[This update from below has been given its own post.]

* - 12:24 pm - As I told subscribers this morning, the Senate Democrats talked privately yesterday about running a resolution that rejects the budget passed by the House last month.

The Senate appears poised to run this resolution today. The Senate Republicans have requested a brief caucus, so the debate will begin at 12:45 or so.

You can read the resolution here.

* 12:27 pm - The Senate resolution (SR 258) would be essentially the same thing that House Speaker Michael Madigan did to the governor’s gross receipts tax. The House, you will recall, passed a resolution that rejected the tax hike. And today, the Senate may reject Madigan’s budget.

Madigan has repeated time and time again that the House has passed a budget. The object is to take this argument away from him. Since the House budget is still on hold via a parliamentary procedure, the Senate can’t vote on the actual document yet.

* 12:52 pm - You can listen or watch the Senate debate here.

The Republicans don’t appear to have returned from caucus yet.

* 1:00 pm - The Senate is now back in session.

From the resolution…

WHEREAS, Senate Bill 1132, as amended by the House of Representatives, includes appropriations for expenditures that exceed available revenue estimates and therefore does not meet the requirements contained in subsection (b) of Section 2 of Article VIII of the Constitution of the State of Illinois; […]

…does not include appropriations to meet the rising costs associated with providing assistance to Illinois’ most vulnerable citizens, including senior citizens, for needs related to healthcare, prescription drugs, and the mental health and developmentally disabled population; […]

…does not provide for a sustainable means to reduce or to maintain the current cycle of payments made to Medicaid providers, specifically for physicians that provide services under the Covering ALL KIDS Health Insurance Program; and

…does not appropriate funds to satisfy the Fiscal Year 2008 pension obligation contribution level certified by the individual State retirement systems; […]

…therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that those voting ‘aye‘ on this resolution are voting to reject Senate Bill 1132 as amended by the House of Representatives, and those voting ‘no‘ on this resolution are voting to support the proposed budget for the State of Illinois for Fiscal Year 2008 that begins on July 1, 2007, as detailed in House Amendments 1 and 2 to Senate Bill 1132…

* 1:08 pm - The governor’s plane appears to be landing now. He’s late for the leaders meeting, which was supposed to start at one o’clock. But it looks like Senate President Emil Jones will be late as well, considering the debate on this resolution. He’ll likely have a nice arrival gift for the governor, however.

* 1:11 pm - Sen. Trotter, the resolution’s sponsor and the Senate Dems’ top budget guy, is now going through the problems he sees with the House-approved budget.

* 1:14 pm - Sen. Radogno: “We’re wasting a lot of time on a resolution that is absolutely meaningless” as far as resolving the budget gridlock.

* 1:17 pm - Radogno says she will vote “No,” to “send a message” that she isn’t in favor of this “gamesmanship.” Previously, Sen. Randy Hultgren had said he would also vote “No.”

According to the resolution, a “No” vote means support for the House bill. But the Republicans are using a “No” vote to express their opposition to the “gamesmanship” - a term that has been used several times so far.

* 1:22 pm - Cronin: “This process is shameful. It’s frivolous, it’s childish… The process is supposed to call on us to be responsible… We’re not taking our responsibilities seriously… I’m ashamed to be part of it and I’m voting ‘No.’”

* 1:26 pm - The Republicans have asked twice now why the Democrats haven’t just proposed their own counter-proposal to Madigan’s budget.

Trotter: It would be inappropriate to throw a budget on the table at this point because negotiations are ongoing.

* 1:29 pm - Sen. Hendon: Cronin, you should simply resign if you feel you aren’t doing enough here.

“What would you have us do, just lay down like little puppy dogs for Mike Madigan?”

“We’re not laying down for Mike Madigan… We’re not a rubber stamp… We are the House of Lords, they are the House of Commons… We shall not be led by the House of Commons.”

* 1:33 pm - Willie Delgado, who has occasionally expressed solidarity with Madigan this year (Delgado came over from the House) and has publicly broken with Senate President Jones on several occasions, is now excoriating the Madigan budget as woefully inadequate.

* 1:47 pm - Marty Sandoval: “It’s easy to cast stones today at a budget that was passed by the House of Representatives. It’s a very difficult day and a shameful day for the people on the Southwest Side of Chicago because they have no budget… Nor will they have one tomorrow… We have not resolved the crisis that relates to electrical rates… We have not discussed the crisis of public transportation… We have not discussed property tax relief… I am not prepared to vote on any budget, whether it’s the House budget or any temporary budget, or any two-month budget, or any six-month budget that doesn’t take care [of those issues]… This Senate resolution is either a manifestation of (massive?) testicular virility or a lack of it…”

* 1:51 pm - Carol Ronen: “It’s never a game when you’re standing up for what you believe in… We’re setting the tone for the negotiations for the next ten days.”

* 2:01 pm - Mike Jacobs just took a swipe at Rep. Mike Boland. He asked Sen. Trotter how much money was in the budget to operate Thompson prison, noting that Boland, one of his state Reps., voted for the budget. The answer was that the approp line was the same as the current fiscal year, which means it is a cut.

* 2:06 pm - AP Analysis: Blagojevich flights cost taxpayers $76,000…

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has spent $76,000 on taxpayer-financed flights between Chicago and Springfield since late May.

* 2:07 pm - Senate GOP Leader Frank Watson: Today’s move shows “we’re a long, long way” from resolving the budget dispute.

Watson called for a vote on the gross receipts tax because the governor keeps bringing it up in the negotiations.

“There’s just no leadership. There’s none. There’s none.”

* 2:14 pm - Senate President Jones: “I’ve been waiting all session for this demonstration by the minority leader… I enjoy it.”

The resolution is designed to “send a clear signal that we should be in serious, serious budget negotiations. The Speaker did say that this is the high-water mark. It’s really the low-water mark.”

“We have patience, we can wait.”

“Real” problem with House budget: Pension contributions aren’t budgeted in the bill, so the education spending increase won’t be funded because the pension payments come right off the top.

“They need to know today that this is it. That when you sit down, sit down and be sincere as it relates to health care, education, cutting bilingual, cutting meals on wheels…”

“Sometimes I wonder what happens in the House as it relates to the members. Do they read? But you [Republicans] support that!”

“We are not playing games. Games have already been played.”

“This resolution sends a clear message, that the high-water budget that they talked about is really a low-water budget that the Senate is going to reject. And if that budget got over here and was called for a vote, I believe most of you on the other side of the aisle would probably vote for it.”

“It’s been a dull session until today. I was waiting for the papers to fly, the theatrics, playing to the cheers of the crowd.. Not sincere, not sincere whatsoever, but (they) want to play those… stupid political games.”

“When the agreement is made, I want to see you on the other side of the aisle, especially your leader say ‘I can support this.’”

* 2:26 pm - Vote: 33-19-2 [Lightford said her “Yes” button wasn’t working properly, so it’s 34.]

The roll call will be available here in a few minutes.

* 2:31 pm - The Senate is adjourning until next Tuesday.

* 2:33 pm - All Senate committees have been canceled today.

* 2:34 pm - The Senate has officially adjourned until Tuesday at noon.

* 2:49 pm -Democrats Munoz and Sandoval both voted “Present.” Sen. Viverito is not here this week.

* 5:45 pm - Here are the audio clips following today’s leaders meeting:

Speaker Madigan
[audio:Madigan20th.mp3]

President Jones
[audio:Emil20th.mp3]

Minority Leader Cross
[audio:Cross20th.mp3]