* Herald News…
State legislation reinstating $26 million in cuts to social services and public health grants passed the Illinois Senate Wednesday afternoon, state Sen. Pat McGuire, D-Joliet, said.
Senate Bill 274, sponsored by Sen. Dan Kotowski, D-Park Ridge, would restore funding for a long list of programs targeted for funding suspension by Gov. Bruce Rauner earlier this month, including money to pay for indigent burials, smoking cessation, youth and teen employment and AIDS.
* Finke…
However, the bill appears to be headed nowhere fast in the House, where Democrats said they want a better accounting of how Rauner is using spending authority already given to him.
Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago, said she currently does not support the plan the Senate approved.
“We didn’t get good enough answers to our questions yesterday at our budget oversight hearing,” said Currie, the House majority leader. “I think we would want to get more chapter and verse before we jumped on the bandwagon in finding more resources.”
* Erickson…
“This legislation is a byproduct of lengthy negotiations with Governor Rauner, Senate Democrats and Senate Republicans. By using surplus funds normally reserved for special interests, we can now restore funding for autism, epilepsy and substance abuse prevention,” said state Sen. Dan Kotowski, D-Park Ridge. […]
But, the proposal faces skepticism in the House, where Democratic leaders say Rauner already has enough cash to keep the programs afloat.
“There’s money currently to pay those grants,” said Assistant House Majority Leader John Bradley, D-Marion. “There’s great concern that there’s money already there and he needs to go ahead and get these programs paid with what we’ve already done.”
Steve Brown, spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, said the proposal is under review.
“We haven’t signed on,” Brown said.
LIHEAP recipients are “special interests”?
* Vinicky…
While advocates for the programs say they’re thankful it may be false hope because the House isn’t on board with the plan. Under a previous agreement with Rauner, lawmakers already swept other… special funds.
House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie says she wants to know what the governor did with all of that.
“We didn’t get good enough answers to our questions yesterday (Tuesday) in our budget oversight hearing about what’s happened to the $900 million that we gave them. So I think we would want to get more chapter and verse before we jumped on the bandwagon in finding more resources,” Currie says. “I think we just want some answers. Where did the money go? Surely it’s not sitting in the bank, or under the governor’s pillow?”
The governor’s office says it’s been clear from the onset: that money was never enough to fill the state’s current budget hole.
* Illinois Times…
“There are a number of people who are served by the state of Illinois and all of them think that their program is the most important … because it’s their life and it’s important to them,” [Greg Bassi, acting secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services] said. “That’s what makes this so challenging.”
Last Thursday, a group of organizations that administer the TAP grants held a press conference to plead their case. Russell Bonnano, program manager for TAP of Illinois, said that although the window had been left open for more funding in the upcoming Fiscal Year 2016, many of the nonprofits administering the program will not survive unless funding is restored for Fiscal Year 2015. He also noted the irony of having to face this dilemma during Autism Awareness Month. […]
Debra Vines, who runs The Answer Inc., one of TAP’s beneficiaries, made reference to her 27-year-old son, Jason Harlan, who after two months in the program, learned to write his name for the first time.
In stark contrast to Jason is Nehemiah, whose success his parents largely credit to TAP, which he had started in January. Earlier this month, Nehemiah was ranked third in his class for spelling.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 11:25 am:
The Rauner Cuts.
Decisions have consequences.
The question is; Does the GA bail out Rauner, while Rauner himself feels nothing about those the $26 million could have helped?
“Little harsh OW?”
Nope. They decided, on Good Friday, when no one was “watching” to take a rounding error, and make it policy.
Policy has consequences too.
When Rauner decides to “eat it”, to “own it” and “explain it”, let Rauner off the hook.
But, all parties, this is awful, terrible, sickening, and it should be solved, these Rauner Cuts.
- Ducky LaMoore - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 11:29 am:
Obviously the Gov isn’t serious about restoring the cuts… yet. If he were, the most important person in the House would have been part of negotiations.
- walker - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 11:31 am:
Did he or did he not already get enough funds in transfers to fill the gap caused by the Dems by counting on a tax rate extension in fiscal 2015?
With Currie mentioning $900M, rather than the $1.3B used by Martire — Is Currie only talking about one piece of it?
- Arsenal - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 11:32 am:
If the GA wants, they can reverse these cuts and still make the Governor pay the political price for them. It’s already understood that he did this, and in ‘16, vulnerable members could run an ad reminding voters of that, with the capper- “But I fought him, and I brought those programs back.”
