* From my syndicated column this week…

The toxic combination of an overabundance of testosterone and fragile male egos seems to be contaminating everything it touches during the Illinois General Assembly’s overtime session.

More issues were added last week to the large pile of bills being held hostage to the never-ending feud between House Speaker Michael Madigan on one side and Senate President Emil Jones and Gov. Rod Blagojevich on the other.

The legislation designed to ease phone company AT&T’s entrance into the cable TV marketplace reportedly has stalled in the Senate. The bill passed the House unanimously and has strong bipartisan support in the Senate, but it apparently has hit an ego snag.

* The Southtown’s editorial board had this to say about the troubles with the cable bill…

But late in the week, passage of the bill did not appear to be a sure thing. And according to Rich Miller’s Capitol Fax, ego apparently was the reason. The personality clash between Senate President Emil Jones and House Speaker Mike Madigan, which has played a major role in producing a most ineffective legislative session, is responsible for souring the cable bill for now.

According to Miller, Jones may be irritated at the credit being handed out to Madigan and his daughter, Attorney General Lisa Madigan, for their roles in crafting this important piece of legislation. Jones also is upset by a provision that give the attorney general more oversight of the cable industry.

We hope that this latest snit is just a small bump in the road and the Senate promptly advances the bill and sends it on to Gov. Rod Blagojevich for his signature. Adults should stop acting like kids in Springfield, forget about who’s being handed gold stars by the teacher and get on with the important issues at hand.

* Aaron Chambers adds another issue to the huge pile of bills held up by the Great Ego Snag of 2007…

In late May, lawmakers authorized the allocation of $1.2 billion to pay the hospitals. Both chambers of the Legislature approved it more than a week ago, but they have not transmitted the bill to Gov. Rod Blagojevich for consideration.

That’s where the political gamesmanship comes in.

Senate President Emil Jones Jr., D-Chicago, and House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, must certify that passage of the bill “met all procedural requirements for passage” before it moves to the governor. Jones spokeswoman Cindy Davidsmeyer said it’s up to Madigan to certify it first.

“We’re continuing our review of it, so that’s why it hasn’t moved along,” said Madigan spokesman Steve Brown.

A big reason this bill has stalled is that the legislative leaders are afraid that Blagojevich will hold a splashy press conference to announce that he is vetoing out the pay raise component.

* Kristen McQueary makes an excellent point about that pay raise provision…

Had lawmakers approved a modest cost of living adjustment of, perhaps, 2.5 percent (the 2006 COLA), I wouldn’t be whining. But after years of patting themselves on the back for rejecting automatic raises, they gave themselves retroactive pay hikes. Retroactive.

* Finke on obstinance…

Remember the gross-receipts tax, Blagojevich’s cure-all for a massive expansion of state spending? Remember how it went down 107-0 in the House? Remember how it’s never come up for a vote in the Senate because most observers think it would go down in flames there, too?

Guess what? Blagojevich still brings up the GRT during budget talks. We mention that just in case you’re wondering why the budget talks are going nowhere fast.

* And, finally, our quote of the week…

“We’re going to be here till November. We might as well get it right.” - State Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, on the floor of the Illinois House of Representatives during a discussion on whether a particular piece of legislation should be revised before coming up for a vote.

Thoughts?