called for a vote. This was only the second time in the history of Illinois’ General Assembly that this kind of bill had made to the floor. As Senators watched the neon numbers go up, down and up again, the hushed room began to fill with chanting. At 29 votes, just one shy of the number needed to pass, one Senator was visibly worried. Then, at the last second, the votes changed to 30. The bill had passed.

Applause and gales of laughter broke out once the votes were confirmed.

Sen. Bill Haine, an Alton Democrat, sponsored SB 1381, which would allow terminally ill patients to enroll in a three-year pilot program and permit the use of marijuana without fear of criminal punishment.

“I feel relief,” Haine said. “I love working complicated bills and very controversial. I’m happy it’s over. … This is major step and a victory for common sense.”

Haine’s bill would allow an individual to get a prescription from his or her primary care physician for a 60-day supply of marijuana, or two ounces of dried cannabis and three flowering plants. See the background here.

The Illinois Department of Public Health would oversee the program and ultimately determine how many plants and dried ounces constituted a 60-day supply. The bill also designates that a primary caregiver, who is registered with the department, to grow and or purchase the marijuana for the patient.

The plant’s medical effects versus its benefits are greatly debated because it is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is classified as a federally illegal drug.

But for patients who have chronic or terminal conditions, the drug, supporters say, has been a lifesaver because it helps to ease nausea and increase appetite.

Some lawmakers in support of the bill spoke on a personal note about the contraindications they witnessed themselves or of loved ones who have to take multiple prescription drugs at a time.

Sen. Linda Holmes, an Aurora Democrat with multiple sclerosis, said passing this bill was the right action to take. “We are talking about people here that are not looking to abuse a drug,” she said. “To sit here and say that this drug has the potential to be abused, therefore, we should not be voting in favor of this bill, … well, then go home and empty out your medicine cabinet because all your pain medications and all your sleep medications have the potential to be abused.”

Sen. Kwame Raoul, a Chicago Democrat, moved the room to silence as he spoke about a recent visit with his mother. Raoul said she suffers from a variety of ailments and, as a result, her doctors have prescribed her multiple drugs to treat one issue while prescribing others to offset side effects. “This is a bill about compassion for those who are suffering,” Raoul said. Having recently lost his father, Raoul noted, “pharmaceuticals had no answer for the pain he had to go through. So we can make this a political issue, but this is about compassion.”

Opponents fear if the bill becomes law, it would pave the way for drug addiction and open a can of worms the state doesn’t have the time or resources to deal with. Sen. Dale Righter, a Mattoon Republican, opposed the bill and said he thought there were too many loopholes. One of his main concerns is that the bill does not require patients or their caregivers to have background checks.

“The bill would allow people to grow and possess cannabis. Those folks are not subject to a background check,” Righter said. “This bill does not require law enforcement to be involved in the administration program at all, and I think that’s a fatal flaw.”

Haine said every dispensary would be required to go through a background check, but the patients are the ones responsible for the caretaker. “It’s a bit offensive to demand everyone go through a background check,” Haine said. “If the patient is not qualified, the doctor will not sign the recommendation. We delineate the diseases [that qualify] and demand extensive corroboration from the doctor.” He added that if the privilege were abused, the prescribing doctor’s license would be on the line, too.

Now the bill moves to the House, where Rep. Lou Lang, a Skokie Democrat, will sponsor it. But with only four days left before the spring session is scheduled to end, Haine said he suspects the bill would wait to be called until the annual fall session or even later.

Lang said: “I’m going to try to move it as far through the House system as I can and as quickly as I can and do a head count. This morning, I did not have enough votes to pass the bill.”

He added that now there are 30 senators who voted for this bill, which means there are 60 representatives for those senators. “So maybe now they’ll feel that they have some political cover and will feel OK to vote for the bill.”

Recall returns, other reforms coming

By Bethany Jaeger and Jamey Dunn
The legislature continues to advance measures that would try to prevent the alleged wrongdoing by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich from going on long enough for a federal indictment to intervene.

Rep. Jack Franks, a Woodstock Democrat and longtime Blagojevich critic, revived his effort to change the state Constitution so voters could “recall” elected officials. The effort failed last year. This time, however, he’s calling for a constitutional amendment that would only focus on allowing voters to recall the governor, not other statewide officeholders or legislators.

Franks called it a first step and said that recall should only be used in extreme situations, describing recall authority as a “nuclear option” to remove corrupt or inept officials. He pointed to 18 other states that have some version of a recall provision, but it’s only been used twice in recent history, the most recent in California in 2003.

The bill is scheduled for a committee hearing tomorrow morning. We’ll have more then.

Sen. Susan Garrett, a Lake Forest Democrat, also is sponsoring a measure to increase transparency in the way the governor appoints people to boards and commissions. While Gov. Pat Quinn’s office already published a Web site listing all appointments, Garrett’s bill, SB 1602, would aim to increase transparency, prevent conflicts of interest and “ensure the process isn’t dominated by political insiders.” She referred to several Blagojevich appointments involved in the ongoing federal investigation of using public office for private gain.

Both Franks and Garrett said the legislature continues to advance reform measures not addressed by Quinn’s Illinois Reform Commission. Franks said the panel did good work, “but by no means is it all inclusive or the only reasonable voice.”

The commission did not make a specific recommendation, for instance, about whether to let voters recall elected officials. Commissioner Patrick Collins previously said the group only gave recommendations that received unanimous support, and recall was not unanimous but deserved additional consideration.

One area the commission did make specific recommendations was campaign finance. While last week’s attempt to debate so-called contribution limits soured, another attempt could be made as soon as tomorrow. Sen. Don Harmon, an Oak Park Democrat, went as far to say he expects some form of contribution caps to pass both chambers tomorrow. The process is expected to start with a Senate committee hearing in the afternoon.

Harmon has been negotiating a compromise with lawmakers and the Illinois Reform Commission. He said there is “if not broad agreement, at least broad acceptance” of $5,000 contribution limits for individual donors. That’s a more lenient limit than the $2,400 cap recommended by the commission. But the bigger sticking point, according to Harmon, is whether to limit the amount statewide political parties can donate to their candidates.

But a statement from House Speaker Michael Madigan today made it seem as though that issue may be close to a resolution among Democrats.

A public TV program called Illinois Lawmakers reported that Madigan said he and Senate President John Cullerton have come to an agreement on capping the amount of money political parties can transfer to candidates’ campaign committees. Both leaders have withheld their support of the idea in the past.

“We are moving in the right direction.” Madigan said. “There should be caps on contributions. There should be caps on transfers between committees.”

FOIA rewrite advances
One area where lawmakers did strike a compromise with competing versions is strengthening the Freedom of Information Act and the Open Meetings Act.

The Illinois Press Association and the Illinois Attorney General expressed disappointment with a watered down version last week, but both enthusiastically supported the version that won House approval today. “This bill did not have everything we wanted, but we were very happy with this bill,” said David Porter, spokesman for the Illinois Press Association.

Senate Bill 189 would increase the standard for public bodies to proving a requested document is exempt from the law. It also would shorten the time public bodies would have to respond to requests from seven business days to five.

One major change is that a certified “public access counselor” would have authority to review and determine whether documents should have been released under the FOIA, and he or she would be able to subpoena documents. The counselor could go as far as issuing binding opinions to resolve disputes and sue to enforce those opinions.

We’ll have much more in the next few days.

House challenges idea to skim pensions

By Bethany Jaeger and Jamey Dunn
The General Assembly should fully fund the state’s contribution into the public employee pension systems, according to a measure approved by the House today. But the move contradicts Gov. Pat Quinn’s proposal to short the pension payment to free up some money that could help fill a $7.4 billion budget deficit next fiscal year.

Today’s floor debate over SB 1186, sponsored by House Speaker Michael Madigan, pitted the need to repay long-term debt against the immediate decline in state revenues. Gov. Pat Quinn proposed skipping about $2.3 billion in payments next fiscal year. Madigan today essentially took that option off the table — for now — saying he and the governor have a “legitimate difference of opinion.”

Next fiscal year, which starts July 1, is the last year of a so-called “ramp-up” payment that is part of a statutory schedule to force the state to gradually fund its share of the long-term pension obligations. Next year’s payment is supposed to exceed $4 billion. But the deficit is projected to reach at least $7.4 billion, according to Madigan.

The speaker said the bill to force full payment reflects that there was little support for a partial payment (102 members voted in support of full payment). But it also simply reinforces existing statute. The entire House GOP supported full payment. Fourteen Democrats, on the other hand, voted “present.” Several said that making a partial payment would free up more than $2.2 billion that could help fund safety net services during the economic recession.

Madigan laid out the revenue picture with and without a full pension contribution, which could bolster his argument that the state should increase the state income tax to balance the budget and pay its bills. Here’s Madigan’s break down:

$16.9 billion – The amount already approved by the House to fund basic state operations and employee contracts. (It’s not yet approved by the Senate.)
$3.5 billion – The amount left over to dole out to state services.
$10 billion – The amount needed to fund the rest of Quinn’s proposed spending plan.
$7 billion – The amount that would have to be cut to balance the budget without an income tax increase.

But even with an income tax increase of 1.5 percentage points, as proposed by Quinn, the state would only garner about $3.7 billion. Legislators would still have to cut nearly $3 billion more to achieve a balanced budget.

Sen. Don Harmon, an Oak Park Democrat, said that the cuts that would be needed without a tax increase could be more than most lawmakers want to consider. “I don’t know if any of us have come to grips fully with what cuts of that magnitude would mean to people who live in our districts,” he said. “We’ve got pages and pages and pages of potential cuts, and they will hurt real people. And we’re trying to balance that.”

Harmon added that the Senate Democratic Caucus sees the pension payments as part of the larger budget negotiations. “Obviously, we’d all like to make the full pension payment. It’s just a question of the competing needs and the limited revenue available. It’s within the context of the overall budget development, not a stand alone issue.”

Republican Sen. Matt Murphy of Palatine disagreed that Democrats are looking at the bigger budget picture, which he said could lead to a piecemeal approach and, ultimately, mistakes. “It’s almost like they’re doing these things in a vacuum,” he said. He suggested short-term borrowing as a way to fully fund pensions and avoid an income tax increase.

The legislature could always do what it did last year: approve an unbalanced budget and force the governor to cut programs over the summer. There are many ways this scenario could play out.

Meanwhile, Quinn’s effort to enact a two-tiered system that would provide less generous benefits to newly hired teachers and state employees has stalled but is still in negotiations behind closed doors.

Don’t expect GOP support

By Hilary Russell, with Bethany Jaeger contributing

Democrats had the past six years to prevent the deficit facing the state, according to Senate Republicans. And the GOP Caucus says it’s unwilling to concede on raising income taxes to fix the problem.

“We offered suggestions year after year after year about how to deal with it, and we were rebuffed at every turn,” said Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, adding that raising the income tax would create rather than solve problems. “It would put us in a very non-competitive situation with other states, and we would be one of the highest flat rate taxes. If the corporate rate were to go up by a similar amount, then we would be the highest in the world.”

She said the feeling among Senate Republicans is that the Democrats created the mess and, therefore, need to do their own housecleaning. And they can do it without Republicans because the majority party has 37 members, seven more than needed to approve an income tax increase.

Senate President John Cullerton, however, said yesterday, “I don’t think we have 30 Democrats.” The Senate Republicans also do not support shorting the state’s payment into the public employee pension system. Doing so, Radogno said, contributed to the ongoing budget problem and would worsen it.

Reforming state government also is running into a few hurdles. Last week, Radogno sponsored SB 350 on behalf of Gov. Pat Quinn’s Illinois Reform Commission. It would limit campaign contributions to $2,400 for individuals and $5,000 for corporations. It also would limit the amount statewide political parties could donate to their targeted candidates to $30,000.

While Radogno said Republicans are willing to compromise on the number of the campaign contributions limit, the cap on transfers from statewide political parties is a different story. “The fundamental reform has to include leadership committees, and that’s where we can’t compromise. Either they’re in or they’re or out, and, in our view, they must be in.”

The General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn its spring session on May 31, although the unresolved issues surrounding an operating budget and a reform package could toss the session into “overtime.” That would mean that all legislation approved after May 31 would need an extra majority of votes, giving Republicans a seat at the table — and a part of the blame — whether they wanted it or not.

Overtime or not, Radogno said her caucus remains calm. “It’s always an interesting last week. My guess is if there’s a sense of panic of might be on the other side of the aisle.”

GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - May 27, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 45,859 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the May 27, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Civil union bill advances

By Hilary Russell

The fight to legalize civil unions in Illinois won a small victory today when it advanced out of committee by a vote of 4 to 2. Whether it will be called for a vote on the floor, though, remains to be seen.

Rep. Greg Harris, a Chicago Democrat, is sponsoring a bill that would afford heterosexual and homosexual couples the same legal rights as married couples.

Currently, whereas a spouse would typically have the right to serve as a power of attorney in medical decisions, a person in a same-sex relationship would not.

The bill would not legalize same-sex marriage, which, depending on the state that the couple resides in, affords the same state and federal rights as a heterosexual married couples.

Harris wouldn’t say how many votes he has secured or if he’s close to calling the bill in the next few days, considering the legislature is scheduled to wrap up the spring legislative session.

We continue to count votes in the House,” Harris said. The problem, he said, is that opponents fear giving rights to same-sex couples would open the door to same-sex marriage. “It appears that people have a concern with the intermingling of religious and civil marriage, but the vast majority of people believe that all couples deserve basic rights.”

While one victory took place here, the California Supreme Court today ruled that civil unions will remain legal, but same-sex marriages remain illegal since voters enacted a ban in November 2008. Fifty-two percent of voters supported Proposition 8 to ban gay marriage, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Proposition 8 materialized with a ballot drive, but opponents of the civil unions claim that it takes more than voter initiative to change the state’s Constitution. Changing the state’s Constitution requires two-thirds of the General Assembly to approve that the question be placed on the ballot in the general election. Then a majority of voters must ratify the change.

For more context about what is happening in other states, see the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Prepare for revenue vs. spending showdown

By Bethany Jaeger
The General Assembly has five days until the constitutional deadline of May 31 to approve a state operating budget, and there are only three days until Senate President John Cullerton wanted to adjourn so everyone could go home by this weekend.

Things are still pretty fluid in the Capitol, with lots of options being discussed but few commitments being made to any of them.

“There’s Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, and, so far, we have not seen B nor C,” said Sen. Donne Trotter, budget negotiator for Senate Democrats.

Plan A includes funding basic portions of the budget to keep the lights on and to secure federal stimulus funds regardless of whether the legislature approves an income tax increase. And that plan, approved by the House last week, wouldn’t fulfill spending obligations for state programs and public employee pensions. House and Senate Democrats are circulating lists of programs that would not be funded under the core budget plan, forcing members to rank programs that could be cut or not.

Those lists are leading up to the plea for a state income tax increase, but for that to happen, Democrats need Republican support. Senate President John Cullerton said he doesn’t believe his caucus has 30 votes necessary to approve an income tax increase, leading him to turn to Republicans. The GOP, however, doesn’t want to approve an income tax increase unless the General Assembly first tries to trim spending and make existing programs more efficient, including instituting managed care policies and other Medicaid reforms.

