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This just in… *** Important update at 10:38 am ***

Thursday, Jun 21, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

* 9:58 am - The House has adjourned until next Tuesday. Just 98 out of 118 members were present.

Today’s leaders meeting is scheduled for 11 o’clock.

Also, it appears that the governor’s flight back to Chicago last night was canceled, and there doesn’t seem to be anything scheduled this morning, so he may have actually stayed in town. Will wonders never cease?

* 10:19 am - There may be a glitch over at FlightAware because, I’m told, the governor did not stay in town last night.

*** IMPORTANT UPDATE *** 10:38 am - An open letter from several House Democratic members was just tossed over the transom.

The letter is addressed to all legislative leaders and the governor, but seems to be clearly aimed at House Speaker Michael Madigan, who refuses to back off the House-passed budget during leaders negotiations.

The letter is signed by 22 House Democrats. It reads in part…

(W)e voted for SB1132 [Madigan’s budget]. We understood this to be a “baseline” budget to serve as a point of departure for further discussion among all concerned parties, but far from an adequate budget to meet our state’s needs in the coming year.

Consequently, we would request that you continue to work for a realistic budget that both provides for the additional necessary investments as well as raising the additional revenue needed to assure that they are funded.

This could be interpreted as: “Hey, Madigan, stop with the ‘The House has passed a budget’ stuff and work out a deal.” At least, I’m pretty sure that’s how the guv’s office will parse it.

I can’t make out all the signatures, but the ones I can decipher are Reps. Ford, Arroyo, Phelps, Acevedo, W. Davis, M. Davis, Dugan, Reitz, Granberg, Verschoore, Mautino, Mays, Howard, Boland, Jeffries, Dunkin and Nekritz.

Click on the pic for a larger image…

* 10:51 am - Speaker Madigan’s spokesman has responded to the letter. His comments are aimed at the guv (whose office leaked the letter)…

“They don’t have a way to import more Democrats into the House or the Senate to pass a bill. That’s a critical reality. You have to pass a bill. [The governor’s office] can say whatever they want… [The governor] could set aside the study group topics and go onto a meaningful discussion of the budget… The House budget is the only thing alive.”

* 10:56 am - I think the governor’s office has found a way to game the FlightAware tracking system because I’m told his plane is about to land as I write this.

* 10:59 am - Here’s the full list of who signed the letter referenced above. It was provided by a major tax-eater group that wants to see lots more state spending…

LaShawn Ford, Luis Arroyo, Brandon Phelps, Edward Acevado, William Davis, Jay Hoffman, Monique Davis, Lisa Dugan, Dan Reitz, Kurt Granberg, Patrick Verschoore, Frank Mautino, Linda Chapa LaVia, Harry Osterman, Connie Howard, Karen May, Michael Boland, David Miller, Elga Jeffries, Elizabeth Hernandez, Elaine Nekritz, Kenneth Dunkin

* 11:02 am - Word is, the letter was circulated by Rep. Jay Hoffman, the governor’s House “floor leader” who is regularly on the outs with Speaker Madigan.

* 12:50 pm - The leaders meeting started about an hour ago.

* 1:00 pm - This could explain some things. FlightAware allows aircraft owners to block their planes from the tracking program.

* 1:09 pm - From the Tribune…

House Republican leader Tom Cross says he will introduce a temporary emergency budget today to avoid a shutdown of state government in early July.

“The reality is somebody’s got to step up,” Cross says.

* 1:30 pm - A fire alarm at the Statehouse is forcing an evacuation. No word yet on whether the leaders meeting will reconvene.

* 1:44 pm - Just as everyone was streaming back into the Statehouse, another fire alarm went off and they were forced to evacuate yet again.

* 1:49 pm - Everyone is now back inside and the leaders are apparently still meeting.

* 2:28 pm - The leaders meeting is over. Audio will be posted after everyone has finished speaking to the press.

* 3:36 pm - [Paul]: The leaders emerged from today’s meeting with the first hint of agreement since beginning discussions. All five are supportive of the concept of a one-month budget aimed to prevent a government shutdown. Budgeteers and staff members from each caucus and the governor’s office will be working over the weekend to put the details together. The governor said that he is still confident that a 12-month budget deal could be reached by the end of the month, but it was necessary to look at other options to prevent a loss of essential services.

