Grants for budget votes
Monday, Jun 25, 2012 - Posted by Rich Miller
* When the House Republicans pulled their support for the budget over a disagreement on pension reform, the House Democrats had to find votes to pass a very lean budget without GOP help. That meant freeing up a bit of money for pet projects. The AP has a story today on some of those line items…
A close look at the state budget shows a handful of grants that take money away from general services and divert it to specific groups: $400,000 for a neighborhood development group on Chicago’s south side, $1.1 million to bus children to religious schools, $750,000 for a commission on Latino families. The list goes on. […]
The Chicagoland Regional College Program is supposed to get $2 million. The program provides financial aid to students who attend one of six Chicago-area colleges and who also work at a UPS shipping facility in Hodgkins, southwest of Chicago.
How will the money be used? Which legislator asked for it to be put in the budget? An administrator with the program said they would not discuss the issue until Gov. Pat Quinn signs the budget into law.
The budget includes $400,000 for the Brainerd Community Development Corp. on Chicago’s south side. The group shares a building with Democratic Rep. Monique Davis, who has a track record of arranging state aid for the organization. The Chicago Sun-Times has reported that Brainerd employees have collected signatures for her nominating petitions, examined opponents’ petitions and donated to her campaign.
Davis said through an aide that the grant will help Brainerd Community Development provide job training, GED classes, computer courses and other services for the neighborhood. But she would not answer questions about how the grant came to be included in the budget.
* Meanwhile, some people still say they haven’t seen any budget cuts. They do exist. For instance…
Jeff Squibb, spokesman for the state Department of Agriculture, said agriculture’s budget has been reduced by 40 percent since 2008
* Related…
* State’s fiscal woes impact ag department
* SJ-R: Approve fees to help DNR
* Up in smoke: Tobacco taxes
* Activists applaud Quinn for closing Tamms
- Shore - Monday, Jun 25, 12 @ 12:48 pm:
Money to bus kids to religious schools-do republicans vote against this because it’s pork or support it because it funds the church-state axis?
- wishbone - Monday, Jun 25, 12 @ 1:09 pm:
“$1.1 million to bus children to religious schools”
Good cut. What is it about the separation of church and state these folks don’t get?
“agriculture’s budget has been reduced by 40 percent since 2008″
Who cares. It is free enterprise after all.
- House of Pain - Monday, Jun 25, 12 @ 1:28 pm:
I liked the million plus to get parents to participate in their kids schools, and grow your own teachers another great program (said with as much snark as I can muster)
But don’t worry you will find out where all the money went in a couple of years when the indictments come down.
- wordslinger - Monday, Jun 25, 12 @ 1:35 pm:
Wishbone, read a little closer. That’s $1.1 million cut from general services to fund a grant for busing kids to religious schools.
And if you don’t think a Department of Agriculture has a role in Illinois, you haven’t spent much time on the farm or in farming communities.
These one-off grants stink, even more so in tough times. Given Sen. Hendon’s current predicament, I wouldn’t want to be a part of any of them. Better get your paperwork in order.
- Freeman - Monday, Jun 25, 12 @ 1:58 pm:
=== And if you don’t think a Department of Agriculture has a role in Illinois, you haven’t spent much time on the farm or in farming communities. ===
Or ever eaten food.
- Bitterman - Monday, Jun 25, 12 @ 1:59 pm:
This is unreal….with budget shortfalls the size of Jupiter, many lawmakers STILL have to get the pork that appears to go right back into their campaign. Is the all powerful Troika unable to quell the bleeding out of the tax coffers?
- Dan - Monday, Jun 25, 12 @ 2:10 pm:
I don’t understand why it is ok to set aside funding for African-Americans but not Jews (i.e. Israeli Americans)
- wordslinger - Monday, Jun 25, 12 @ 2:33 pm:
–I don’t understand why it is ok to set aside funding for African-Americans but not Jews (i.e. Israeli Americans)–
Say what?
- wizard - Monday, Jun 25, 12 @ 3:23 pm:
wordslinger 2:33 I generally disagree with almost every opinion of yours, regardless of how well written, but agree totally with “Say what?”
- wishbone - Monday, Jun 25, 12 @ 6:20 pm:
“Wishbone, read a little closer.”
Sorry, it was too good to be true. Fund their school buses so religious schools can use their own money to teach the kids to hate others. Farmers are supposed to be bastions of free enterprise, but farm policy at state and federal levels is pure socialism. Cut, cut, cut.
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Monday, Jun 25, 12 @ 9:56 pm:
@Dan -
I’m guessing that most if not all Jewish Americans would prefer not to be dragged into your diatribe.