Sen. Dale Righter, a deputy Republican leader from Mattoon, said, “To say that there isn’t any waste in state government is to say, ‘I agree with the last six years of Rod Blagojevich’s budgets,’ and I don’t think any of them want to say that.” He added that constituents want comprehensive reforms that affect every dollar the state spends, not just a percentage of it. He said enacting a half-year budget would unlikely include any reforms.

“Once you support that and put that into law, then you’ve locked that in place. And you’ve said, ‘OK, there’s nothing we can do about that spending.’ And I don’t think that’s the message we want to send.”

As Democrats and Republicans consider their options behind closed doors tonight, consider this breakdown of general revenue versus spending and the large gap between the two, according to Democrats.

Spending side

Legislators are working with about $23.8 billion to dole out, including federal stimulus funds.
The House last week approved $16.9 billion to keep the lights on and to secure federal stimulus funds, leaving about $6.9 billion to split among state programs.

Revenue side

According to Senate Democrats, the state would need an additional $4 billion just to get to last year’s funding levels (a.k.a. a zero-based budget).
And then it would need between $2 billion and $4 billion to pay the state’s full share into the public employee pension systems.
That means, according to Trotter, that budget negotiators anticipate needing up to an additional $8 billion to get up to last year’s funding levels and to fully fund the pensions.
Shorting the pension payments is always on the table. Making a minimal payment, however, would not pay down the compounding liabilities.
So is approving a temporary budget that would distribute the money on hand but would not be enough to get through the year. Cullerton said he opposes the idea of a half-year budget.
Gov. Pat Quinn also has proposed a two-tiered pension system so that newly hired teachers and state employees would earn less generous retirement benefits. While the administration suggests long-term savings would result, teachers’ unions strongly disagree and point to a report by the legislative Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability.

Is the Tribune Using Front Page Newspaper Article to Pimp for an Income Tax Hike?

by Cal Skinner

You may have noted that the Chicago Tribune is putting a story with the logo

“STATE OF
CORRUPTION"

on its front page.

Everyday, I guess, but I only looked at Friday's and Monday's papers for this article.

Friday the upper right hand story was entitled

Reform
heads for
frenzied
Friday

It was by Springfield Bureau Chief Ray Long, with the assistance of Ashley Rueff and Robert Becker.

It probably tilts toward the reformers' point of view a bit, but it tells what's happening in the State Capitol.

Monday's article, by Rick Pearson, is not so objective.

Reform
may be
cover for
tax hike

Pearson starts with the premise that reform could be linked to an income tax hike.

As if taxpayers would willingly accept a 50% income tax hike for any change in the way of doing business that led the Democrats to hike spending by a billion dollars a year since they took control of all three branches of state government, thus, getting the state into the mess it now has.

Did you know

“rank-and-file legislators may decide the more reforms they enact, the more it could give them cover for raising the state's income tax...”

Didn't think so.

Having established the theme of his article, Pearson goes around and asks whether such a quid pro quo is likely.

Needless to say, he found someone to agree with the strategy he advances. And he got quoted first.

But others, like Senate President John Cullerton and House Republican Leader Tom Cross disagreed.

House Speaker Mike Madigan is the only significant voice to support Pearson's thesis.

And the “let me continue doing what I've always done, but limit what others (excluding newspapers) can spend” approach to finance reform is not meaningful reform.

Pearson doesn't even point out that most of the so-called reform folks are liberal enough to be in favor a massive income tax hike anyway.

Keep an eye the Tribune's coverage of this strategy for passing a huge tax hike this week.

Posted first on McHenry County Blog, where I wonder why Ed and Anne Burke's real estate tax bill is lower than mine.

GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - May 26, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 45,776 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the May 26, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

Monday, May 25, 2009

Flossmoor Getting the Change Braun Promised

Not even sworn in yet, mayor-elect Paul Braun has already taken steps to alleviate Flossmoor's tax burden while still improving services. On Tuesday, May 19th, Braun led a delegation of Trustees (Philip Minga and Diane Williams), our village Clerk (Pam Nixon) and our village Manager (Bridget Wachtel) down to Springfield to lobby our state legislators for funds. This is a radical departure from the past, where our soon-to-be former mayor sought "Home Rule" status so that he could raise our taxes at will.

Flossmoor's delegation met with Senators Toi Hutchison and Maggie Crotty and Representatives Anthony DeLuca and Al Riley. Braun tells us:

We were very well received and we were able to press three Flossmoor projects for possible funding. The projects that we requested funding are for replacement of street lighting in the central downtown business area (Sterling & Flossmoor Rd) $500K; reconstruction of the Brookwood Bridge $115K; and storm sewer replacement/rehab for the Flossmoor Hills area $200K for engineering and $1M cost.

All of the legislators told us that Flossmoor's timing for funding requests is excellent as all of the legislators are submitting funding requests this week. All four legislators also told us how pleased they were to see Flossmoor being more active and involved in State affairs.

When we met with Senator Crotty, we were also able to speak with IDOT Director Gary Hannig about problems we have been having with the last resurfacing of Flossmoor Road. Director Hannig promised us he would look into the matter and get back to us.

It's exciting to realize that the village of Flossmoor has stepped into the modern age, recognized that we are connected to the rest of the south suburbs and become more aggressive in getting funding for the projects we need. Change has come to Flossmoor. Oh, Happy Days!

Paul Braun will be sworn in on June 1st at 7:30pm. There will be a short village board meeting and a reception afterwards (cake and coffee). Everyone is invited to inaugurate this transition to the 21st century!

GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - May 25, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 45,776 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the May 25, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

Sunday, May 24, 2009

A Township Government Courts Abolition

by Cal Sklnner

“This is nothing, absolutely nothing,”

Northwest Herald reporter Amber Krosel quotes newly-sworn in Grafton Township Trustee Gerry McMahon at Thursday night's meeting.

This was the same day that McMahon and his fellow trustees were given their third McHenry County Court smackdown concerning their illegal attempts to build a new township building.

McMahon was giving a lecture about how insignificant the taxpayer meerkat's (the original title of this series was "The Skunk, the Meerkats and the Elephant") concern about paying for the over $5 million new township hall the township trustees are trying to shove down their throats.

The cost was so small.

It was like comparing a meerkat to an elephant.

That's what McMahon argued.

What McMahon just can't comprehend is that the meerkat taxpayers might just want to be asked their permission before being put in debt for $5 million.

The "trust me" argument from public officials went out of style with President Jimmy Carter.

President Ronald Reagan brought the "trust, but verify" method of dealing with the Soviet Union.

Ex-Governor Rod Blagojevich and other crooked and arrogant Illinois state and local officials have brought citizens to the stage of

"Why should we trust you?"

The surface reason for issuing the over $5 million in debt is that current township facilities are inadequate.

But the real reason is that if the township board even doesn't take as much money as it can get, it forever will lose whatever that stream of income is.

It's a function of the tax cap, which allows local governments to take from us what they got last year, plus the increase in the cost of living.

If a district ever takes less than the maximum allowed, its “base” is lower for the next year and every year thereafter.

Oh how I wish there were more public officials who did not adhere to the

“Tax to the Max”

philosophy.

Township Assessor Bill Ottley gave me this insight after the annual town meeting while inquiring why I, who lives right across the township line in Algonquin Township, cared about what Grafton Township was doing.

Proponents of the debt certificate financing scheme the township trustees are trying to put in place argue that taxes will not go up.

What they mean is that tax bills will remain the same. They won't be higher than they already are.

There most certainly will be more taxes extracted from Grafton Township taxpayers.

You can't pay back more than $5 million without someone's pocketbook being lighter than it would be without bearing that burden.

But, proponents keep arguing,

“Taxes won't go up.”

Daily Herald reporter Jeffrey Gaunt suggests such a pitch is worthy of a used car salesman.

But as Gaunt so persuasively wrote about the Carpentersville School District 300 referendum in January 2006:

“It’s a little like tacking 10 years onto a five-year prison sentence. You’re already in prison, the argument goes, so what’s a few more years.”

In Grafton Township’s case, it's tacking on 20 years.

For argument's sake, let's say the impact on Grafton Township tax bills is too small to worry about.

Is anything else wrong with the town hall picture?

I can think of two things.

The first concerns the democratic process.

Township government is supposed to be, but is less and less, the government of the people.

I can remember when uppity township electors wrote in $1 for each line item in the Nunda Township Road Commissioner's budget. I think the commissioner was Leroy Geske. That was around 1970.

Residents of a private subdivision road wanted township taxpayers to improve it, but the township road commissioner, citing state law, refused.

Retaliation didn't deprive him of his salary because it's in the Town Fund.

That was the same year that Algonquin Township Assessor Forrest Hare's supporters added $500 in legal fees to sue the McHenry County Supervisor of Assessments Willard Hogge for having equalized Algonquin Township's property values higher than they should have been.

The township attorney frittered away the money telling the township board, which did not want the suit to go forward, why it couldn't be done.

The Illinois General Assembly, always being responsive to township officials, plugged that hole.

It prohibited electors from voting on budgets.

= = = = =
The other articles in this series are can be found here:

The Skunk, the Meerkats and the Elephant - Part 1

The Skunk, the Meerkats and the Elephant – Part 3

GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - May 24, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 45,732 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the May 24, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Minority-Dominated, Failing Elgin School District U-46 Could Gain $10 Million a Year from SB 2283 , Will Mike Madigan Call It?

by Cal Skinner

Elgin has the second largest Illinois school district. In the 1970's I used to represent it.

Today it has the distinction of having all five of its high schools in failure mode.

And because of an overlapping tax district problem that allowed a clerical mistake, it will lose about $10 million in State Aid to Education next year.

Will Democratic Party State Reps. Keith Farnham and Fred Crespo and Senator Mike Noland let this opportunity slip through their fingers or seize the day, so to speak?

The bill that would do the trip is Senate Bill 2283 and former Huntley School Board member Larry Snow has made a persuasive case for how Democrats should help U-46 get the millions in state aid it would otherwise be receiving, if the technical fix in SB 2283 is passed.

Of course the bill would help Huntley School District 158, too, to the tune of $2 million a year.

State Senator Pam Althoff is the sponsor of the bill, which has yet to receive a “No” vote.

The article under which Snow commented announced that House sponsor Republican State Rep. Mike Tryon had agreed not to seek past State Aid to Education that has been lost.

Snow posted comments to the Daily Herald story that mentioned SB 2283.

Elgin-area Republicans may have a large potential campaign issue if the House Democratic Party leadership lets this bill die on the floor without its being called to a vote.

Snow is hoping the political powers wake up soon enough to realize the information that an Illinois State Board of Education staffer gave the House leadership failed to mention the huge injustice to the 25,000 minority students in U-46, 15,000 of whom are Hispanic.

When I contacted Snow he said,

"It's ridiculous this bureaucrat from the State Board of Education may make Democrat leaders and politicians look like real jackasses by killing this bill and not allowing a vote on the House floor.

“I have met her, listened to her and anyone who listened to her committee testimony recently should be able to tell she is off the deep end wanting to preserve this injustice and not disclosing the ongoing impact to the State's second largest school district."

Snow's comments in the Daily Herald are below:

posted by Larry Snow on Sat May 23, 2009 10:37 AM

Here is the amendment to SB2283 Amend Senate Bill 2283 on page 3, line 3,
“after '5%', by inserting 'and only those adjustments made after Tax Year 2008-2009 and payable in School Year 2009-2010 are eligible for a claim for reimbursement under this paragraph.'”
It is a fix for year after year, not a one-year fix. The immediate impact on U-46 is about 10 million dollars with no approval.

Superintendent Torres has been informed this has a huge impact for his school district.

Let's see what he does about it, if anything, to prevent more cuts and help the students. Over the past years U-46 lost about 50 million in State aid.

Congrats to Sen. Michael Noland for becoming a chief co-sponsor.

Now let's see him fight to get what's right done within his own party.

What good are you if you can't get a technical correction fix that is huge for your district?

Which Chicago democrat would let this abuse continue for the Chicago Public schools? Go get 'em.

The local teachers union and school board have been snoozing on this for years.

Residents need your leadership, Sen. Noland. What House Democrats are going to help you get it passed?

posted by Larry Snow on Sat May 23, 2009 11:54 AM

U-46's teachers' union leaders and board members need to get out of snooze mode and beat the drums to get SB2283 passed. They should be in uproar over about 50 million being lost in the past because of a technical error.

If Speaker Madigan will let it be voted on in the House, after easily passing in the Senate, then U-46 will get the state aid funding it is being deprived of because of technical errors that need fixing.

Where is the Hispanic caucus in the House? Why aren't they out in front to help their own on this bill? The fiscal office in U-46 should have been all over this, years ago. I am hoping Superintendent Torres has the guts and brains to go out and get this bill passed. It is H U G E for U-46.

Jesse Ruiz, chair of the State Board of Education should do something about one of ISBE's employees, Toni Wagner making it her personal "job" and mission to prevent SB2283 and U-46 from recovering and receiving the millions of State Aid it rightfully deserves.

Wagner has opposed SB2283. which would help over 15,000 Hispanic students in U-46 by making a technical fix in the law. Anyone think if Wagner was Gonzalez there would be cooperation, not opposition?

posted by Larry Snow on Sat May 23, 2009 1:06 PM

Speaker Madigan was a true leader in getting referendum reform legislation passed in the past. He saw the injustice to taxpayers and got it fixed. I have praised him and the Democrats in the past for doing this and it is praise well deserved.

I disagree with any Republican sentiments to not press hard for SB2283 and let it fail because they can then potentially use its failure as a future political campaign issue.

It is a huge injustice U-46 has five out of five failing high schools for five years in a row (last time I looked) and they are being underfunded by millions in state aid because of a technical glitch in the School Code.

Speaker Madigan and Jesse Ruiz aren't involved at this level of detail.

Good House Democrats voted it out of committee in spite of an underling ISBE employee ranting against doing so to the House committee. I didn't need to be physically present in Springfield for that committee hearing. The committee hearing was transmitted on the internet. (continued in next comment)

posted by Larry Snow on Sat May 23, 2009 1:50 PM

If Republican legislators are afraid of publicly calling out an ISBE employee for preventing an injustice from being corrected, I am not. The injustice needs to be corrected and there's not a lot of time left for more patty-cake politics that let's an ISBE bureaucrat perpetuate a real injustice to the second largest school district in the State.

If this gets this injustice the publicity it deserves so it gets corrected, great. It doesn't matter how much Wagner may be right about anything else in the past. Her opposition speaking for ISBE to SB2283 is as wrong as underfunding five out of five failing high schools in Illinois' second largest school district.

I am hopeful if Speaker Madigan and his office get the correct information and facts and don't rely on the biased opinion of an underling ISBE employee, the injustice to over 15,000 Hispanic students will get corrected. Properly funding education is a Democrat mantra. I am hopeful Speaker Madigan will stop the abuse and injustice once he knows that's what is going on.

posted by Larry Snow on Sat May 23, 2009 3:43 PM

Superintendent Torres may want to direct someone in U-46's fiscal office to take the fifteen minutes it takes to make the calculation showing the loss of state aid SB2283 will fix and get the facts straightened out with someone in Speaker Madigan's office. Hopefully Mr. Ruiz, chair of the Illinois State Board of Education will also make sure the correct facts get to Speaker Madigan's office.

