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This just in… Senate to take up resolution that turns thumbs down on Madigan’s budget
Wednesday, Jun 20, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller [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…
* 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…
* 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:
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This just in…
Wednesday, Jun 20, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller [I’ve removed the 12:24 pm update and started a new post here. Continue discussing other items mentioned in this post.] * 11:02 am - The governor’s plane was initially scheduled to take off at 10 o’clock today, but it appears the vessel won’t be wheels up until noon. As I told you earlier, the leaders meeting is supposed to start at 1 o’clock, so he’ll be cutting it close. * 11:08 am - While we’re waiting for the leaders meeting to start and the House and Senate to get going (listen to Senate here and the House here), let’s take a look at a couple of new websites.
* 11:20 am - Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn will be the keynote speaker at the Taxpayers Federation annual meeting today at noon in Chicago. Since he may criticize the governor’s tax proposals again, the speech might get some coverage. * 11:35 am - The governor has signed legislation into law which would move the primary date up to the first Tuesday in February. The bill passed both chambers last month, but wasn’t transmitted to his desk until last week. The legislation can be found here. [Hat tip to a commenter.] * 11:44 am - Senate is convening now. * 11:47 am - Orders are slowing down a bit for our charity project, most likely because I haven’t been promoting it much this week. If you haven’t ordered something yet, please get yourself over there and buy something. Thanks. [I’ve removed the 12:24 pm update and started a new post here. Continue discussing other items mentioned in this post.]
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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Kotowski says he received death threats; Poll Numbers (Use all caps in password) *** Updated x2 ***
Wednesday, Jun 20, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Jun 20, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller I think we did something like this last year, but I’ll ask it again because it’s summer. Are you planning a vacation to any Illinois spots this year? Where and why?
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Another disaster
Wednesday, Jun 20, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller * Yesterday’s leaders meeting didn’t even broach the subject of the state budget…
* Instead, as I told you yesterday, the leaders spent all their time talking about the governor’s health insurance plan, including brief comments by former congressman Dick Gephardt…
* Things didn’t go well at all yesterday…
* Meanwhile, the SJ-R takes a hard look at Speaker Madigan’s budget proposal. It’s definitely worth a read…
* The leaders meeting today is set for 1 o’clock. It looks as though the guv’s plane is on its way to O’Hare and is scheduled to leave Chicago at 10 am. Track it in comments. * Audio from after the leaders meeting…
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Hello There *** Updated x1 ***
Wednesday, Jun 20, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller * I made sure I was around yesterday when Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen walked into the Statehouse. Nielsen said he had heard about the Capitol Fax article I had written about his visit and the stuff I had posted here, which he jokingly referred to as “that slime blog.” I told him that nobody appeared to understand the headline on a budget story yesterday entitled “Clock Strikes Ten,” a reference to the Cheap Trick song of the same name. He glanced at the headline on his copy of the Capitol Fax and deadpanned: “I don’t get it.” * Aaron Chambers, of the Rockford Register-Star, had the best lede…
* But check out how the RR-Star and the State Journal-Register, both GateHouse papers, played the end of Chambers’ piece…
I asked him earlier whether drummer Bunn E. Carlos still smoked. “Not cigarettes.” Cigars? “No.” * Reporters did get in a few policy questions, but he dodged them pretty well…
* More on the visit…
* Audio…
* A few pics follow. The first one is Nielsen laying on the floor looking up at the Statehouse dome…
*** UPDATE *** I didn’t realize that I was on the front page of the State Journal-Register today…
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Secrets and lies
Wednesday, Jun 20, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller * As you already know, the Sun-Times broke the story yesterday that Cook County Board President Todd Stroger has cancer. Stroger abruptly announced he was going to the hospital for a procedure, but his people wouldn’t talk about it on the record until after the paper ran its scoop. I’m told that Stroger kept the information about his cancer a secret from his family and close friends, as well as the rest of us. We can only hope that he has learned a valuable lesson from all of this.
* The Tribune focused on how he had withheld the information from voters during the election, but provided a glance behind the scenes that appears to confirm that Stroger kept the cancer revelation to himself…
* And Carol Marin makes a very good point [emphasis in original]…
* Somewhat related…
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Morning Shorts
Wednesday, Jun 20, 2007 - Posted by Paul Richardson * TV competition measure goes to governor * IL legislature votes to open up pay TV market * State Senate approves cable bill * State Senate greenlights cable bill * Cable competition bill passes * Senate approves AT&T foray into cable * Editorial: Free Ma Bell * Opinion: McQueary’s tax analysis ‘dead on’ * Sun-Times Editorial: Reform ‘pay to play’ or we’ll all pay later
* Higher speed limit for trucks needs green light from governor * School’s use of camera assailed
* Daley picks up award, some flak
* The nation’s Springfields vie to host Simpson’s premiere * Carpentersville OKs English-only law
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