- Aldyth - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 11:36 am:
Rauner isn’t big on explainin’ things or answering questions with actual answers.
- Juvenal - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 11:40 am:
Arsenal -
House Democrats understand that if they cave to Rauner on this, they can throw in the towel on FY 2016 and any hope of getting Rauner to sign onto new revenue.
Does anyone honestly believe that any of these programs will survive beyond June 30th if Rauner doesn’t agree to new revenue un the next few weeks?
So, Rauner has taken a few organizations hostage over $26 million, but if legislators cave now, it will be hundreds of millions of cuts in 2016.
- Norseman - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 11:41 am:
Get another bucket of popcorn ready. This is going to be a long overtime session. We have macro problems and macro demands and we’re still dealing with micro issues with only a month left in the scheduled session.
- Juice - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 11:44 am:
Walker, the $900 million is the amount that was swept minus the amount that was approved as the supplemental.
- Rod - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 11:49 am:
The bill as drafted is too open ended as I explained yesterday in a post. Even though I support restoring the cut programs including TAP, SB 242 amendment 4 is not the correct approach to doing that in my opinion. This is not a problem that can’t be solved and the questions asked by the House members on Tuesday should also be answered.
- Anonin' - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 12:16 pm:
Clearly the $26 million in cuts were not needed at any point…Team BVR wanted to leverage some folks for the Turnaround. That blunder blew up and now the facing is on.
Guessin’ BVR will figure than out before he jets off for the weekend.
Maybe he could get the victims of the Good Friday Massacre to pass resolutions?
- Minnow - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 12:36 pm:
“Rod”- With respect, didn’t you mean SB274 amendment 4? (in case others are trying to follow)
- Dozer - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 12:38 pm:
I’m sorry if this sounds cold but we are missing the forest for the trees. Illinois has a many billions of dollar structural budget problem, yet the legislature is focused on $26 million in FY 15?
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 1:06 pm:
- Dozer -,
If this was about the “mere” $26 million, it wouldn’t be too much of an issue, or a dog fight.
This has an undercurrent. Ignoring it misses the whole point.
- walker - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 1:26 pm:
Thanks Juice. He did get all the funds I assumed.
- Big Joe - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 1:31 pm:
Cuttin’ $26 mil ain’t gonna get it done. Bringin’ in more revenue is what we need to do. BVR had no trouble raisin” a quick $20 mil by himself just with a few phone calls to his 1 percenters to help buy some votes in the legislature. Why doesn’t he move that money over to the programs that are actually doin’ good things for our vulnerable citizens?
- Wordslinger - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 1:51 pm:
Appears the House is saying, “we already made that deal. Tell us why we have to make it again, and why we should trust you to live up to it this time?”
- Challengerrt - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 2:02 pm:
They would be insane to approve more money for Rauner without having a strict accounting of what he did with the other taxpayers money! You never trust people that have not proven themselves. It appears to be just another attempt to make a grab at more money to do with whatever Rauner wants.
- Illini97 - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 2:28 pm:
Didn’t Rauner’s office throw Speaker Madigan under the bus just yesterday?
That’s always a good tactic when you need something from the guy.
- Rod - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 2:35 pm:
Minnow you are correct SB 274 amendment 1. I have too many bills in my head sorry.
- Rod - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 2:36 pm:
amendment 4 not 1.
- Sir Reel - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 3:41 pm:
I understood the deal was a 2.5% across the board cut and using special funds to make up the rest.
In theory agencies could have cut these programs 2.5%. They didn’t which suggests Rauner has another agenda which has been discussed.
- BlameBruceRauner - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 5:04 pm:
Playing the “let me handle this crisis” card. Give me the money and I fix this. NOT one chance they give him the money. They want him to squirm. His calculated maneuver has backfired and the House wants EVERYONE to remember this. they are acting like Smokey from Friday “Remember it, Write it down, take a picture, I don’t give a frick”
- bird - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 7:30 pm:
This Governor is pretty ruthless. Or just that under educated. I am just not sure about things at this point. I know the State Has fincial issues and it can’t pay for everything. But we are starting to live in a state that charges us for everything and gives very little back to the people.
- Arsenal - Friday, Apr 24, 15 @ 8:49 am:
Regardless of whether or not he should be, these are clearly the actions of a Speaker who thinks he’s been backstabbed by the Governor.