* 3:40 pm - Audio following the leaders meeting:

Governor Blagojevich
[audio:Blago21st.mp3]

Speaker Madigan
[audio:Madigan21st.mp3]

Leader Watson
[audio:Watson21st.mp3]

Leader Cross
[audio:Cross21st.mp3]

114 Comments

Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Poll; Full Kotowski statement; ISRA; Blagojevich; Jakobsson; Wind; Pekin; Stem cells (Use all caps in password)

Thursday, Jun 21, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Question of the day

Thursday, Jun 21, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

Who should get the most blame for the budget impasse? Explain fully, please.

48 Comments

Dan Seals to run again

Thursday, Jun 21, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Dan Seals announced yesterday that he will run for Congress again next year. From Lynn Sweet…

A Democratic primary is shaping up in the north suburban 10th congressional district, where Dan Seals, the 2006 nominee, will have to defeat newcomer Jay Footlik, who served in the Clinton White House, for the nomination to run against Rep. Mark Steven Kirk (R-Ill.).

Seals announced on Wednesday he will seek a rematch. In 2006, Seals — making his first run for office — gave Kirk a strong challenge, getting 47 percent of the vote to 53 percent for Kirk.

In the district with a large Jewish population, Seals said in a statement he expects support for Israel to be an issue in 2008 as it was in 2006.

* The Tribune has react and a bit of analysis…

Following Seals’ announcement, Kirk issued a statement outlining his efforts to address rising gas prices and dangerous imported toys, as well as dumping in Lake Michigan and economic development. […]

Campaign strategists for both parties expect Kirk’s seat, along with that of Democratic Rep. Melissa Bean, to be among the most hard-nosed races next year.

Bush adviser Karl Rove recently wrote a memo that Kirk’s seat was one of three of the nine Illinois congressional seats held by the GOP that the party needs to work hardest to protect in 2008.

* From Kirk’s announcement…

The differences between me and Congressman Kirk are clear. He has supported President Bush’s agenda and I do not. Congressional Quarterly reports that he has voted with the President almost 90 percent of the time.

Since the last election he has tried to reverse some of those key votes. He even went to the White House, as many papers reported, to tell President Bush that the war was hurting his reelection prospects. I couldn’t disagree more with this kind of leadership.

Congressman Kirk is putting politics before policy. On issues as critical as these we must have the courage of our convictions. His votes should be driven by what he feels is right, not what he feels is expedient.

* Here’s his announcement video…

22 Comments

No end in sight

Thursday, Jun 21, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The Daily Herald succinctly sums up yesterday’s Senate action…

Senate Democrats rejected a $53 billion state budget plan Wednesday, saying it doesn’t spend enough on education, health care and elsewhere as they renewed their call for more gambling or higher taxes to come up with added billions.

In doing so, the political discord between the Illinois House and Senate — both controlled by Democrats —reached new lows with only days remaining before a potential government shutdown if there’s no deal.

Senate President Emil Jones Jr., a Chicago Democrat, criticized the House spending plan as a “no-good budget” and wondered if the House Democrats who’d passed it had bothered to read it.

House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Chicago Democrat, shot back that the House has passed a budget while the Senate has not, even as Senate Democrats’ ranks have swelled to the point they can pass whatever they want without needing Republican help.

* More…

Senate Democrats all but demanded Wednesday that taxpayers fork over more money to boost state spending on education, health care and other state programs.

But rather than propose its own spending plan, the Democrat-controlled Senate merely approved a nonbinding resolution rejecting a leaner budget plan backed by House Speaker Michael Madigan.

The contentious move was described as a way to send Madigan a message that Democrats stand for bigger government.

If the Senate can’t even get 36 votes to reject Madigan’s budget, I’m not sure how its leaders believe that they can put together enough votes to pass a budget that spends a lot more money.

* The State Journal-Register editorial board has written an epitaph for Madigan’s budget proposal…

The speaker’s powerful, but even he can’t raise this one from the dead.

