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Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

First, the setup, which is from a press release. The bill wasn’t actually heard in committee this week for various reasons, but it will be heard next week. The issues broached in the press release are what we’re concerned with today…

…. Representative Harris previously introduced House Bill 1612 extending benefits of marriage in Illinois to same-sex couples. Representative Harris told Committee members today that while many of his colleagues believed it was appropriate to provide legal protections for same-sex couples and their families, they simply could not support marriage rights for these couples and families.

â€œMembers told me that public discourse is still evolving over the distinction between religious marriage and civil marriage for many Illinoisans,” said State Representative Greg Harris of Chicago in presenting the bill to the Human Services Committee. â€œFor this reason, many of our colleagues asked me to develop legislation that addressed fairness and equity, protected all Illinois families, protected the rights of our religious institutions, but did not enter into the marriage debate. I am, therefore, proposing House Bill 1826.â€

Under House Bill 1826, thousands of committed, same-sex couples across Illinois would be able to fairly and equally access basic legal protections and responsibilities that come with marriage in Illinois â€“ including, the ability to visit oneâ€™s partner in the hospital, the standing to make health care decisions for a partner, the capacity to extend health care coverage to members of the household and the ability of a surviving partner to determine the disposition of a loved oneâ€™s remains. They would not, however, be recognized by the State as â€œmarried,â€ but Illinois would recognize the relationship.

The legislation also makes clear that the State of Illinois can never compel a religious denomination to recognize any civil union or perform commitment ceremonies for same-sex couples if such recognition or ceremonies conflict with a denominationâ€™s religious tradition.

â€œOver time, History will evolve and one day our children and grandchildren will look back at debates over these concepts the way we now look back on debates over bans on interracial marriage and the right of women and minorities to vote,â€ added Harris. â€œThis is the right thing to do.â€

Question: Do you support this concept? Explain.

And, please, this is not a debate on gay marriage. Do your best to stick to the question at hand. Thanks much.

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Bill advances to restrict spending on Chicago travel

Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

A few things to remember before you read this story and comment:

1) The movement of state government to Chicago started long ago, way before Rod Blagojevich was elected to any office.

2) This is a feel-good “headline” bill that has little to no chance of ever becoming law. Just because a bill gets out of committee (especially in the House) doesn’t mean it’s gonna pass both chambers.

3) The capital is Springfield, but most of the state’s people live in the Chicago area.

State agency directors would no longer be reimbursed for travel expenses to Springfield under legislation a House committee approved Wednesday. […]

The Blagojevich administration has come under fire from lawmakers and others who question why many agency heads who live in the Chicago metropolitan area get travel expenses when they commute to the capital city. [..]

Rep. Jack Franks, D-Woodstock, who chairs the committee, said he believed that in a legislative hearing last year, it was determined that the governor’s office spent $27 million overall on travel.

“I was appalled at that,” Franks said. “The government’s here in Springfield, and if people choose to live somewhere else, that’s fine. But I don’t think we should have to pay for that.”

Have at it.

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Property tax relief has more legs

Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

I told subscribers earlier this week that Senate President Emil Jones had changed his mind about property tax relief.

Jones met with reporters just after the governor’s budget address last Wednesday…

“I don’t know how we can adequately address the property tax issue so it would be fair,” Jones said, adding that he didn’t see a need to “run” to the property tax issue this year.

But that didn’t go over too well with many of his members. The Trib had this today…

Jones said his staff is working with Blagojevich on how to include property-tax relief in the governor’s budget proposal. Jones previously supported the governor’s entire plan but endorsed targeted relief for poor communities.

And more from Copley…

“If you are going to give property tax relief, how do you target the property tax relief so that all of the money does not go to wealthy school districts?” asked Jones, noting that an across-the-board cut will do nothing to close the per-pupil spending gap between rich and poor school districts.

“If you do a 25 percent across-the-board cut, the bulk of the money will go to places like Kenilworth and places like that,” Jones said. “You will keep that (spending) gap there.”

Kenilworth is represented in the Senate by a Democrat.

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Chambers nails it again

Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

As is his habit, Aaron Chambers pens yet another important story. First, the Rockford Register-Star reporter accurately points out that the governor’s capital plan is no big deal…

Blagojevich, in the first year of his second term, is pushing for a budget that does not include a capital plan in the traditional sense â€” a program thatâ€™s so large the state must borrow money to support it.

Instead, Blagojevich is simply pushing for a continuation of the stateâ€™s ordinary multiyear road improvement plan. Under his budget plan, the state would earmark $1.88 billion in new spending on roads in the next fiscal year â€” $100 million less than the current fiscal year.