The Democrats, with Speaker Madigan's leadership, need to right this technical flaw wrong that is disadvantaging so many Hispanic children in U-46.

25,000 minority (including 15,000 Hispanic) children shouldn't be receiving erroneous second rate funding because they are in second largest school district in Illinois.

Democrat leaders wouldn't tolerate this for the largest school district in Illinois and shouldn't tolerate this for the second largest as well.

Especially when it is on the floor of the House to pass the legislature.

Governor Quinn needs to be heard on whether he supports this technical fix in SB2283 that will help 25,000 minority children get a better education.

Even if Governor Quinn stays silent on helping these children, Speaker Madigan should make sure SB2283 is passed.

= = = = =
In the photo on top newly elected State Rep. Keith Farnham (D-Elgin) was talking to Carpentersville School District 300 Chief Technology Officer Eric Willard. The head shot at the bottom is of Larry Snow.

Posted first on McHenry County Blog.

GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - May 23, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 45,692 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the May 23, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

Friday, May 22, 2009

If not today, Thursday?

By Bethany Jaeger and Jamey Dunn
The day that was supposed to be “Ethics Day” in the General Assembly came and went with confusing and dramatic developments that sent lawmakers and reformers back to the drawing table, with less than nine days left in the legislature’s regularly scheduled spring session.

And the legislature took Memorial Day weekend off, returning to Springfield Tuesday. And they still hope to adjourn May 29, although the actual deadline isn’t until the 31st.

Gov. Pat Quinn started the day by saying he doesn’t intend to sign a $26 billion infrastructure program until the legislature sends him an operating budget and a series of government reform measures. But movement on a significant portion of the reform measures is delayed until the day before Senate President John Cullerton hoped to adjourn.

Campaign contribution limits, for instance, were supposed to be debated today in the Senate. But a string of misunderstandings and tension-ridden conversations resulted in no action.

The Senate did agree with the House and approved two of House Speaker Michael Madigan’s measures. If signed by the governor, they would revamp the way the state buys products and services and shine more light on investigations into corruption within state government. Senate Bill 51 addresses procurement, while Senate Bill 54 addresses state employee ethics laws and lobbyist registration. The Senate did not, however, approve Madigan’s “fumigation” bill to terminate up to 750 employees appointed by former Govs. Rod Blagojevich and George Ryan.

Enforcement
The governor’s Illinois Reform Commission did present the first of its major proposals, which also happened to be a rather complex and controversial topic of state-level prosecution of public corruption cases. Only one of nine provisions won Senate approval today.

A visibly frustrated Collins held an impromptu news conference after a Senate hearing. “That’s not the process that we were promised,” he said after the votes. “We did not get enforcement reform today.”

According to Collins, the package was designed to give state prosecutors more ‘tools” to investigate corruption. The commission also sought greater penalties for such crimes. The amendment that met the most opposition would have expanded state’s attorneys’ authority to record conversations, including giving them power to wiretap telephones, with a judge’s approval.

Collins also advocated for making it harder for someone convicted of public corruption to get off with just probation, unless he or she cooperated with the investigation.

One attorney opposed the idea because he said it would take sentencing powers away from judges. Attorney Robert Loeb joined the Illinois Bar Association in opposing all of the commission’s the ideas because he said they would create extreme penalties for some minor offenses. He added that many aspects of the proposals already are covered by existing law.

Sen. Bill Haine, an Alton Democrat who voted “present” on all of the proposals, said that he was hesitant to greatly expand the powers of state’s attorneys because they are elected rather than appointed and might use political power to target opponents.

Sen. Kwame Raoul, a Chicago Democrat, said he worried about giving greater eavesdropping powers to state’s attorneys because there are 102 of them throughout the state, challenging consistency in training and enforcement.

The only provision that won approval was crafted by Sen. Dan Kotowski, a Park Ridge Democrat. It had no opposition.

Collins said while the legislators complained about not having enough time to consider the commission’s proposals, they approved Kotowski’s provision the same day it was filed.

Kotowski designed the measure to strike at the heart of Blagojevich’s alleged wrongdoings: his political campaign fund. The measure, which won Senate approval this afternoon and now heads to the House, would punish an individual who was convicted of public corruption the same as if he or she were a convicted drug dealer. The person would be subject to forfeiting property, assets or political funds.

“If you commit the act of corruption and graft, you’re going to lose your property, you’re going to lose your campaign fund, you’re going to lose anything that you acquired as a result of that,” Kotowski said.

Kotowski added that the commission’s enforcement provisions include rather far-reaching reforms that could take time to educate legislators and the public. “I’m not giving up on this stuff,” he said, adding that the ideas could be negotiated and brought up during the legislature’s annual fall session. “It’s not everything that we want to accomplish, not by any stretch. But it’s a really good first step, and I am excited about that.”

Campaign finance
The debate about campaign contribution limits has been bumped back to May 28 at the request of Collins, who said he needed time to negotiate an agreement between competing bills. “We’re at different places,” he said during his second Statehouse news conference of the day.

The commission proposes limiting individual donations at $2,400, while other proposals would limit them to $5,000 or $10,000. The commission also wants to limit large transfers of money from statewide political parties to their candidates. A Democratic proposal would not limit such transfers.

“Hopefully we can close that gap in the next few days,” Collins said. “And if we don’t, we’ve been assured many different ways with a lot of witnesses that we will get an up-or-down vote on the [commission’s] bill.”

Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno has sponsored two different versions (a $10,000 limit and a $2,400 limit on behalf of the commission), none of which have been called for debate. She said it sounded as if Democratic leaders were trying to “run out the clock” on campaign finance limits. “I think there are people who want the status quo to continue, and those would be the people who have the majorities in this institution right now, the Democrats. They don’t want to change it.”

Senate President John Cullerton disagreed and said leadership was trying to five the commission’ time to negotiate bills. “These issues are not simple black and white issues. They require a lot of nuance.”

FOIA
Efforts to strengthen the understanding and enforcement of the Freedom of Information Act are still in the works, although the Illinois Press Association and attorney general’s office expressed dissatisfaction with some water-downed versions. The Illinois Reform Commission is still trying to negotiate and could try to advance a revised measure Thursday, as well.

FYI: Here's the Illinois Reform Commission's full report.

Quinn wants high-speed rail for Illinois

By Hilary Russell

The capital plan that recently passed both chambers was missing something that Gov. Pat Quinn said would put Illinois on a path to a more progressive mode of transportation.

Quinn said it was an oversight for lawmakers not to include money for high-speed rail in the $26 billion infrastructure program. Of that, $1.5 billion was not yet earmarked. Quinn said in a Statehouse news conference this morning that he wanted at least a portion of the remaining money to go to high-speed rail.

The General Assembly has nine days to approve a second installment of the capital plan, as well as an operating budget and governmental reforms. “I think it’s important to understand that if we’re going to get this done, we’re going to have to roll up our sleeves in the next week to make this happen,” Quinn said.

High-speed rail would address the economic, energy and environmental crises facing the state and the nation, said Richard Harnish, executive director of the Midwest High Speed Rail Association based in Chicago. It would create jobs, help reduce reliance on motor fuel and reduce air pollutants.

One reason Quinn and a large group of bipartisan legislators want money to be designated for high-speed rail is because it could capture a portion of the $8 billion federal stimulus money available to invest in such transportation. The stimulus package would provide an additional $5 billion in grants over the next five years to kick-start high-speed rail development. To capture a federal match, the state must contribute about $400 million to high-speed rail projects, according to Quinn’s administration.

The first route would travel from St. Louis to Chicago at speeds up to 110 mph. It is being touted as an affordable, environmental alternative to driving or flying with the luxury of shorter travel times.

Hannig said the transportation department has a first-of-its-kind agreement with Union Pacific Railroad to draft a blueprint of the Chicago-St.Louis route, which the team would take to Washington, D.C., as a model and a way to compete with other states for additional stimulus funds.

Chicago to St. Louis would be the first but not the last request, Hannig said. Other routes could include Chicago to Milwaukee, Cleveland and Des Moines.

Real, Meaningful Contribution Limits

Cross posted from ICPR's blog, The Race is On:

Newspapers around the state have reviewed the Senate Democrats' campaign reform proposals, and found nothing to like. Setting caps that are as much as 6 times what the federal limits are and allowing unfettered transfers from parties and caucuses is not reform. But don't take it from us. The Daily Herald calls their ideas "practically meaningless." The Sun-Times calls it a "ruse." The Peoria Journal Star says it's "a deal breaker." And the Moline Dispatch and Rock Island Argus say "a better proposal is HB 24/SB 1768." Read for youself:

The Daily Herald (May 22, 2009) -- "The anti-corruption groups support donation limits per election cycle of $2,400 from individuals. That means that in a four-year Senate term, someone could give a Senate candidate a total of $4,800 for the primary and general elections. But the Senate plan just unveiled would allow for $10,000 donations every calendar year, or a total of $40,000 to a candidate in a four-year term. Even more alarming, Harmon's plan, so far, has no limit whatsoever on the contributions legislative leaders can make to candidates. That key lack of a limit on leadership contributions makes the Senate plan to cap campaign contributions practically meaningless."

The Peoria Journal Star (May 22, 2009) -- "But ultimately any progress here is undone with no ceilings being imposed on the largesse of legislative leaders, and might be a step backward. If you believe as we do that the speaker of the House and the Senate president have too much muscle now, this arguably would give them more, making rank-and-file members even more dependent on them while tying up the wallets of others. It's tantamount to no reform at all; as such, a deal-breaker."

The Moline Dispatch and The Rock Island Argus (May 21, 2009) -- "To discourage corruption and loosen the four tops" stranglehold, we urge leadership to call for and lawmakers to demand new limits on government corruption with a 'yes' vote on HB24 and SB1768."

The Chicago Sun-Times (May 22, 2009) -- "Madigan, Cullerton, et al, have decided they might be willing to enact campaign contribution limits on individuals, businesses and unions -- but limits that are so high and generous they would be virtually meaningless. And, of course, Madigan, Cullerton, et al, show absolutely no willingness to limit their own ability to shower money on their fellow politicians."

ICPR agrees with these newspapers. Limits must be meaningful and comprehensive. Setting limits that are too high will do nothing to prevent officials from laundering payoffs through their campaign funds -- or from looking like that's what they are doing. Allowing unlimited transfers from parties and caucuses turns them into washing machines for contributors who have maxed out their donations to particular officials. Grousing and grumbling aside, it works at the federal level. It's time Illinois joined the modern world.

If you agree, speak up! Contact your elected representative by calling 1-800-719-3020. Send them an e-mail by going here. Scheduled adjournment is barely a week away. Now is the time to be heard.

Haven't crossed the finish line, yet

By Bethany Jaeger

Gov. Pat Quinn confirmed that he could wait to sign a major capital construction package that recently passed both chambers until the General Assembly sends him an operating budget and ethics reforms.

"I don't plan to sign anything until we finish our work," Quinn said at a Statehouse news conference this morning, later adding, "I don't want to stop until we reach the finish line."

The major infrastructure program, which won House approval last night, has not yet been sent to the governor's desk. And it still has $1.5 billion left to earmark for projects.

The operating budget has not yet been negotiated. However, the House has approved basic portions of the budget that must be funded regardless of whether lawmakers approve a state income tax increase. The spending would include money to keep the lights on, as well as funding for education and Medicaid, which have to meet federal requirements to capture economic stimulus funds. The Senate is expected to take up those basic portions of the budget soon, but some lawmakers fear that such a temporary spending plan would take pressure off to approve a full-year budget by the end of the month.

Quinn said, "I don't think that would be the best way to go."

Meanwhile, the effort to advance government reforms recommended by the governor's Illinois Reform Commission appear stalled. While committees were scheduled for this afternoon to hear testimony from commission Chairman Patrick Collins, Senate Republicans say that some of the legislation never got assigned to be heard in committee.

According to GOP Spokeswoman Patty Schuh, Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno is now sponsoring a measure to establish campaign contribution limits that mirror the commission's recommendations ($2,400 for individuals and $5,000 for corporations). Schuh said it was not assigned to committee for debate this afternoon. Senate Bill 350 also includes a provision that would set a $10,000 limit for donations from a candidate's political party organization.

"Collins is in the building," Schuh said. He and other commissioners "came here today at the request of the Senate president to go over their report."

Rikeesha Phelon, spokeswoman for Senate President John Cullerton, said committees are scheduled to hear at least a pair of House Speaker Michael Madigan's reform measures that were approved yesterday.

GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - May 22, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 45,635 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the May 22, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Capital plan passes both chambers

By Jamey Dunn and Hilary Russell
Photograph by Hilary Russell

Right: The Illinois House approved a revenue package by a vote of 86-30-1, with opposition mostly objecting to new gaming sources.

The House tonight approved a major capital construction program, wrapping up one of the three major issues that lawmakers seek to tackle before session adjourns at the end of the month. The next step for the bill is approval from Gov. Pat Quinn, but whether that will happen quickly and when projects would begin is still up in the air.

The $26 billion plan will be funded by tax, fee and fine increases. The state will contribute about $11.5 billion, which will leverage federal and local funds. An expansion of lottery ticket sales and legalizing video gaming in bars, restaurants and truck stops will generate revenue for the state’s contribution.

However, House Minority Leader Tom Cross said he does not know exactly when construction would start. “Maybe summer, early fall. But I think even if you don’t have specific shovels in the ground, you’ve got engineers and architects putting plans together,” he said after the program won House approval. “We’ve got some good movement in that mini-capital plan, so there’s some activity out there. Would we all love to see it all tomorrow? Yeah, but it’s not going to happen.”

Some of the proposed revenue sources would not immediately bring in money. Video gaming would require implementing a complicated oversight process. Many establishments already have video poker machines, and some illegally pay out to winners. If the legislation becomes law, the payouts would have to be documented and regulated. Existing machines would have to be replaced or retrofitted to meet monitoring standards spelled out in the legislation. Proponents claim that the new regulation could weed out organized crime that has been perceived to be associated with illegal video poker.

Leasing the Illinois Lottery to a private entity is contingent on approval from the U.S. Department of Justice, and the state has no control over how soon, if ever, that will come. Selling lottery tickets online is an unprecedented move. If approved, getting the operation up and running could take awhile.

Legalizing video gaming and the proposed changes to the lottery kept the plan from getting unanimous support. Cross said it was a difficult vote for some members of the GOP caucus. “It’s going to be difficult, and it’s going to have a little pain in it. And, there are people that didn’t like it,” he said.

Some Democrats didn’t like it, either. The majority of “no” votes among Democrats came from suburban Chicago lawmakers. Many echoed Quinn’s statement yesterday that the state’s operating budget, which funds government operations, health care, education and social services, should have taken priority over a construction plan.