* And urges compromise…

The bad news: Neither Madigan nor the governor believe their budgets are dead. They both need to accept that fact and find a middle ground - something more than taking meals away from old people and something less than the state’s largest-ever tax increase.

* And this buried item clearly foreshadows the next budget showdown on the agenda…

Jones suggested consideration of a one-month budget to avoid a shutdown of the government in July, but Madigan said the focus should be on adopting a yearlong spending plan.

Oy.

* Meanwhile, the leaders meeting was a total bust yesterday…

No progress was made in the afternoon leaders’ meeting. House Minority Leader Tom Cross didn’t hide his frustration, calling the process “rather embarrassing and a bit disgusting.”

The only thing discussed in the “show-and-tell meeting” was TIF districts in Chicago with no attempt to relate that issue to the state budget, said House Speaker Michael Madigan. The governor didn’t even send his spokespeople out to make comments after the meeting.

* Audio clips from after yesterday’s leaders meeting…

* Speaker Madigan

[audio:Madigan20th.mp3]

* President Jones

[audio:Emil20th.mp3]

* Minority Leader Cross

[audio:Cross20th.mp3]

6 Comments

Frequent flyer

Thursday, Jun 21, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Since this resolution was first mentioned in the comment section here yesterday, I figured I should front-page it now. [emphasis added]

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that the Governor reside in Springfield ready to negotiate during the General Assembly’s scheduled overtime session and any special session days filed pursuant to gubernatorial proclamation.

Yesterday, House Resolution 507 was quietly popped out of the House Rules Committee and into Rep. Jack Franks’ State Government Administration Committee. Rep. Franks has been a constant critic of Gov. Blagojevich.

Remember, these things don’t just happen on their own. The Rules Committee is tightly controlled by House Speaker Michael Madigan.

Considering all the interest in how much time and money the governor is spending flying back and forth between Chicago and Springfield this spring, the resolution may get some mainstream media attention.

* Here are a couple of stories about our frequent flyer governor. The Post-Dispatch…

As Illinois inches toward a budgetary crisis, taxpayers this month have been spending almost $6,000 a day, several days a week, to fly Gov. Rod Blagojevich from his Chicago home to his Springfield office and back, records show.

The total bill in the past month may be as high as $75,000, the records indicate.

* AP…

After seeing the AP analysis, Rep. Rosemary Mulligan, R-Des Plaines, said she was “highly insulted that he cannot get his butt down here to get things done in a timely fashion, and then go home and waste gas at the taxpayers’ expense.”

“He doesn’t seem to care,” added Naperville Republican Rep. James Meyer. “He comes down here when he feels like it for an hour or two, then back to the Chicago area to be at home with his family. I want to know when this governor is going to be serious about running the state.”

Past governors have either lived in Springfield or stayed in the capital while the legislature was in session. Blagojevich lives in Chicago and prefers to go home at the end of each day.

Lawmakers typically meet in Springfield three days a week, and Blagojevich has been flying to Springfield each day. If he arrived at the start of each week’s session and stayed at the Executive Mansion until the end, the cost of his flights would be about two-thirds less.

Blagojevich’s office refused to answer questions about the matter.

25 Comments

Morning Shorts

Thursday, Jun 21, 2007 - Posted by Paul Richardson

* Senate Dems says electric rate freeze vote unless deal reached

* Electric rate problems still unresolved

* Rep. Fritchey: Yeah, what they said on ‘pay to play’ bill

* Illinois joins primary crush on Super Duper Tuesday

Republicans expect to benefit from the new primary date and a large but fluid presidential field with no clear favorite. State GOP leaders already have proposed an Aug. 16 straw poll at Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair to tap into the quickening contest and gauge early organizational support.

* Illinois primary moved earlier

* Governor signs bill to move primary

* Illinois changing primary date for Obama’s bid

* Governor moves Illinois primary to Feb. 5th

* Obama’s liberal church under the microscope

* Stroger doc: Outlook good after prostate surgery

* Tribune Editorial: Candor and trust

* Ex-Ald. Troutman, where’s the $80K

* Former Alderman pleads not-guilty to taking $10K fine; more here

* Feds want CPS to repay $16.8 million

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