Then he discloses that the governor is apparently holding a “real” capital plan hostage to his tax and health insurance plans…

Blagojevich said in a statement that policymakers must first focus on his plan to increase taxes on businesses by $7 billion annually and expand state-subsidized health care.

â€œThe sooner we do that, the sooner we can free up funding for a capital plan and can engage in a more detailed discussion on our stateâ€™s infrastructure needs,â€ he said.

In other words, give me my wish list and the pork will flow freely.

Speaking of the capital budget, some transportation folks were in town yesterday asking for a whole lot of money…

Business groups, labor unions, and an alphabet soup of transportation groups say Illinois’ roads and rails are at the tipping point.

The groups say the state has to spend money, $5 billion a year, or face the prospect of losing jobs and people to other states.

The Transportation for Illinois Coalition says Illinois hasn’t dedicated money for roads since Governor Ryan was in office.

Governor Blagojevich has a road building plan, but the Coalition says it’s barely enough to maintain the system, and not nearly enough to expand it.

Meanwhile, I had a brief bit on this in Capitol Fax today…

Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s bid to impose the largest tax hike in Illinois history isn’t limited to just campaign-style television ads.

The governor this week also sent direct mail pieces to 345,000 Illinois business owners as part of a public relations blitz aimed at assuaging fears about his proposed tax changes.

“There are loud voices in Springfield spreading misinformation about my plan because they haven’t paid their fair share of taxes in a long time â€“ if they’ve paid any â€“ and they want to keep it that way,” the governor says in the five paragraph letter.

The letters, which cost taxpayers an estimated $115,000 in postage, are targeted at small business owners who the governor says won’t be affected by the tax changes.

The full letter can be downloaded by clicking here [pdf file].

5 Comments

Morning Shorts

Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 - Posted by Paul Richardson

* Kane County to retain its lobbyists in Springfield

* Illinois budget: 2.3% more for higher ed?

* ‘Scott’s Law’ put under the microscope

According to numbers provided by the Illinois State Police, the number of tickets issued has moved up and down since the law was enacted, peaking with 796 in 2002 and dipping to a low of 355 in 2004.

As of February 28 of this year, motorists have been assessed 216 tickets this year, setting 2007 up as a record-setting year in terms of the most tickets written.

* ICC: Ameren must explain the effect of credit drop; copy of letter [.pdf]

* Commerce Commission challenges Ameren’s cutback threat

Paul Justice, an analyst who follows the electric industry for Morningstar Inc., said both Ameren and regulators appear to be posturing to an extent. But he added that the rating downgrade would put financial pressure on Ameren.

* More stormy weather for Ameren

* Electricity rates under siege

* Editorial: Ameren’s credibility, consumers suffering

It’s doubtful that an electric rate freeze is going to happen.
But Ameren’s lack of credibility, and the strange timing of Moody’s announcement, won’t give consumers the feeling they are being treated fairly. It’s hard to blame them.

* Rate rollback gets through Senate panel:

Despite Jones’ past rejection of rolling back rates, Forby said Wednesday that the president assured him he wouldn’t hinder a Senate discussion'’He’s the one that’s letting my bill run anyway,'’ Forby said of Jones. ‘’He’s the big man. If he said no, it wouldn’t be in committee or it wouldn’t go to the floor.'’

* CTA audit urge with gripes of filthy trains and buses

* Editorial: Don’t outlaw smoking in car with children

But having the government decide for everyone what is the “right” way to rear a child is more frightening than having “unlicensed” parents doing the best they can, even by the trial-and-error method.

* Strict smoking ban begins in suburban Cook Co.

* Michael Sneed: Jackson Jr., Giannoulias, Reilly

* Sun-Times Editorial: Gap in city schools needs to close

* Tinley Park Mental Health Center loses right to bill government for care

* Ex jail directors in Lake County deny pension fraud

* State Reps call for increase in blood donations

* Stiffer fines proposed for parking cheats

* Chicago city Council toughens measure on dog owners

* Kristen McQueary: Gorman vs. Peraica: Who’s right? And where’s the pork?

Editorial: Openness vow by governor gives way to self-interest

That fact is that the governor was right when he vowed to increase access to government records and documents. The residents of Illinois, who pay the bills, have a right to know what government workers and politicians are doing with their money and in their name. The governor’s claims to be concerned about privacy serve his personal interests, not the public’s.

* AG Madigan: Board’s Chief vote ends legality question

* Schoenberg: Davlin, Giannoulias

* Group begins airing commercials against Rockford area sales tax increase

* McLean County Clerk indicted

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