Rep. John Fritchey, a Chicago Democrat and the only lawmaker to vote “present” on the revenue sources, said he was hesitant to approve what he considered a gaming expansion and the privatization of the lottery. He added that while the legislature found money to build new schools, lawmakers haven’t yet figured out how to pay for the teachers who would work in those schools.

Legislators also expressed concern that Quinn might not sign the capital plan into law until the General Assembly sends an operating budget to his desk. He has 60 days to act before the capital program automatically becomes law. Cross said that Quinn had told him he would sign the bill, but he worries that Quinn could delay the signing.

Regardless, lawmakers expressed relief that both chambers finally approved a long-awaited infrastructure program after consecutive years of false starts.

Rep. Lou Lang, a Skokie Democrat, said: “The state of Illinois has needed an infrastructure bill for a very long time. We need to put people to work, we need to fix roads, bridges and schools and water mains, and I believe this is an economic stimulus package done by the state of Illinois. And it was critical that it passed.”

Now the legislature can turn its focus to the operating budget and government reforms. While some procurement and employee ethics reforms advanced to the Senate today, the Senate also could begin debate about the governor’s Illinois Reform Commission’s proposals tomorrow.

Chicago filmmaker sheds light on hospital billing practices

So what is this about?

The film tells the story of two Albany, Ga., men, physician John Bagnato and accountant Charles Rehberg, who in 2003 blew the whistle on their local hospital, Phoebe Putney. They accused the hospital of overcharging poor people, forcing many into bankruptcy.

The hospital denies those claims.

But, Schanberg, 37, says is that the practice is widespread - especially in Illinois.

"I thought the doctors knew about what happened once their patients walked out the door, but they have no idea," says Schanberg, a Chicago resident who also calls New York home.

The next question is how did these two gentlemen found themselves in Illinois and found this phenomenon?

Procurement, ethics, employee reforms sail to Senate

By Bethany Jaeger
The House overwhelmingly approved three measures to shield state contracts from political influence, to shine a light on the secretive process of investigating ethical violations and to “fumigate” the state of political appointees of former Govs. George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich.

The measures, all sponsored by House Speaker Michael Madigan, now head to the Senate, where more government reforms are expected to be debated tomorrow.

Madigan focused on procurement, employee ethics and political appointees. They received near-unanimous support. Republican Rep. Bill Black of Danville said, “These bills are some of the most important bills we’ve discussed in a long, long time.”

Procurement, SB 51
The speaker’s proposal would not go as far as preferred by Gov. Pat Quinn’s Illinois Reform Commission when changing the way the state purchases products and services. But Madigan’s goal mirrors that of the commission’s. “This was designed to shut the door on misuse of procurement and to isolate the procurement process and the procurement people from undue influence, especially from the office of the governor,” Madigan said on the House floor.

Rather than create one “procurement czar” in a new state procurement agency, as the commission wanted, Madigan proposed hiring a series of independent procurement officials in a "six-level system" of oversight:

Chief procurement officers would oversee procurement for the Capital Development Board, the Illinois Department of Transportation and higher education. The rest would be placed with the state’s main purchasing arm, Central Management Services.
Procurement compliance monitors would oversee the procurement process in real time and be able to recommend changes or expose abuses.
Independent internal auditors would be placed in their respective agencies, reversing a Blagojevich decision to consolidate them all into Central Management Services.
One executive procurement officer in the governor’s office would advise the governor and the procurement officers. The position would end in January 2011, either when Quinn started his first full term as governor or when a new governor took office.
The Procurement Policy Board would be strengthened so it could review contracts or bidder information and make recommendations for the chief procurement officers regarding conflicts of interest.

Each procurement officer, compliance monitor and internal auditor would serve a five-year term, pending Senate confirmation. And they couldn’t be fired without a public hearing that determined cause for removal.

The use of sub-contractors would have to be disclosed, CORRECTION: but a provision that would have strengthened the so-called pay-to-play ban so that businesses holding state contracts of $25,000 (instead of the current $50,000) would be banned from donating to the officeholders' political campaign didn't make it into the final version. The $50,000 threshold remains.

“The bill is laced with transparency requirements,” Madigan said. “Our whole intent was two-fold: open up the process — make it more transparent — and insulate the process from undue influence, especially coming out of the governor’s office.”

Employee ethics, SB 54
Blagojevich enacted a law in 2003 that created inspectors to root out corruption or improper political donations from state contractors. But the process of investigating allegations lacked teeth and was cloaked in secrecy, with no way for the general public or legislators to know whether a corruption allegation was investigated or addressed.

“In the past, a lot of this work has been done in the dark,” Madigan said.

So his measure would allow reports of the inspectors to be public record if they found wrongdoing and either suspended or terminated an employee. Some of the information could be blacked out if it would jeopardize an ongoing investigation. And it would change the law so the inspectors could start an investigation based on anonymous tips.

It also would strengthen the so-called revolving door ban to prevent high-ranking officials from accepting jobs with private companies that received significant state contracts from the agency where the official worked. Agencies would have to list all of the employees who would be affected by the ban.

Stricter lobbying regulations would require people who lobby state boards, commissions or retirement boards to register as lobbyists, and all lobbyists would have to abide by stricter disclosure requirements. They’d also pay a higher fee of $1,000, as opposed to the current $350, which is how the state would pay for two inspectors to oversee lobbying activities. Madigan said he would consider reducing the fees for smaller nonprofit lobbying groups down the road.

Employee “fumigation,” SB 1333
At the request of the governor, Madigan reduced his original attempt to force Quinn to fire up to 3,000 employees or commissioners appointed by Ryan or Blagojevich. His measure now would apply to about 750 agency directors and their assistants, who can be hired or fired based on their political affiliations. He also would give the governor 90 days instead of 60 to review each of those employees before they would automatically be terminated.

Also at Quinn’s request “on a very personal level,” Madigan removed a provision that would have fired one of the governor’s longtime friends, John Filan. But that’s with the understanding the Filan would resign as the executive director of the Illinois Finance Authority July 1. “I took the governor at his word,” Madigan said. Filan was Blagojevich’s first-term budget director and former chief operating officer who played an integral role in several of Blagojevich’s controversial budget proposals, including floating $10 billion in pension obligation bonds and skipping $2.3 billion in state contributions in fiscal years ’06 and ’07.

Even without the provision to fire Filan, the bill drew concerns about the separation of powers because the legislature would fire people appointed by the executive branch. “We are, if not blurring those lines, we may actually be crossing those lines,” Black said.

Rep. Will Davis, a Chicago Democrat who voted present on the measure, said: “If [Quinn] wants to fire employees, he should do that and not come to the General Assembly to ask us to do that for him. … It certainly appears like maybe they’re doing him a favor.”

Madigan said the legislature has changed boards and commissions that were appointed by the executive branch before, including when the legislature twice revamped the Illinois State Board of Education and the Health Facilities Planning Board. Madigan added that Quinn “agreed to the bill.”

Stimulus Dollars Assigned to the South Suburbs

In a prior post, I noted the project requests from the South Suburbs in Cook County. I wrote:

Mayors in Illinois made a request totalling $3 billion, representing all the requests in the state listed in the report. But the villages of County Club Hills, Dolton, Flossmoor, Hazel Crest, Markham, Robbins or Steger were absent from these requests.

Now we get our first indications of where recovery money is actually going in the South Suburbs. Recovery.org is using federal contracts to track recovery dollars, and found these IDOT projects funded for the South Suburbs:

Recovery Funded Projects in COOK

Reconstruction, Intersection Improvement, Lighting, Utility Adjustment
PHOENIX (IL), HARVEY (IL), MARKHAM (IL)
Illinois Department of Transportation
FEDERAL ECONOMIC RECOVERY SPENDING. IDOT Proposed Projects for American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009. District 1. State Highways. COOK COUNTY. Route/Street: US 6, 159TH ST. Location: I-294 (TRI-STATE TOLLWAY) TO ILL 1 (HALSTED ST) Miles =2.33. Impr...
Project Type: AdvanceNotice
Estimated Value: $21,110,000
Estimated Jobs: 274

Resurfacing
DOLTON (IL), CALUMET CITY (IL), CHICAGO (IL), SOUTH HOLLAND (IL)
Illinois Department of Transportation
FEDERAL ECONOMIC RECOVERY SPENDING. IDOT Proposed Projects for American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009. District 1. State Highways. COOK COUNTY. Route/Street: I 94, BISHOP FORD EXP. Location: 130TH ST TO US 6 (159TH ST) Miles =4.29. Improvements: RES...
Project Type: AdvanceNotice
Estimated Value: $8,900,000
Estimated Jobs: 116

Bridge Deck Overlay, Bridge Joint Repair
CALUMET CITY (IL)
Illinois Department of Transportation
FEDERAL ECONOMIC RECOVERY SPENDING. IDOT Proposed Projects for American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009. District 1. State Highways. COOK COUNTY. Route/Street: BURNHAM AVE, FAU 2943. Location: OVER STATE ST, RRS & GRAND CALUMET RIVER. Improvements...
Project Type: AdvanceNotice
Estimated Value: $4,960,000
Estimated Jobs: 64

Construction Engineering
CHICAGO (IL), CALUMET CITY (IL), DOLTON (IL), SOUTH HOLLAND (IL)
Illinois Department of Transportation
FEDERAL ECONOMIC RECOVERY SPENDING. IDOT Proposed Projects for American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009. District 1. State Highways. COOK COUNTY. Route/Street: I 94, BISHOP FORD EXP. Location: W OF M L KING DR TO US 6 (159TH ST). Improvements: CONSTRUCT...
Project Type: AdvanceNotice
Estimated Value: $2,000,000
Estimated Jobs: 26

Bridge Deck Overlay
OAK FOREST (IL)
Illinois Department of Transportation
FEDERAL ECONOMIC RECOVERY SPENDING. IDOT Proposed Projects for American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009. District 1. State Highways. COOK COUNTY. Route/Street: I 57. Location: AT 167TH ST. Improvements: BRIDGE DECK OVERLAY. Est. Cost: $1,000,000. Ci...
Project Type: AdvanceNotice
Estimated Value: $1,000,000
Estimated Jobs: 13

Resurfacing
HOMEWOOD (IL)
Illinois Department of Transportation
FEDERAL ECONOMIC RECOVERY SPENDING. IDOT Proposed Projects for American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009. District 1. State Highways. COOK COUNTY. Route/Street: DIXIE HWY, FAU 2843. Location: GOVERNOR'S HWY TO 183RD ST Miles =1.08. Improvements: RESURF...
Project Type: AdvanceNotice
Estimated Value: $900,000
Estimated Jobs: 12

Resurfacing
HOMEWOOD (IL), EAST HAZEL CREST (IL)
Illinois Department of Transportation
FEDERAL ECONOMIC RECOVERY SPENDING. IDOT Proposed Projects for American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009. District 1. State Highways. COOK COUNTY. Route/Street: 175TH ST, FAU 1618. Location: GOVERNORS HWY TO DIXIE HWY Miles =0.75. Improvements: RESURFACI...
Project Type: AdvanceNotice
Estimated Value: $420,000
Estimated Jobs: 5

Construction Engineering
CALUMET CITY (IL)
Illinois Department of Transportation
FEDERAL ECONOMIC RECOVERY SPENDING. IDOT Proposed Projects for American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009. District 1. State Highways. COOK COUNTY. Route/Street: BURNHAM AVE, FAU 2943. Location: OVER STATE ST, RRS & LITTLE CALUMET RIVER. Improvement...
Project Type: AdvanceNotice
Estimated Value: $400,000
Estimated Jobs: 5

Signing (New)
DOLTON (IL), CALUMET CITY (IL), CHICAGO (IL), SOUTH HOLLAND (IL)
Illinois Department of Transportation
FEDERAL ECONOMIC RECOVERY SPENDING. IDOT Proposed Projects for American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009. District 1. State Highways. COOK COUNTY. Route/Street: I 94, BISHOP FORD EXP. Location: 130TH ST TO US 6 (159TH ST). Improvements: SIGNING (NEW). ...
Project Type: AdvanceNotice
Estimated Value: $175,000
Estimated Jobs: 2

data generated at 6:30am on May 21, 2009

According to the site, there have been 81 projects funded in Cook County valued at $318,260,019.00 of recovery dollars. Of these, there are 9 projects (or 11%) valued at $39,865,000 (or 12.5%), generating 517 jobs in South Suburbs (and Chicago in related projects).

Again, we find that the villages of County Club Hills, Flossmoor and Hazel Crest are absent from these projects. As we learned during the campaign, this was deliberate on the part of the outgoing mayor of Flossmoor. Even if the need exists (which it does), the defeated mayor choose not to focus on stimulus money, believing instead that Flossmoor would benefit more by his long-time interest in the blighted TIF district he declared on Volmer Rd. Of course, those lots have been vacant for years (much of it more than 10 years) and no one believes that large tracts of land will be developed in the midst of the worst recession since World War 2.

Which may be why Flossmoor voters soundly rejected his candidacy.

Otoh, the H-F school district not only chased -- but has received -- stimulus money to help fund building on the H-F High School campus:

Non-Recovery Funded Projects in COOK

High School Addition and Remodeling of Science Classrooms
Location: Flossmoor, Illinois
Industry: Demolition, Salvage, and Excavation, Contractor - Electrical, Construction - Educational Buildings, Contractor - Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning, Refrigeration, Construction - Hospitals and Medical Facilities, Research and Development Facilities, Construction - Industrial, Warehouse and Animal Care Facilities, Contractor - Plumbing and Piping, Construction - Renovation, Rehabilitation and Historic Preservation

There's a lot of irony to these desperate results given the fact that the mayor rudely lectured the superintendent after the community rose up against the outgoing mayor's request to sell alcohol at retail across the street from H-F High. For context, it is appropriate to note that no retail outlet in Flossmoor currently sells packaged liquor. The outgoing mayor sought to make the location across from the high school the first in the village -- something that residents didn't take too kindly to...

GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - May 21, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 45,581 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the May 21, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

A Black Hole in Springfield

by Cal Skinner

As we were walking over to see my son's favorite Springfield museum, the State Museum, I saw this black hole.

It's the entrance to underground parking for state employees located southwest of the State Capitol.

With Governor Pat Quinn threatening every taxeating interest group he can find, it certainly seems symbolic of where our money will be going if the General Assembly follows former Governor Jim Thompson's advice and hikes income taxes. Thompson hiked taxes from 2½ percentage points to 3%, a 20% increase.

Quinn wants a 50% income tax hike.

My son went to the museum both Friday and Sunday.

It was still free.

That's why it's my favorite museum.

Posted first on McHenry County Blog, along with a lot of other stuff about the end of the session.

School funding reform

by Jamey Dunn

Shortly before passing the capital plan, the Senate debated a proposal that would drastically change the tax structure for the state and possibly resolve a pending lawsuit. The bill, which has been considered in different versions for the last seven sessions, would raise the personal income tax from 3 percent to 5 percent and expand the sales tax to specific services. "
Sen. James Meeks, a Chicago Democrat, classified some of the services as “luxury,” including limousine rentals, massages and pet grooming. But the bill also includes movies and movie rental, taxis and bowling. It would also double the earned income tax credit to protect low-income families and provide property tax relief for all.

Meeks said the intent of the measure is to create more revenue for Illinois schools and ensure schools receive equal funding because the state would take over most of the responsibility. Currently, school districts heavily rely on local property taxes, so funding can vary greatly among districts depending on how much revenue the local tax generates.

He added that after giving more money to schools and higher education, providing tax relief and putting funds toward capital projects, a large chunk of money (Meeks estimates around $4 billion) would be left over to help plug the state’s budget deficit.

The Chicago Urban League filed a lawsuit last August against the state and the Illinois State Board of Education over the current school funding system. The lawsuit was based on the 2003 Illinois Civil Rights Act and claims that Illinois’ education funding system results in racial discrimination because the student populations of many under-funded schools are predominantly minorities. The Urban League is seeking an injunction, which would force the state to change the system.

Meeks said that it is time for the General Assembly to reform school funding before possibly being ordered by a court to take action. His measure advanced through committee, and he said he plans to call it for a floor vote before session adjourns at the end of the month. “It would be a shame if the court has to mandate Illinois to do what Illinois should have been doing all along,” he said.

Capital plan heads to the House

By Bethany Jaeger, Hilary Russell and Jamey Dunn
Senate President John Cullerton said he delivered on an inaugural promise to approve a major infrastructure program this spring. The $26 billion capital program, which would rely on tax and fee increases and new gaming revenues, won Senate approval and now heads to the House in what many legislators hope will continue to be a bipartisan effort.

If approved by the House, the new plan would build onto a $3 billion “mini-capital” program approved earlier this year. Combining state, local and federal funding in both the mini- and the full-capital plans would mean a $29 billion investment into roads, bridges, mass transit, schools, universities and community colleges, parks, libraries, museums, water systems and technology projects.

But not all the spending was earmarked in today’s capital plan. Legislators still would have to negotiate how and where the last $1.5 billion would be spent. The General Assembly also still has to negotiate how to balance an operating budget that is projected to be $11.6 billion out of whack over two fiscal years. But that is separate from the capital program.

Cullerton and Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno stood together in a news conference after the chamber approved the construction. While several Republicans and a couple of Democrats opposed the revenue ideas (here’s the vote of 47-12), the spending plan received unanimous support.

“If you look at the totals of the votes, perhaps we could have done this with just Democrats,” Cullerton said, “but then we’d have acrimony, and it wouldn’t bode well for the future, and it wouldn’t bode well for the [operating] budget.”

Radogno said the four caucuses worked together to ensure a fair distribution of the money throughout all regions of the state. “That is not always easy to do. Then you cross-cut that with partisan politics. It is not easy to come up with something fair and balanced, and I truly believe that this is a fair and balanced product.”

Radogno added that while the revenue package is “not ideal,” it is “real revenue,” as opposed to borrowing without having money to repay the debt. “This proposal doesn’t do that. It pays for what we’re going to be getting.”

Sen. Martin Sandoval, a Chicago Democrat who has urged for more money for Chicago-area transportation systems, claimed victory because the capital program would include a more equitable split of money between northeastern Illinois and downstate. While some of the money would be distributed through a traditional formula for road projects that tends to give more money to downstate road projects, about $3.5 billion would go to new road and transit projects through discretionary spending. Cullerton said, “When it’s all said and done on roads, it’s probably 50-50 throughout the entire state.”

Sen. James Meeks, a Chicago Democrat, did not support the revenue portion. Cullerton later said that he met with Meeks several times to address his concerns about minority representation in unions and construction jobs. Cullerton said he looks to fund a vocational training program when the leaders negotiate the final $1.5 billion of the capital program.

It’s been 10 years since Illinois had such a major infrastructure package, and the last six years of gridlock between former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and the legislature took a toll. Numerous legislators commented about reviving a bipartisan spirit after a span of dysfunction, and “what a difference a year makes.” Cullerton ended by saying: “This is just back to normal. I’ve been here 30 years — 24 of them were normal.”

Here’s a breakdown of the revenue-makers:

Gaming

Two separate types of gaming would generate about $375 million. That includes legalizing video gaming machines in places where alcohol is served. The state would tax and regulate the machines and garner revenue.
A second program would allow the state to hire a private company to manage the Illinois Lottery for up to 10 years. It also would sell lottery tickets online, with the goal of marketing to people who don’t currently play the Lottery. It would make Illinois the first state in the nation to allow “Internet lottery,” which would be contingent on approval from the U.S. Justice Department.
But creating new methods to access gambling is similar to playing with fire, according to Anita Bedell, executive director of Illinois Church Action and Alcohol Addiction Problems, who likened the programs to granting easy access to underage players.

Taxes

It would reclassify soft drinks, candy, beauty and some hygiene products for sales tax purposes and generate up to $150 million.
The sales tax on alcohol also would increase for wine (from 73 cents to $1.39 per gallon), spirits (from $4.50 to $8.55 per gallon) and beer (from 18.5 cents to 23.1 cents per gallon). It would generate about $113 million a year. Opponents said taxing alcoholic beverages is not a constant source of revenue for the state.

Driving-related fees
Increased fees would bring in more than $330 million a year. The increases would include:

Title certificate fees from $65 to $95.
Registration fees from $15 to $25.
Driver’s license fees from $10 to $30.
Fines for semitrailers that are over the approved weight.

FYI:
Revenue bill is HB 255.
Spending bill is HB 312.
Bonding bill is HB 2400.

CHANGE Illinois! Tells General Assembly Not To Play Games

Says Campaign Contribution Limits Must Cover Legislative Leaders

Cross posted from ICPR's Blog, The Race is On:

The CHANGE Illinois! coalition on Wednesday called on legislators to enact meaningful limits on campaign contributions from everyone, including political action committees controlled by the four legislative leaders.

“Illinois’ wide open campaign finance system allows large contributors to drown out the voices of everyday Illinoisans and is part of the reason Illinois has a much deserved reputation for corruption in government,” said Peter Bensinger, former Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and a co-chair of the CHANGE Illinois! coalition. “With one former governor in federal prison and another facing an array of deplorable charges, voters are fed up and weary of the foot-dragging in the General Assembly.

“We call on legislators to enact meaningful reform,” he continued. “Limits must be set on how much money the four legislative leaders can collect and pass on to candidates of their choice. These war chests subvert the will of individual voters. Without limits on transfers, Illinois won't have real reform.”

The top priority of members of CHANGE Illinois! is the establishment of campaign contribution limits similar to the federal system with a $2,400 limit on contributions by individuals, $5,000 limit on contributions by political action committees, and a maximum $30,000 limit on transfers from legislative leadership committees to legislative candidates. The CHANGE Illinois! proposal is nearly identical to the proposal advocated by the Illinois Reform Commission, an independent group created by Gov. Pat Quinn and chaired by Patrick Collins, a former federal prosecutor.

At a press conference Wednesday, Collins and other IRC members joined with CHANGE Illinois! in an urgent call for General Assembly approval of meaningful campaign contribution limits, and leaders of CHANGE Illinois! commended Collins and the IRC for its efforts on behalf of reform.

“With less than two weeks left in the spring legislative session, there has been some talk about limiting campaign contributions, but there hasn’t been any action,” said Deborah Harrington, President of the Woods Fund of Chicago and a co-chair of the CHANGE Illinois! coalition. “There have been discussions in committee rooms and hallways, but it is not clear whether legislators will even take a vote on this important reform.”

“Illinois is in the spotlight, and the world is watching to see whether we will change the rules that have contributed to the corruption that has embarrassed this state,” said George Ranney, President and CEO of Chicago Metropolis 2020 and a co-chair of the CHANGE Illinois! coalition. “Comprehensive limits on contributions, combined with more frequent public reporting of contributions and strengthened oversight of campaign finance laws, would put Illinois on the road to real reform.”

Launched in late February, CHANGE Illinois! is a coalition of civic, business, labor, professional, inter-faith, non-profit and philanthropic organizations aligned to bring government integrity to Illinois.

A list of members and additional information is available at www.ChangeIL.org.

To comment, please visit ICPR's blog.

Quinn thumbs his nose at legislature

by Jamey Dunn

Gov. Pat Quinn said today that balancing the state’s operating budget is his top priority and that the capital plan for construction projects should come only after legislators approve a spending plan. The move could be perceived as a dig at the legislature, which is doing the exact opposite.

At an annual Springfield event, the Illinois Governor’s Prayer Breakfast, Quinn said the so-called doomsday budget he released Monday was the “responsible” way for him to inform legislators and citizens about the consequences if lawmakers fail to approve new revenue sources to help balance the budget. Quinn has proposed an income tax increase to help repair a combined $11.6 billion deficit over this fiscal year and next, and he said that he thinks lawmakers will support it before session adjourns at the end of the month.

“We have to help education and public safety and health care,” he said. “And if we don’t have the revenue, there are going to have to be severe cutbacks.”

Quinn said that passing a budget to keep social programs in place should come before a capital plan, but lawmakers plan to pass parts of the capital bill as early as today. This is the first time Quinn has publicly voiced opposition to passing a capital plan before passing an operating budget.

“I want to tell the members of the General Assembly I know they want a lot of [capital] projects and so on, and so do I. But that is not coming before the priority of taking care of real live human beings.”

As for funding for the capital bill, Quinn said that he is still not enthusiastic about legalizing video gaming to help pay for it. However, he said that the challenges the state currently faces might spur him to consider a proposal he wouldn’t normally support. He urged legislators to be flexible about their positions, as well.

“Right now I think it is important for both parties, both houses of the legislature, everybody to become people of Illinois,” he said. “Put aside differences and put aside, maybe, some of their past positions if it means that we have to band together to save our state.”

Deborah Sims Sticks with Stroger, Sticks It To Taxpayers

At a time when people in the South Suburbs are absolutely furious over the level of taxation we endure -- especially when compared to the level of services we receive -- 5th District Commissioner Deborah Sims cast the deciding vote to uphold Todd Stroger's veto of the Cook County Board's repeal of his controversial sales tax increase.

the county board voted 12-to-3 to roll back the 1-percentage-point tax increase that was approved last year. The higher tax pushed the county's share of the sales tax to 1.75 percent and made Chicago's overall sales tax 10.25 percent - the highest of any major U.S. city.

Deborah Sims had been absent from that first vote, but the Stroger loyalist found her way to vote on Tuesday. She couldn't let Todd down this time -- the rest of us be damned!

Sims, who resides in Chicago, said of her constituents:

We don't have any businesses in my community to leave.

But Sims seems to forget that she is supposed to represent the South Suburbs, too, where there are numerous businesses. And there have been businesses that skipped over the county (or state) lines in the suburbs. Between the massive increases in our property tax bills simultaneous to the ten percent increase in our sales taxes, taxation is one of the most frequent complaints from residents in the South Suburbs.

But Deborah Sims doesn't care about us. In fact, she seems to forget that she even represents us. You could be forgiven if you thought that the last time Sims came down to the South Suburbs was in 2006 -- when she was campaigning for our vote.

The fact is that the South Suburbs is a disproportionate part of the 5th Cook Co. Commission district. Even in 2006, when the Chicago numbers were a bit larger, there were 61,926 Chicago registered voters in her district, while 130,786 registered voters lived in the South Suburbs. More than two-thirds of her voters live in the suburbs -- where businesses have left because of her support for Stroger's sales tax increase.

Both New York City and Los Angeles county have sales taxes that are two cents less than what we find here. It is extremely difficult not to think that the extra two cents is our corruption tax, the daily tax that we pay to fund corruption and patronage that seems to benefit only the machine hacks like Deborah Sims. Sims was right when she said, "You're mistaken if you think this is not political, because it is." Sims' loyalty lies with Todd Stroger and the relatives he employs, not with the good people of Cook County. It is political, and we know where Sims' political loyalties lay: with Todd Stroger.

Voters in the South Suburbs need to think about that -- and remember it on election day...

GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - May 20, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 45,526 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the May 20, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Inch by inch

By Jamey Dunn and Bethany Jaeger
In a pivotal step toward finalizing the capital plan, Gov. Pat Quinn met with Democrat and Republican leaders of both chambers in Quinn’s Statehouse office this afternoon.

Senate President John Cullerton, Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, House Speaker Michael Madigan and House Minority Leader Tom Cross met for several hours. But none of them commented to the media after the meeting.

Rikeesha Phelon, spokeswoman for Cullerton, said it was the first substantial meeting between the four leaders and the governor since he took office. She said that an agreement has been reached between Democrats and Republicans in both chambers and that Cullerton left the meeting confident of a vote on the capital plan coming tomorrow.

Measures to approve new revenue sources and to grant bonding authority to the state are expected to move first. According to Radogno’s spokeswoman, Patty Schuh, the revenue sources will all be included in a single bill. Some Republicans wanted two separate bills so they could avoid taking a difficult vote on expanding gaming.

The bulk of spending will be in a bill that could come up for a vote tomorrow, and some individual projects that still need to be negotiated will be in a later bill. Schuh said that the leaders and Quinn still want to avoid giving out large chunks of money without specifically designating them to projects.

Meanwhile, the House advanced basic parts of the operating budget that would authorize standard spending regardless of whether legislators approved an income tax increase, which Quinn continues to urge as needed. The spending would include money to keep the lights on, as well as funding for education and Medicaid, two areas that have to meet federal requirements to capture economic stimulus funds. Funding contracts for state employee unions also is required.

At least two major questions remain: Will the state fund all $4 billion of its scheduled contribution into the public employee pension systems (a typical year’s contribution would be about $1.2 billion)? And will the legislature resort to increasing the state income tax, outlining budget cuts, or both?

“Without a tax increase, are you going to fund the pensions at normal costs, which means unfunding about $3 billion?” said Rep. Frank Mautino, an assistant majority leader. “And then how do you decide which of the remaining items you’re going to pay for?”

No texting and driving bill passes Senate

By Hilary Russell

A bill prohibiting texting while driving passed in the Senate after a series of amendments were added to clarify when someone could get a moving violation for using a cell phone.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Martin Sandoval, a Chicago Democrat, was pulled last week before a vote could be taken because of numerous concerns about when and where an individual would be allowed to text while behind the wheel.

Sandoval said he worked with members of both political parties to rework the bill to clarify that drivers would not be penalized for using the GPS functions on their cell phones, texting while sitting in traffic jams or at railroad crossings or texting while stopped on the side of the road.

The amended version also defines texting as pushing keys to type an instant message into an electronic device.

Sens. Kwame Raoul and James Meeks, both Chicago Democrats, said they did not vote for the bill because the language remained ambiguous and gave law enforcement too much power. Meeks said it would be virtually impossible for an officer who pulls an individual over to determine from a distance whether the driver was texting, using a navigation system or dialing a phone number. Raoul added that existing laws for improper lane usage already apply.

Sen. Ira Silverstein, a Chicago Democrat, said such safety provisions usually aren’t put in place until after a tragedy. He said Sandoval’s texting ban would be proactive.

The measure now heads to the House, where the changes will have to be approved before the bill heads to the governor’s desk.

Toni Preckwinkle Tours Cook Co. Suburbs in Presidential Race

On May 12, Ald. Toni Preckwinkle came down to the South Suburbs to talk to "Team Obama" at the Flossmoor Station as part of her outreach to the suburbs as she gathers momentum in her race for the Cook County Board President. She mentions near the end that the previous evening she had been in Glenview (in the north suburbs).

She started off talking about what the Cook County Board does and her approach to County government. But she quickly turned to answering the questions of the 50-odd people who showed up for our May meeting.

What was obvious from the beginning was that Ald. Preckwinkle was prepared to be the Cook County Board President. She was knowledgeable about Cook County government, the office of President as well as the politics involved. She didn't pretend to know the local quirks of the South Suburbs but expressed an interest to learn and the presence of mind to assign someone who's responsibility would be to represent our concerns and interests in her office.

The video is 43 minutes and 32 seconds long, but I forgot to push the "record" button at the start of her speech. There is approximately 5 minutes missing at the beginning.

GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - May 19, 2009

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Quinn Budget Coverage Goes 1 for 4 in Dead Tree Publications

Last night Drew Peterson was the top story on the TV news shows I halfway listened to.

This morning in the McHenry County media market, such as it is, Pat Quinn's message went one for four.

I liked the Northwest Herald's treatment best. The paper experimented with an article on the story in which there is white print on a black background.

QUINN'S $11.68 'DOOMSDAY' BUDGET
DOOMSDAY
OR POLITICS?
McHenry County legislators
not buying Quinn's scenario

But, the Northwest Herald story still minimizes the 50% income tax hike sought by Quinn.

“Quinn has proposed raising the state income tax rate to 4.5 percent from 3 percent.”

Anyone but I believe such wording plays into the hands of the tax eaters?

You will find more of the details of Quinn's proposed cuts, however, on McHenry County Blog than in the NW Herald.

This morning the Chicago Sun-Times, the income tax hike leader in the Chicago media market, gave Democratic Party Governor Pat Quinn what he wanted.

Quinn: Pass My Budget
OR ELSE

That's the headline.

But, you have to look at page 10 to find out why.

The Chicago Tribune had a small headline underneath the fold of its front page—details on page 7. See if you can find it without clicking on the image and enlarging it. President Barack Obama's ordering higher gas mileage for the car companies the government pretty much owns now was the big story of the day. No scary atrocity budget cut stuff on page 7.

You could not tell Quinn had done anything from the front page of the Elgin Courier-News. Or inside.

Posted first on McHenry County Blog.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Semitrailer speed limit could increase

by Jamey Dunn

Semitrailers may soon be able to travel as fast as passenger vehicles on certain stretches of interstate in Illinois.
A bill that would increase the speed limit for tractor-trailers on rural interstates to 65 miles per hour advanced through the Senate this morning. The measure already passed through the House, and now it goes to Gov. Pat Quinn’s desk.

Similar bills have passed three times in previous sessions, only to be vetoed by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Libby White, a spokesperson for Quinn, said that he is reviewing the bill. Rushville Democrat Sen. John Sullivan, the bill’s sponsor, said that he has not talked to Quinn, but he has been communicating with Quinn’s staff. He said he has the impression that Quinn “doesn’t have as much objections to it as the previous governor.”

Sullivan said that this bill is a little different than previous versions because it names the counties that would be exempt from the increase. He said he thinks that this provision could help remove some opposition and that he is optimistic the proposal will become law this time around. “I feel better about it,” he said.

"Doomsday" projected without tax hike

By Bethany Jaeger and Jamey Dunn
Gov. Pat Quinn tried to bolster his case for the need to raise state income taxes by describing drastic cuts — including laying off thousands of teachers and state police troopers and discontinuing health care for hundreds of thousands of people — if the legislature failed to approve an income tax increase within the next two weeks.

Public employee unions and human service providers immediately warned that a “doomsday budget” would threaten their members and the general public, especially when education and social services are most needed during an economic recession. State legislators, meanwhile, remain split on the need to raise taxes, cut spending or both to balance next year’s operating budget. Quinn estimates that the state faces at least an $11.6 billion deficit when combining this fiscal year and next.

While speaking at a City Club of Chicago luncheon today, the governor said he is telling people what they need to know, not what they want to hear. “Right now, it’s a very hard time, and people don’t like to pay taxes to begin with, and especially in hard times. But if we don’t use the public revenue of Illinois to help rescue our state economy, we’re going to continue in hard times.”

He projected a “slash and burn” budget that would cut $7.5 billion from state spending and rely on $4.1 billion from the federal stimulus funds. The cuts would include:

$1.5 billion from education, resulting in the loss of 14,300 teachers and eliminating preschool for 100,000 children.
$554 million from higher education, affecting 400,000 college students who would lose their state financial aid grants.
$1.2 billion from health care, leading 650,000 people of all ages to lose state-sponsored programs for prescription drugs and retirement health care.
$368 million from senior services, ending services for 271,000 seniors who currently use programs for community care, elder abuse and neglect and Circuit Breaker property tax relief.
$27 million from veterans’ care, closing four veterans’ homes and eliminating a program to treat traumatic brain injuries and post traumatic stress disorders.
$769 million from human services, eliminating home care for 5,000 people with disabilities and addiction treatment and prevention for another 45,000 people, as well as child care for 1,000 children.
$549 million from economic development, eliminating all state funding for public transit and AMTRAK.
$98 million from agriculture and natural resources, erasing funding for state fairs and closing 60 parks and every museum in the state.
$1 billion from local governments, which would affect their ability to fund public safety and other local services.
$294 million from public safety, laying off nearly 1,000 state troopers and releasing about 6,000 prisoners early from their detentions.

“I would say to those legislators who think the only way to get to a balanced budget is to cut everywhere we can, maybe they could take some of those prisoners home to their own house when they get out of jail,” Quinn said, drawing laughs and applause from the audience.

However, opponents to Quinn’s proposed income tax increase said the plan is a ploy to scare people into accepting higher taxes. Sen. Matt Murphy, a Palatine Republican, said he thinks Quinn’s proposal is a “gimmick.”

“I think his doomsday budget was the one he put out on March 18 with the biggest tax hike in state history,” he said. “That would cost people their jobs in a recession, and I think that’s the real doomsday.”

Murphy, co-chair of the Senate Deficit Reduction Committee, issued a report along with the other Republicans suggesting cuts that could help balance the budget, highlighting changes in the Medicaid system. “We can balance this budget without raising taxes and without having the draconian cuts that [Quinn] put out today,” he said. “It’s not going to be pain-free. It’s not going to be easy. If it were easy, we wouldn’t be in this situation.” Murphy added that he is disappointed the potential budget cuts that the committee considered have not been a major part of the discussion.

Sen. John Sullivan, a Rushville Democrat and member of the same committee, added that he is concerned cuts to health care and education, two of the largest parts of the budget, would jeopardize the state’s access to federal stimulus dollars. “Because of federal stimulus money that the state of Illinois will be receiving, we cannot reduce eligibility for Medicaid or health care services. And also, with regard to education, we cannot lower our appropriations,” he said.

Others say it’ll take both: cuts and tax increases. Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, an Aurora Democrat who chairs the appropriations committee for elementary and secondary education, said taxpayers will need to see that the state is cutting as much as it can before they’ll accept paying increased taxes.

Sen. Donne Trotter, chief budget negotiator for the Senate Democrats, said he thinks approving a tax increase would be easier for legislators than approving drastic cuts outlined by Quinn’s office. He said: “Our problem is not finding a revenue source. It’s agreeing on one. There’s so many options out here, and we’ll just have to wait and see, as we progress, which one it is going to be.”

Trotter said he didn’t think a tradition such as the Illinois State Fair would really be cut. But, he said, people should take Quinn’s so-called doomsday budget seriously because cuts will be necessary to balance the budget. “There’s going to have to be some reductions. We can’t tax our way out of this,” he said.

Quinn stuck to his message that Illinois needs a permanent income tax increase, as opposed to a temporary increase, to manage the structural deficit and to “deal with reality in the 21st century.”

“Very few governors say, ‘Let’s raise taxes.’ But if you have to do it in order to make the people stronger today and in the long run, so be it.”

Meanwhile, legislative leaders met again behind closed doors this evening to talk about a major construction program funded by various tax and fee increases. Expect movement on that plan as soon as tomorrow.

Medical marijuana vote could come tomorrow

By Hilary Russell

Illinois could move one step closer toward becoming the 14th state to authorize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes tomorrow. Senate sponsor William Haine, an Alton Democrat, is expected to present his version of the bill that allows restricted use of marijuana for specific individuals.

This would be the second time in the Illinois General Assembly's history that a bill proposing the authorization of marijuana use would be called for a floor vote. If signed into law, Haine's measure would allow chronic or terminally ill individuals to use the drug without fear of criminal penalty. It also would afford a primary care physician the ability to authorize use of the drug.

A similar measure is in the House. While Haine's bill proposes an individual be allowed to possess 2 ounces of dried Cannabis Sativa and three mature flowering plants, which are dried and then smoked or vaporized, Rep. Lou Lang, a Skokie Democrat, is sponsoring a similar bill. Both bills call for a 60-day supply but deem the Illinois Department of Public Health responsible for determining the number of dried ounces and mature plants capable of producing a 60-day supply.

Lang could call Haine's version or his own if Haine's measure passes out of the Senate tomorrow.

For Haine's bill to move out of the Senate, 30 votes are needed. In a statement Haine released today, he said he was close to getting the necessary votes. Lang needs at least 60 votes for it to go to Gov. Pat Quinn's desk. Check back tomorrow for Senate action.

Lainutis Nargalenes, a Springfield deputy chief of police, said he remained opposed to the bill and was taking a wait-and-see approach to determine if it actually passed the House.

Dann Linn, executive director of the Illinois Chapter of the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws (NORML), said he was optimistic the bill would pass both chambers. “We've been pushing this legislation for years for patients to get safe and legal access to their medicine,” he said.

The U.S. Supreme Court today refused to hear a case initiated by two counties in California challenging that state's medical marijuana laws. Several opponents of this type of legislation have been unsuccessful in attempts to reverse legislation in states that allow use of the drug by claiming that federal law supersedes state law. In March, U.S. Attorney Eric Holder announced a reversal of the former Bush Administration's policy to target marijuana distributors that worked within their own state's law. Marijuana is classified as a federally illegal drug, but 13 states currently permit its use through voter initiative or state legislation.

Term Lmiits for Legislative Leaders

by Cal Skinner

I'm pretty amazed that the issue I stressed when I ran for governor against Rod Blagojevich and Jim Ryan in 2002 is getting attention during this year when the media is pushing reform:

Term Limits
for Leaders

When my Libertarian Party running mate Jim Tobin and I kicked off our campaign in his National Taxpayers United of Illinois office in the South Loop, the sign we held up is the one you see below.

The sign went everywhere in the campaign and might have gotten some real play had Blagojevich and Ryan not conspired to skip the Illinois League of Women Voters gubernatorial debate after I managed to reach the 5% threshold in the Daily Southtown's 1,000 person survey. (That was the largest in the entire campaign, by the way.)

It seemed perfectly obvious to me that legislative leaders should not be leaders for life.

Except for two years after Republican Lee Daniels managed to elect a Republican majority in 1994—the year that the GOP's Contract with America clicked on the national level—Mike Madigan has been speaker since George Ryan held the office in the early 1980's.

Pate Philip stopped all sorts of bad legislation in his leadership of the state senate during the 1990's, but it still seems to me that there ought to be turnover.

While the old guy/gal may pick the new guy/gal, at least the newbies would have different friends.

When Daniels got deposed during a staff-campaign-work-on-state-time scandal initiated by Rich Means--part of which took place in McHenry County--successor Tom Cross won votes by promising not to try to follow Daniels' example of being Republican leader as long as he could.

Cross promised term limits.

In 2008, that 2002 promise went bye-bye.

And, of course, nothing will happen on the issue because Madigan is not willing to see an end to his regime...even if it were ten years from now.

The Daily Herald has polled suburban legislators on how they stand on various reform proposals and how the term limits for leaders issue shakes out can be seen below.

First House members:

Susanne Bassi – Favors
Mark Beaubien (Republican representing eastern part of McHenry County) – Favors
Bob Biggins – Favors
Linda Chapa-LaVia – Favors
Franco Coladipietro – Favors
Sandy Cole – Favors
Michael Connelly – Favors
Tom Cross – Opposed (Big surprise there.)
Keith Farnham – Opposes
Mike Fortner – Favors
Jack Franks – (Democrat representing northern & western McHenry County) Favors
Paul Froehlich – Opposes
Kay Hatcher – Favors
Emily Klunk-McAsey – Did not respond to Daily Herald
Sidney Mathias – Favors
Rosemary Mulligan – Favors
Elaine Nekritz – Favors
JoAnn Osmond – Favors
Sandra Pihos – Favors

Randy Ramey – Opposes (Step-father is Pate Philip.)
Dennis Reboletti – Favors
Kathleen Ryg – Favors
Skip Saviano – Favors
Tim Schmitz – Favors
Darlene Senger – Favors
Ed Sullivan – Favors
Mike Tryon – (Representing southeastern McHenry County) Opposes
Mark Walker – Opposes
Eddie Washington – Favors

= = = = =
The top sign is the one used in the 2002 campaign. The bottom one was the first version. I concluded that 8 years as leader was better than 6, hence the change in toll free phone numbers.

Posted first at McHenry County Blog.

GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - May 18, 2009

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Sunday, May 17, 2009

Revenue first, spending second for capital plan

By Bethany Jaeger
Senate Democrats and Republicans are inching closer to an agreement on at least half of the capital plan: the revenue side. Measures to raise about $1 billion of the state's share through various tax and fee increases, as well as two gaming-related revenue ideas, could advance early this week. The spending side of the roughly $26 billion construction plan, however, will take longer to negotiate.

Senate Democrats met behind closed doors Sunday evening, setting up what's scheduled to be the last two weeks of the spring legislative session. The goal remains to adjourn two days early on May 29, said Rikeesha Phelon, spokeswoman for Senate President John Cullerton. Expect the Senate to act on capital construction package and ethics reforms this week. Negotiations on an operating budget, so far, have been separate.

The construction program for roads, bridges, schools and infrastructure projects would rely on a series of revenue sources, the largest being about $375 million from the legalization of video poker machines in bars, truck stops and other establishments where alcohol is served, according to a Democratic source. The second largest source, about $331 million, would come from increased driving-related fees.

The plan also would allow a private company to manage the Illinois Lottery and allow tickets to be sold online, bringing in about $150 million. Additional revenue sources would include $150 million from expanded taxes on candy, non-carbonated drinks and some health and beauty aid products, as well as $114 million from expanded taxes on wine (13 cents a bottle), liquor (80 cents a bottle) and beer (about 2 cents a six pack). An increase on the state's motor fuel tax is no longer on the table.

Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno said her caucus wants the two gaming-related measures in one bill and the other revenue sources in another bill to separate the votes. “It’s primarily to address the fact that there are people in all four caucuses that would never under any circumstances vote for gaming," she said. Cullerton is considering the request, Phelon said.

We'll have much more this week.

GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - May 17, 2009

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Saturday, May 16, 2009

GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - May 16, 2009

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Friday, May 15, 2009

End-of-session preview 2009

The legislature is preparing for a two-week push to accomplish three major issues — the state operating budget, a major construction program and a government reform initiative — for a potential May 29 adjournment. That’s the goal, according to Senate President John Cullerton.

All four legislative leaders met behind closed doors this afternoon to talk about a major capital construction program, which is expected to roll out next week. Earlier in the day, House Republicans held an unprecedented open-door meeting (caucuses usually meet behind closed doors and don’t invite the media) to talk about government reforms with Patrick Collins, chairman of the Reform Commission.

The Senate will come back Sunday evening, while the House is scheduled to return to the Capitol Monday evening. Here's where things stand, as of Friday evening:

Budget
Preparation to negotiate details of an operating budget, which is projected to have a deficit between $9 billion and $12 billion, is expected to start in earnest early next week. The process could be a little different than previous years in an attempt to increase transparency, but we’ll have more on that later.

Capital plan
By Jamey Dunn
The four legislative leaders seem to be nearing an agreement on revenue sources for a major infrastructure program. A vote could come next week.

Cullerton said that the money for the plan would come from several proposals and that no one source would dominate. “It’s a combination — it’s a potpourri — of funding sources for the capital bill.”

We wrote about some revenue ideas earlier this week. Cullerton said some of the details could change. He said that beer and not just wine and spirits, as previously mentioned, could be included in a liquor tax increase. He added that a proposal to sell lottery tickets online would have to be cleared with the U.S. Department of Justice.

Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno said that legalizing video gaming and taxing it as a revenue source could actually reduce the number of video poker consoles in the state. She said the legislative Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability estimated about 65,000 machines could be operating throughout the state, while one proposal would reduce that to about 45,000. However, the actual number of existing machines is unknown, according to the commission.

“I think the idea is to limit them, not to have them on every street corner,” Radogno said. “I mean, they’re already out there, and we want to make sure that the state’s getting the revenue that we could get from the activity that’s already going on.”

Rep. Frank Mautino, a Spring Valley Democrat, already has a video poker measure advancing through the legislature.

That’s the revenue side. The spending side invites a whole new set of complications. “We want to be sure that everyone’s comfortable with the spending before we vote for the revenue side of it,” Radogno said. “So, there’s a lot of detail that has to be worked out there. There’s not gong to be any hidden allocations. No lump sums.”

She said that the leaders have been talking about funneling a large potion of the money through existing programs with established criteria in an attempt to take some of the bickering out of the highly political process.

Ethics
By Bethany Jaeger
Legislation drafted by Gov. Pat Quinn’s Illinois Reform Commission is expected to be ready for debate later next week, and campaign finance limits likely are in the mix.

Sen. Don Harmon, an assistant majority leader from Oak Park, has been working with Patrick Collins, chairman of the commission and former assistant U.S. attorney. While some items such as Freedom of Information Act reforms are expected to sail through the legislative process, more controversial items likely would be introduced in competing bills and debated.

Campaign contribution limits are one example. Lawmakers would debate various proposals and take up-or-down votes on each, according to Harmon.

The Reform Commission recommended capping individual donations at $2,400 and corporate or political organizations’ donations at $5,000. But Harmon said the controversy is “not whether there should be campaign contribution limits — but the size.” Some legislators think that a $2,400 cap is too low and that it would require them to spend too much time raising campaign cash in smaller increments.

A $10,000 limit per calendar year, on the other hand, may be a more comfortable level for many legislators, Harmon said. Some Senate Democrats don’t like basing the limit on a calendar year, but, Harmon said, “We need limits that are meaningful, and the calendar year seems to be an understandable measurement and could enhance the likelihood of enforcement.”

Here are some of the contribution limit bills waiting for action:

Radogno has proposed SB 1548, a $10,000 limit for individuals, corporations, unions and clubs or political organizations.
Chicago Democratic Sen. Kwame Raoul, however, would limit individual donations to $7,500 and corporate donations to $20,000, under SB 2257.
Democratic Rep. Harry Osterman of Chicago introduced HB 24, which resembles the Illinois Reform Commission’s recommendations to mirror federal limits: $2,400 for individuals and $5,000 for political organizations.
Sen. Heather Steans, a Chicago Democrat, is behind SB 1768, which would establish limits for individuals and political action committees, but it also would cap the amount statewide political campaigns could transfer to candidates at $30,000.

A longer-term proposal, on the other hand, is changing the way the legislature redraws congressional districts. Redistricting is being discussed but not lumped in as part of the end-of-session rush. Reform ideas, which include using a computerized process similar to Iowa’s, are likely to be debated in public hearings throughout this summer or, potentially, a special legislative session in September.

Another controversial issue that could be pushed back is the commission’s recommendation to grant state’s attorneys authority to wiretap conversations as part of public corruption investigations. Federal prosecutors have that power, while state’s attorneys do not (although they can wiretap for other kind of investigations).

A former state’s attorney, Democratic Sen. Bill Haine of Alton, sees red flags in the proposal. State’s attorneys are elected on a partisan basis, while federal attorneys are appointed by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Federal prosecutors also answer to the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. attorney general, which Haine said provides a checks-and-balances system. “So before we vest local politically elected prosecutors with the vast powers of the United States government, we should have a clear idea of where we are going to draw the line and what the checks and balances are. Just giving wiretapping authority, warrentless wiretapping authority or additional wiretapping authority without looking at how we’re going to have checks and balances on that authority, I think, is a mistake.”

GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - May 15, 2009

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Thursday, May 14, 2009

GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - May 14, 2009

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Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Texting while driving ban put on hold

By Hilary Russell
A bill that would prohibit texting while driving, even if drivers are stopped and the ignition is turned off, drew heated debated in the Senate today. The measure is being revised. The sponsor, Sen. Martin Sandoval, said he would call the bill for debate again soon.

Sandoval, a Chicago Democrat, opted to pull the bill before lawmakers could vote on it so he could clarify whether drivers would get in trouble for using the GPS functions on their cell phones, texting while idling in traffic jam or texting while sitting on the side of the road.

The devices in question include cell phones with text messaging capabilities and personal digital assistants (PDAs). Navigation systems or devices that are built into automobiles would be exempt from penalty. The bill also would exempt emergency care employees.

Sandoval said he intends to alter the bill to ensure drivers would not be penalized for using their navigation systems on their phones. Sandoval said as long as drivers used their GPS devices solely for the purpose of navigation, they would not be ticketed.

Sen. Mike Jacobs, an East Moline Democrat, cited a statewide poll that showed more than 75 percent of those polled thought texting while driving should be banned. But, he added, it's another story if you're the one getting pulled over and ticketed.

Sen. James Meeks, a Chicago Democrat, questioned how a police officer would differentiate between texting and making a phone call because the same buttons are used to accomplish different tasks. He said Sandoval's measure would give too much latitude to law enforcement. “Now we're giving the police the right to examine individual motorists' cell phones to try to ascertain whether they were sending a text or making a phone call,” he said, later adding, “This is very dangerous.”

One of the main issues opponents have with the current bill is what defines the actual operation of a motor vehicle. Sen. Matt Murphy, a Palatine Republican, agreed that the intent of the bill was to minimize distracted driving. But he wasn't convinced that a driver stuck in gridlock on the interstate could be classified as a putting other vehicles in danger if he or she decided to send a text message.

The Chicagoland vs. Downstate Road Dollar Fight Reignited

by Cal Skinner

The Illinois Legislative Research Bureau is a godsend to Illinois legislators smart enough to use it.

One such person is State Senator Martin Sandoval (D-Chicago).

It appears he has had the LRU replicate the type of cost-benefit study I got in 1999 right before the vote on Gov. George Ryan's Illinois FIRST bonding program was under consideration. (Click to enlarge the table.)

The Research Unit took a look at where money would go for the new projects Ryan proposed versus the ones that were otherwise in the IDOT program.

There was a distinct shift toward Downstate under Illinois FIRST, proving, I guess, that George kept the promises he made on roads in 1998.

How else can you explain a 4-lane Route 67 in Western Illinois, which has less traffic in some places than on Lake Avenue in Lakewood, Illinois (6,500 cars per day)?

The six-county Chicago are got 45% of the road money as a result of a deal cut by State Rep. Bob Churchill when the gas tax was hiked in 1989. Bob caught a lot of heat for sponsoring the bill, but our region's share jumped from 40 to 45%.

The report which Senator Sandoval had prepared should provide ammunition to Chicagoland legislators.

May they use it to guide their actions.

I voted against Illinois FIRST based on the additional money Ryan proposed to divert from the Chicago area.

= = = = =
Six Degrees of Separation provided the following information in a comment on Capitol Fax Blog:

"This old saw again?

"According to highway mileage of all roads in the system, 24,275 miles or 17.2% of state roads are in Chicagoland’s District 1, and 116,484 miles or 82.8% are elsewhere in the state.

"Also according to the latest stats, District 1 motorists accounted for 58 billion or 55.2% of the total 105 billion vehicle miles traveled in 2008.

http://www.dot.il.gov/travelstats/2008_ITS.pdf

"So, at one extreme we should fund downstate at 82% based on mileage, and at the other extreme 45% based on usage of the system.

"The idealized formula of 55% downstate/45% District 1 seems to strike the right balance between geography and usage. If you are going to attempt to pay for 82% of the system with 30% or 40% of the funds, you had better be prepared to decide which highways and bridges you will close, let go to pot, or transfer to the locals (if they will even take them off the state’s hands)."

= = = = =

Besides suggesting that folks should look at lane miles in their comments under the Capitol Fax Blog article to which I have linked, let's add some McHenry County traffic counts to the mix.

Route 31 between Crystal Lake and McHenry was repaved last year. I called it the "Valley of the Potholes" in a story before that.

Did the Illinois Department of Transportation widen the road, as it is consistently doing to Illinois Route 59 between Naperville and I-55?

Of course not.

I would note that Route 31 is a major route to the Northwest TOLLway, a concept foreign to Downstaters, about which I have frothed here.

The traffic count is 32,600 just north of Route 176. By the time Route 31 reaches Bull Valley Road, it is down to 20,700.

When I was researching when IDOT thought adding lanes was justified in the late 1990's, what I heard was more than 20,000 vehicles per day justified another lane.

Yesterday, I was told IDOT now thinks that the traffic count should be 24,000 (actually, "24ish" was the exact quote) per day.

The shift, if it represents official IDOT thinking, is certainly a convenient way to withhold highway dollars from the traffic-choked Chicago area.

Capital plan taking shape

By Jamey Dunn
Jack Lavin, Gov. Pat Quinn’s chief operating officer, said today that a negotiated proposal for capital plan revenue sources could be ready by next week.

“Generally the framework for funding is there,” Lavin said. “We hope to have that finalized over the next week or so.”

He said that the legislative leaders and Quinn have been focusing on revenue sources in their discussions and added that spending decisions will take longer to hammer out with the legislature.

According to Lavin, there will be no lump-sum appropriations in the capital bill. He said that Quinn wants spending for projects to be specifically listed as line items. Money would also go directly to existing programs, but those programs have set criteria to meet when deciding how to distribute funds.

Lavin laid out the “framework” for revenue before a House appropriations committee this morning. It includes:

Ending the diversion of money from the Road Fund to the general fund.
An increase in vehicle registration and licensing fees.
An tax increase on wine and spirits. (Beer would be excluded from the increase.)
An tax increase on candy.
Applying sales tax to some sweetened tea and coffee beverages, as well as health and beauty products.
Internet sales of lottery tickets and having a private firm manage the lottery with a focus on appealing to new players.

Lavin said that a proposal to increase the motor fuel tax is not being considered. “It’s currently not part of the discussion,” he said.

He added that the governor’s Office of Management and Budget is still researching that framework to determine if it would raise the money needed for a major capital plan. The size of the overall plan is not yet determined.

GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - May 13, 2009

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Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Two-tiered pension plan still in the works

By Bethany Jaeger
While Gov. Pat Quinn withdrew a proposal last week to require existing state employees and teachers pay more for their health care and pension benefits, creating a two-tiered pension system for newly hired workers is still very much on the table.

Proponents and opponents of the two-tiered concept contained within SB 1292 testified this afternoon before a House committee, and a committee vote is expected Thursday morning. (Changes are expected to the current version.)

A two-tiered pension system for newly hired employees is a critical part of Quinn’s overall budget plan for next fiscal year. He also would short the amount the state pays into the pension system by $2.8 billion over the next two years, but that’s completely separate from SB 1292. “This is a step we have to take, really, to get to that discussion,” said David Vaught, a senior advisor to the governor. He added that a two-tiered system is essential to maintaining a defined benefit plan for public employees. “It’s time to step up and take this one on.”

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, an Orland Park Democrat sponsoring the bill, said reduced benefits for new employees hired after August 1 would help establish a more sustainable pension system that the state could better afford in the future. Illinois ranks last in the nation in terms of having enough money on hand to afford its projected pension obligations.

“All this is going to fit into the final [budget] discussions at the end of the day, but if we don’t make reforms that are included in this bill, talk of any kind of changes in the funding system are very difficult,” he said.

Such business-based organizations as the Civic Federation's Institute for Illinois' Fiscal Sustainability and the Taxpayers Federation of Illinois support the concept of a two-tiered system for new hires. (The General Assembly already uses such a system.) Tom Johnson, president of the Taxpayers Federation of Illinois, described Quinn’s proposed changes as an appropriate way to “modify the plan to reflect today’s reality,” referring to the longer amount of time people draw on their pension benefits because they live longer.

Strong opponents include labor unions, teachers’ unions and the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability. Michael Carrigan, president of the Illinois AFL-CIO, described the proposal as “anti-worker,” while the executive director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31, Henry Bayer, said the state pensions aren’t excessive. The average annual pension benefit is $18,000. “You can’t even buy a Ford,” he said.

The Illinois Federation of Teachers’ president, Ed Geppert, testified that Quinn’s plan is “more fiscal nonsense” and that he doesn’t trust the administration’s projected savings. He added that requiring teachers to work until age 67 would cost an additional $1.4 billion in 2009 dollars for the added years of salaries.

The labor and teachers’ organizations also alleged that the state’s failure to make its regularly scheduled payments, not the level of retiree benefits, is the true root of the problem. And reducing benefits for future hires would cause a disincentive to accept and keep a state job, resulting in a lower quality workforce and education.

Ralph Martire, executive director of the bipartisan Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, testified that the state can’t rely on “long-term, highly speculative” savings as a real revenue source to pay pensions. The temptation will be to take the savings up front.

McCarthy said he would try to make more concrete savings estimates available Wednesday.

The legislature’s economic forecasting arm, the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, recently released a report about Quinn’s pension plan. See highlights of SB 1292 and comparisons of Quinn’s plan versus the current payment schedule.

Until Thursday morning, here’s a few highlights of SB 1292:

If enacted, teachers, state employees and judges hired after August 1 this year would earn the lesser benefit and have to work until age 67 before they could retire without penalty. They could retire at age 62 without penalty if they already put in 35 years.
The retirement life annuity would be 2 percent of the final average salary for each year of service, with a maximum of 70 percent of the final average salary (based on the final eight years of average salary).
If workers wanted to retire at age 62, the retirement life annuity would decrease by half of a percent for each month they’re below age 67.
They couldn’t work another full-time state job or teaching job after they retired and drew upon their pensions. If they did work again, they would have to start repaying into the pension system and suspend their benefits.
The bill currently would not allow teachers and state employees to buy back time used during pregnancy leave so they could retire on time. McCarthy said he’s working to erase that provision so workers could still buy back pregnancy leave, as they can now.

Video gaming advances

by Jamey Dunn
A bill that would expand gambling to help pay for new schools passed in a House committee today.

The measure, sponsored by Rep. Frank Mautino, a Spring Valley Democrat, would allow establishments where liquor is served, fraternal organizations, veterans' clubs and truck stops to have video gaming machines such as video poker. Many places already have the machines, but they can't legally pay out winnings. If approved, the state would require establishments that offered video poker to be licensed and would legalize betting on the games. The machines also would be taxed, with revenue going toward school construction projects and local governments.

Mautino said he did not make racetracks or off-track betting facilities eligible to operate video poker machines because he wanted to keep the bill simple in hopes of increasing its chances of passage. “For years this bill has been around, and it gets involved in the giant end-of-session bills, which usually collapse under their own weight,” he said.

Here's a break down of some of the numbers associated with the measure:

25 percent The percentage of net profits from the video gaming machines that would be taxed.
20 percent The amount that would go toward building schools.
5 percent The amount that would go to local governments.

$2 The maximum wager per hand.
$500 The maximum payout per hand.

21 The minimum age to play.
$5,000 The maximum fine an establishment would pay for allowing someone under 21 to gamble.

25 The percent of licensing fees and fines that would go toward treating gambling addiction.
75 The percent that would go toward regulating the process.

Anita Bedell, speaking on behalf of the Illinois Church Action on Alcohol and Addiction Problems, said that making gambling so convenient would lead to more widespread addiction. “These machines are like the crack cocaine of [gambling] addiction,” she said. “The problem is people don't have to get in their car and drive to Las Vegas or a casino or a race track. They can just go down the street to a truck stop, or a restaurant or a bar.”

House Speaker Michael Madigan said last week that he does not want to consider any gaming expansions this session.

Weak Economy Allows Daley to Pass the Buck on Chicago Employee Furlough Plan

Mayor Daley has outdone himself with the way he has sold his Furlough Plan to the public and the media. He has been able to use a faltering economy, along with wise political maneuvers, to pass responsibility for the outcome -whatever it is- on to the Chicago employees unions themselves. But I get ahead of myself. First Lets turn to the Chicago economy.

The economic news coming out of IL and Chicago in particular has been very bleak of late.

* IL's unemployment has reached levels not seen in decades.

Meanwhile, when the statewide unemployment rate reached 9.4% in March — the highest level in 23 years — Gov. Pat Quinn extended unemployment benefits for another 13 weeks, to a total of 72 weeks.

* The unemployment numbers are equally gloomy in Metro Chicago area and have reached levels not seen since 1992

Metropolitan Chicago’s jobless rate was 9.3% in March, a level not seen in 17 years.

The rate jumped from 5.6% the same month last year.

The figure reported Thursday by the Illinois Department of Employment Security has not been adjusted for seasonal factors — such as weather or holidays — that can account for a spike or a decline in hiring. The last time the area had a 9.3% jobless rate was in June 1992.

* Of course, IL poverty levels have risen right along with the rate of unemployment.

As many as 405,000 more Illinoisans—132,000 of them children—are likely to have been pushed into poverty as a result of the recession, according to a new report released today by the Heartland Alliance Mid-America Institute on Poverty. The projected increase, based on expectations that national unemployment will reach 9 percent this year, would represent a 27 percent jump in the number of people living in poverty in the state over the past two years.

Nearly 1.5 million Illinoisans, almost 12 percent of the state’s population, were in poverty in 2007— before the recession began—the most recent year for which poverty data are available. More than 667,000 Illinoisans lived in extreme poverty in that year on an annual income of less than half of the poverty line (below $11,000 for a family of four). An additional 16.2 percent—more than 2 million people–were on shaky financial ground with incomes between the poverty line and twice the poverty line.

* According to the Heartland Alliance report, it is the Chicago-land area is afflicted with much of this poverty.

253,000 more Chicago area residents may have become poor—87,000 of them children. (Since 2007)

160,000 more Chicago area residents may have become extremely poor—54,000 of them children. (Since 2007)

936,259 (11.3%) of the region’s (Chicago) population living in poverty

1,277,860 (15.4%) of the region’s (Chicago) population at risk of falling into poverty

* To further dampen the Chicago's economic diagnosis, the Chicago suburbs have been hit hard by the U.S. housing crisis.

Foreclosure cases filed in the first quarter jumped between 25% and 70% from the fourth quarter in DuPage, Will, McHenry, Lake and Kane counties, according to new data provided to Crain's by the Woodstock Institute, a Chicago-based housing advocacy group. Meanwhile, foreclosures fell 8% in Chicago, the first quarterly decline in a year.

Across the six-county Chicago metropolitan area, foreclosure filings rose 6% in the first quarter to 17,819, the highest one-quarter total since the housing crisis began in mid-2006.

* And while the last quarter did see an 8% decline in foreclosures in Chicago itself, the city's housing market is far from healthy.

Home sales in Chicago plunged 37 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier, and prices fell 26.8 percent, the Illinois Association of Realtors said Friday.

There were 2,909 existing single-family homes and condominiums sold in the first quarter of this year, down from 4,617, and the median price was $216,000, down from $295,000, the group said.

In the Chicago metropolitan area, sales dropped 26.4 percent to 10,306 homes from 14,012, and the median price fell 22.8 percent to $187,500 from $243,000.

"There is no doubt that the burgeoning unemployment rates are dampening recovery in the housing market, but positive numbers in the month-to-month sales suggest that the second quarter may offer the promise of some modest gains in sales and some recovery of median prices," said Geoffrey Hewings, director of the University of Illinois Regional Economics Applications Lab.

Given these economic realities, the Chicago Federation of Labor (CFL) has no chance to pressure Mayor Daley to mitigate Chicago layoffs or budget cuts.

* The current economic environment has only exacerbated Chicago's existing budget problems.

city revenues have already fallen $96 million short of 2009 projections and the year-end gap may hit $300 million.

Furthermore, Mayor Daley -wisely- is not optimistic about Chicago's Short-Term economic prospects.

“When you talk about a glimmer of hope, I don’t know what that meant,” the mayor added. “I don’t know where you see it. Maybe you see it in Washington, D.C., but I don’t think you’re seeing it across the country.”

(Obama's quote, for the record, was about "glimmers of hope" for a recovery.)

Some signs of an economic upswing in recent days are “not as significant as people think,” Daley said, asserting that true recovery may not come until 2012.

* As a result of Chicago's fiscal realities, Daley is pushing for a 14 day furlough plan for city workers that would safe an estimated $10 million. This plan calls upon both nonunion and union workers to accept pay cuts. Mayor daley is threatening 1,600 layoffs (1,100 of which would take place with in the next two weeks)if the CFL refuses to accept the pay cut.

More than 1,100 city employees -- none sworn police officers or firefighters -- will receive layoff notices in the next two weeks unless their unions agree to take 14 days off without pay and comp time instead of cash overtime, alderman were told this week.

During closed-door briefings this week, aldermen were told that city department heads were in the process of identifying employees and that 1,100 layoff notices were imminent.

"They're looking at a certain amount of savings coming from these concessions or layoffs. They need to know in the next week or two to start the ball rolling toward layoffs to accomplish the same savings," O'Connor said.

"I would be surprised if the unions saw it as a [scare] tactic. They know these requirements are in their contracts. It's a necessity if we can't get concessions."

*The CFL has, which agreed to layoff 420 individuals last fall in order to appease the mayor, is demanding that a 2 year no-layoff guarantee in exchange for accepting the concessions.

Organized labor will not take14 days off without pay and comp time instead of cash overtime — following the lead of non-union city workers— unless Mayor Daley agrees to a two-year, no-layoff guarantee, Chicago's most powerful union leader said Thursday.

“Nobody wants to see anybody lose their jobs. But, we can't go through this drill every quarter. We have to put some stability into their lives,” [Chicago Federation of Labor President Dennis] Gannon said.

“It's very difficult to give back something we had to give something away to get. It's not gonna be easy to ask people to make concessions which could be a big percentage of their salaries. But, if there's any agreement, there's gonna have to be some guarantee.”

* Mayor Daley, however, has ruled out any possibility of a no-layoff guarantee and has used the faltering economy as justification.

On Friday, Daley reiterated that he is no position to make a no-layoff promise when nosediving revenues threaten to blow a $300 million hole in his 2009 budget.

"There's predictions of next year being worse. That's the thing you're really concerned about. ... Is [the shortfall] gonna be $350 or $400 million? I wish I could ... predict it, but I cannot. That's the thing we worry about," he said.

"This is a much more serious recession that people don't realize. It's not gonna just flip back. This is gonna be very slow getting out of. ... We're trying to get this set. We're gonna be trying to work it. But, if I said, 'I guarantee you everything'--it's very, very difficult."

* With no agreement reached over the weekend, Daley began preparing for mass layoffs in the next two weeks.

During closed-door briefings this week, aldermen were told that city department heads were in the process of identifying employees and that 1,100 layoff notices were imminent.

"They're looking at a certain amount of savings coming from these concessions or layoffs. They need to know in the next week or two to start the ball rolling toward layoffs to accomplish the same savings," O'Connor said.

I am a union man at heart, but I must tip my cap to mayor Daley and give credit where credit is due. He has handled this situation beautifully. I know that the Mayor is used to getting what he wants without much political opposition or blow back. In this instance, however, I believe that the Mayor painted a political masterpiece as he has produced the perception that this is not really his decision to make.

I am not commenting on the merit of either side's position, but the fact of the matter is that Daley has been able to spin away his responsibly and accountability on this issue.

* First, Daley used the economic situation to claim that his hand has been forced by the economic environment.

Daley said he is not in a position to make that no-layoff promise — not when city revenues have already fallen $96 million short of 2009 projections and the year-end gap may hit $300 million.

“I don't want to do it [layoffs]. But if next year, everything falls apart and the economy gets worse, what do we do?…That's the problem,” Daley said.

“I'm not trying to be a doomsday person. I'm just telling you the facts….Someone said, ‘There's a glimmer of hope’ [for the economy]. Where is it? We don't see it.”

Chief Financial Officer Gene Saffold said there would be a “significant hole” even with union concessions.

Now, I do not dispute that the economic situation forces Daley to take action. But the notion that his furlough plan is the only option that can solve the City's budget problem is simply wrong. There are a variety of other budget reduction solutions that have been floated.

Some aldermen demanded a sliding scale of unpaid days that exempts those earning less than $35,000 a year. The higher the salary, the greater the sacrifice.

Others want to declare an “emergency” that would allow the city to void all of its contracts — with unions as well as private vendors — instead of hoping that organized labor volunteers to share the pain.

Still more aldermen questioned the $250 million-to-$300 million year-end shortfall that triggered the need for more employee givebacks. It comes from the same mayoral aides who insisted that revenue estimates that have fallen woefully short were “conservative.”

Mayor Daley is certainly limited due Chicago's fiscal situation, but the mechanisms used to cut the deficit and the details of the Furlough Plan are not chosen at random. They are Daley's preference. Lets not forget, he IS the mayor of CHICAGO after all.

Ironically, Daley has manged to pass the buck for the outcome on to the unions.

* Second, Daley put the pressure on the unions by cutting the salaries of 3,600 non-union employees, himself included.

It would require the mayor, 50 aldermen and other non-union employees to: take seven unpaid furlough days in addition to three government shutdown days; get no pay for seven remaining 2009 holidays and get comp time instead of cash for overtime. Roughly 400 of the 3,600 non-union employees are eligible for overtime.

“We wouldn't ask the unions to do anything that management and other non-union employees wouldn't be prepared to do or haven't already done,” the mayor said.

In my humble opinion, this move has made it impossible for the unions to exert any pressure the mayor in the hopes of even the smallest concession. Given the fact that most people are hurting in some form due to this recession, the public simply does not have sympathy for union members who refuse to take the same pay cuts that have been placed upon non-union employees.

This opinion does not appear to be mine alone. The Daley administration was well aware of the pressure the non-union cutbacks would create.

On Monday, Corporation Counsel Mara Georges confirmed that layoff notices were imminent.

“We are currently accumulating layoff lists. . . . The thought is to do it as soon as possible and, if we cannot get anywhere with the unions, to be in a position to issue those notices on June 1,” Georges said.

Noting that the non-union givebacks put “tremendous pressure” on organized labor, Georges said, “When the union is confronted with either matching what the non-union workforce has done or suffering layoffs, it is up to them to decide which course they want to take.”

Tomorrow the city council will pass Daley's Furlough proposal. And in the next two weeks the media will watch to see if the union accepts the Mayor's cuts or not.

What I find impressive is that this this issue is framed as though it is the unions that are responsible for the outcome. True, the unions will choose to accept the cuts or experience layoffs. But those are the only two options that they have been presented with.

Mayor Daley has outdone himself.

I have no opinion on the merits of the plan, and do not care if it passes, but I certainly know who is accountable for its outcome.

Do you?

GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - May 12, 2009

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Monday, May 11, 2009

Present Versus Future Salaries for Teachers

by Cal Skinner

Year after year, when the choice came down to pump more money into State Aid to Education or pay pay the state's share of pension payments, teacher unions took the money and ran.

As far back as the 1970's, current teacher raises trumped paying for future pensions time and time again.

That's what hit me while I was reading today's Chicago Sun-Times editorial entitled,

Time to take on state's
$82 bil. pension debt

Teacher union leaders knew that as long as the Illinois Constitution is interpreted by the Illinois Supreme Court--who are in a public pension system just like they and I are--pensions promised would be pensions paid, even before future State Aid to Education.

How disingenuous it is for those in the know (and I'm not counting the Sun-Times editorial writers as necessarily being among such folks) to argue

"That liability, it's important to note, cannot be blamed on excessively generous pension benefits.

"Instead, it is largely reflects failures year after year by the sate to pay its fair share."

If you are or were a legislator beholding to the Illinois Education Association or the Illinois Federation of Teachers (and way too many Republicans recruited by Lee Daniels were and are) would you chose to come down on the side of

the teachers lobbying you and living in your district for higher wages or

retired teachers who may or may not live in your district, when you know future legislators will have to come up with the pension money, not you?

= = = = =
These striking teachers are from Huntley School District 158. Last year they "settled" for 5.25%, with less in salary in future years, but the difference going to lessen their share of the current teacher pension burden.

GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - May 11, 2009

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Sunday, May 10, 2009

GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - May 10, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 45,075 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the May 10, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

Saturday, May 09, 2009

GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - May 9, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 45,046 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the May 9, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks