Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar » 2007

Thursday, Aug 9, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

* 8:52 pm - OK, this will hopefully be the last thread of the evening. In case you missed it from Part 3, Sen. John Cullerton’s 90 cents per pack tax hike on cigarettes, which also allows counties to raise their taxes by a buck a pack, passed the Senate tonight, 34-24. It now moves to the House, which has adjourned until tomorrow morning.

Lots of stuff may still happen in the Senate, but not until after committee hearings end at, I’m guessing, eleven o’clock or so. I figure they might just try everything tomorrow, but who knows.

It’s up to commenters to keep track of things on the blog from here on out. Audio and video are here. I’ll try to get back to you later on whether Mayor Daley does or does not support the Chicago casino bill.

* 9:52 pm - Chicago registered as ‘no position’ in Sen. Exec. SGOPs have walked out of committee, angry at the way the SDEMs were jamming bills thru without time to look at them. The SDEMs say that’s not true. SGOP staff & nenbers were fully informed and involved they claim.

73 Comments

This just in… Part 3

Thursday, Aug 9, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

*** 5:39 pm - Various updates after tracking down numerous rumors ***

* There are lots of rumors flying around that Senate President Emil Jones is somehow playing around with the budget bill. Those appear to be wrong. The changes appear to be technical in nature, mainly due to drafting errors.

* Also, once the gaming bill is finally drafted (which could be from any minute to who knows when), the Senate will assign it to committee, wait the hour for the posting, bring it to the floor and vote on it. That’s the intention, at least. The gaming/capital bill might be voted on tomorrow, depending how late it gets, but the gaming bill is said to be completely separate from the operating budget bill, contrary to rumors.

* Speaker Madigan is not expected to call the gaming bill for a vote, of course. He prefers to wait a couple of weeks to do anything more, except perhaps a veto override of the budget.

* We can probably expect a floor vote this evening on the cigarette tax in the Senate.

* 5:59 pm - Remember that letter I wrote about a little while ago in Part 2 from labor leaders to the Senate President? An identical letter was sent to the governor, as well. Both letters urged opposition to the budget bill passed by the Illinois House today.

Well, one of those unions didn’t agree to sign the letter. A spokesman for the Illinois Education Association said a few minutes ago that Ken Swanson, the top dog at the IEA, was asked to sign but declined.

By the way, guess who was asking labor leaders to sign a letter to the Senate Prez and the governor? If you answered “the governor’s office” you win the Buick.

So, apparently, the governor’s office pasted Swanson’s signature onto the letter even though Swanson said he didn’t want to sign it. Brilliant.

* 7:15 pm - The governor is doing an availability right now. I’ll see if I can get audio for the blog in a bit.

* 7:18 pm - I received this e-mail from AARP hours ago and didn’t see it. Oops…

Rich, The budget passed by the House contains severe under funding for Social Services - hitting many vulnerable groups too hard when it comes to the services they need and rely on. I’m hoping you can post the following letter from advocate groups to legislators on the blog. […]

————-

August 9, 2007

HB 3860 HA 2 currently before the General Assembly strikes at the very fiber of Illinois. It reverses our state’s long history of providing for the needs of all of its citizens. After spending over two months in overtime session, we are now faced with a budget that does not meet the needs of those who need help the most. Our working men, women and cherished retirees expect and deserve more from our elected officials.

* 7:40 pm - Senate honchos are attempting to round up their members as I write this to get them ready for floor action. So, it may not be long now.

The Senate Dem leaders are still telling members that their intent is to do the operating budget, gaming/capital bill and the governor’s health insurance bill tonight.

* 7:44 pm - Rep. John Fritchey (verified) just posted this in comments…

The House just adjourned until tomorrow at 10. The Speaker made some interesting comments including the fact that the City of Chicago is now against the gaming bill proposed in the Senate.

* 7:48 pm - The governor wouldn’t answer questions about whether he would sign the operating budget bill or whether he would veto the pay raise out of the supplemental. He also didn’t answer a question about Madigan’s statement that Chicago is against the Chicago casino bill.

Last night, by the way, the governor stunned the other leaders by claiming that Daley was “irrelevant” to the casino negotiations.

* 8:04 pm - Madigan’s spokesman just told me that Chicago’s lobbyists down here told the Speaker that they were informing Democratic Senators that the City is against the gaming bill.

The governor’s chief of staff, however, is reportedly telling people that Chicago will register in favor of the bill at committee. The governor’s press office is saying the same thing.

* 8:10 pm - The Senate is reconvening. Listen or watch here.

* 8:21 pm - Senate Exec and State Government and Veterans Affairs committees are meeting at 9:25 tonight. Judiciary Civil Law and Local Government will meet at 9:40. Education is meeting at 9:55 tonight. Approp 2 meets at 10:10.

* 8:28 pm - As predicted earlier, while they’re waiting for committees to meet, the Senate is now taking up Sen. John Cullerton’s cigarette tax hike proposal.

* 8:32 pm - Here’s the audio of the governor’s media availability, provided by my great pal Ryan Hermes at WLS Radio…

[audio:GOV_RAW.mp3]

* 8:34 pm - Sen. Cullerton’s cigarette tax hike bill, HB 556, has just passed, 34-24.

64 Comments

This just in… Part 2

Thursday, Aug 9, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

* 3:16 pm - That old thread was getting long and unwieldy.

Click here to read AFSCME’s lawsuit to keep state paychecks coming even if the governor doesn’t sign the budget.

* 3:27 pm - From the Tribune’s operating budget story…

Blagojevich’s office criticized the legislation even before the voting started, citing the lack of help for the CTA and contending the budget is a billion dollars out of balance. Blagojevich spokeswoman Rebecca Rausch said the budget “has a lot of problems,” including a failure to address the governor’s desire to expand health care and commit to a multibillion construction program.

Further signaling the governor’s displeasure, Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-Collinsville), the governor’s point man in the House, railed against the unbalanced budget proposal as an example of “cooking the books” in a way that ultimately could fall short of its commitment to school funds.

“This budget will never be law,” Hoffman said. “It will not be law. It hurts too many people. … It’s a phony budget put together on a shoestring.”

If the governor doesn’t veto the budget and simply refuses to sign it, the House and Senate may have no choice but to approve a one-month budget next week. That’s why Senate President Jones getting a new appropriations vehicle bill was so important today. He could use that for a one-monther.

…Adding… Sen. Jones would likely come to the guv’s rescue to prevent further problems by running a one-month budget, so then the onus would be on Madigan and the House GOP to also pass it or cause a possible shutdown.

* 3:45 pm - Contrary to rumors, the cigarette tax hike proposal is not dead yet.

Sen. John Cullerton’s amendment containing the 90 cent statewide tax hike and allowing counties like DuPage to increase the cig tax by a buck a pack passed the Senate today with 34 votes. But it’ll need 36 votes on 3rd Reading, so Cullerton is drafting a new amendment which deletes the immediate effective date and changes the implementation day to June 1st, 2008. Therefore, Cullerton will only need to get 30 votes to pass it over to the House.

Sometimes, legislators have a way of jumping off a bill to keep it from passing no matter how low the bar is dropped, so passage is not a completely sure thing, even with the 34 votes on the amendment. And there’s still the House.

* 3:57 pm - AFSCME says its lawsuit will be heard tomorrow afternoon at 1:30. And John Bambenek made a good point in comments…

Anyone notice that the suit was filed in Christian and not Sangamon county? The 1991 case [which established that no budget meant no paychecks] only made it to the 4th district of appeals… Christian County is in the 5th district…

* 4:01 pm - Senate President Jones is telling members to expect to vote on a gaming/capital bill today.

* 4:06 pm - It could be an hour or so before the Senate goes back into session and takes up the operating budget, the cigarette tax and gaming (if they have the votes). Stay close, however. Once the Senate starts, I may bail on blogging because you’ll be able to listen to everything yourself online.

* 4:14 pm - Michael Miner reports on a very interesting development in the federal lawsuit against Illinois Chief Justice Bob Thomas.

* 4:25 pm - AFSCME’s motion for a temporary restraining order can be downloaded here.

* 4:30 pm - IlliniPundit is not happy at all with the Republican role in the state budget process…

Out of this mess, no Republican leader has emerged to capture the public’s awareness by standing for the things that the Illinois public clearly wants - less corruption, less pork, fewer taxes, and an improved education system. Instead, we have both Republican caucuses negotiating on things like a Chicago casino, pork projects for their districts, and a capital bill.

* 4:35 pm - I forgot to tell you about this…

The Senate approved legislation today to extend a key property tax break to Cook County homeowners, and the House prepared to send the measure to the governor.

With one extra tweak in favor of property owners, the Senate pushed through the compromise legislation on the so-called 7 percent cap on assessments with a 53-0 vote, sending the bill to the House.

Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) told House lawmakers to expect a vote later today on the legislation, which is supported by Mayor Richard Daley and opposed by Cook County Assessor James Houlihan, who sought more relief.

* 4:41 pm - This was not exactly unexpected, considering the foul mood in Springfield right now…

The governor will NOT be walking in the parade tonight.

* 4:52 pm - The rationale…

“I don’t believe he’s going to be there because things are very fluid at the Statehouse right now,” spokeswoman Rebecca Rausch said late this afternoon.

While there has been some speculation that the crowd reception in Springfield might involve booing for the governor embroiled in an overtime state budget battle, Rausch said that was not the reason for the decision.

Instead, she said, a Senate committee is dealing with budget matters, with action expected shortly.

“It’s our expectation they’re going to return to the (Senate) floor and take action on an operating budget, and potentially on other things like a capital program, maybe a gaming bill and maybe our health care bill,” Rausch said.

Frankly, I don’t blame him. I was honestly worried about the man’s safety if he marched in that parade.

* 5:06 pm - I didn’t think Flannery’s shirt was ugly at all. Kinda green, but not ugly.

* 5:16 pm - Union leaders allied with the governor and the heads of the two teachers unions have sent a letter to Senate President Jones asking him not to support the budget passed by the House. Read the letter here. The teachers unions sent a separate letter to all legislative leaders and the governor, which ends thusly…

Recently, we unveiled an income tax increase proposal that we believe has strong support in both caucuses of the House and Senate. We urge you to introduce and pass legislation that follows the framework of that proposal. The General Assembly still has the ability to finally fix our flawed system of school funding. The time is now.

52 Comments

This just in…

Thursday, Aug 9, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

* 11:10 am - The House is debating the operating budget at the moment. Listen or watch here.

* 11:26 am - Rep. Jay Hoffman, the governor’s floor leader, warned members earlier that the operating budget under consideration now in the House will never be signed. The governor’s office, meanwhile, is dissing the document…

Spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff says the revenue and expenses in the budget don’t add up. She says that could mean some services would have to be cut to make the budget balance.

She also complained that it contains about $200 million for legislative pork projects.

Ottenhoff stopped short of saying Blagojevich would veto the bill if it reaches his desk.

* 11:36 am - From a press release…

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 31 will hold two news conferences today to announce details of its lawsuit seeking to compel the state of Illinois and Comptroller Dan Hynes to pay all state employees in full and on time, even absent a new state budget.

* 12:33 pm - Just nine House members voted “No” on the operating budget.

* 12:36 pm - Good news, I suppose. Speaker Madigan just announced that the Senate has finally agreed to put the now agreed operating budget on a House bill that’s sitting in the Senate, pass it today and send it over to the House, so the House can then vote on it today and send it to the governor right away.

Subscribers know what this means. The trust level between the House and Senate is growing and the governor will be on the spot.

* 12:34 pm - It’s not posted at the moment, but the House roll call of the budget bill can be found here.

* 12:55 pm - Remember this?

On April 15th this year, nothing had even started yet.

* 1:06 pm - The House is recessed until 4 o’clock, when they will vote on the 7 percent solution bill and, likely, the operating budget.

* 1:30 pm - House members voting against the operating budget today were Arroyo, Black, Dunkin, Granberg, Hoffman, McCarthy, Phelps, Reitz and Ryg.

* 1:40 pm - Some days have ups and downs. Today’s Alton Telegraph editorial quoted my line about the governor’s “flailing, wild-eyed, veto-threatening man behind the curtain” behavior, while an illiterate, barely readable hack at the Peoria Journal-Star who I never heard of before saw fit to call me stupid. She explained in a subsequent e-mail that she was just trying to get my attention. She succeeded. That Gatehouse Media crowd and I just can’t seem to get along this week.

* 1:55 pm - Something to consider… The House vote on the operating budget today and Jones’ intention to run a different but identical bill in the Senate means Jones now has a vehicle bill (the one that passed the House today) that he can shell out and use for other budgetary purposes, like the gaming/capital stuff or a one-month budget.

* 2:27 pm - OK, there’s quite a bit of confusion out there about the House passing a budget and then the Senate using a different bill to pass an identical budget. A friend of mine and I just had this conversation on AIM about what has happened so far today. I’ve slightly edited it…

FRIEND: hello
CAPITOLFAX: what’s up?
FRIEND: i need you to explain what happened today please
CAPITOLFAX: the house passed a budget. the senate couldn’t vote on that bill until sunday
FRIEND: so?
CAPITOLFAX: so, the senate will use the vehicle bill that mjm sent over several days ago, amend it with the budget language, send it right back to the house and the house will pass it and send it to the guv
FRIEND: all today?
CAPITOLFAX: yes
CAPITOLFAX: and emil has a new house vehicle that he can use after saturday for gaming or a 1-month budget
FRIEND: so the budget the house passed this am is useless at this moment
CAPITOLFAX: it’s useful for emil’s future
FRIEND: yes but not for paychecks
CAPITOLFAX: the budget will be passed today
FRIEND: thank you, that is what i understood but it is getting bogged down in rumors
FRIEND: and the gov wont sign?
CAPITOLFAX: lol
CAPITOLFAX: dunno
FRIEND: and now the budget passes but emil has his opening?
CAPITOLFAX: yes

Jones is now preparing a gaming bill, a capital bill and a bond authorization bill. Not sure what vehicles he will use yet, when the votes will take place, or what Madigan will do with them in the House if Jones can pass them.

* 2:52 pm - If you’re still confused, “Ghost” posted this in comments, for which he gets an A+…

Rich, if I understand your AIM explanation, the senate has a bill in front of it that under senate rules is immediately elligible to be called for a vote. The Senate takes that Bill, deletes all of its current contents, and replaces them with the budget. This then allows them to vote on it today in compliance with whatever the internal process stuff is for calling bills. If they did not use an existing bill there is a delay before it can be called for a vote. But the existing budget already passed by the house that has moved to the senate can have its language removed and replaced with whatever jones needs in the future.

Perfect.

70 Comments

Question of the day

Thursday, Aug 9, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

First, the setup. The state has a new law banning license plate covers….

License plate covers, a thin piece of plastic that goes over the plate, often purchased to keep thieves from stealing registration stickers, keep the plate free of bug splatter or improve the overall appearance of a vehicle, are now illegal.

The problem…

“Covers reduce their visibility, especially at night,” Settingsgaard said. “Tinted covers are worse, but even clear covers can obscure. It gets worse as the covers age and yellow.”

Another reason why the covers aren’t well liked by police is many times the tinted ones can make it hard to see from which state the plate was issued.

The question: Do you agree or disagree with this new law? Explain.

68 Comments

End in sight? Don’t hold your breath

Thursday, Aug 9, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Don’t get your hopes up…

Friday could be the day. Local lawmakers are saying they’re getting a good sense that a tardy state budget will through the House today and to the Senate on Friday for approval.

If the House runs the budget on a shell bill that hasn’t yet been sent over by the Senate, the earliest the Senate could vote on the measure would be Saturday, not Friday. But subscribers know there are still some glitches to be dealt with.

* Despite about a $2 billion increase in spending over last fiscal year (8 percent), and one of the biggest ever increases in education spending without a tax increase, the governor’s people are still complaining…

Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Collinsville, a close ally of Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s, called the plan “woefully inadequate.”

“The proposed budget is going to result in cuts to health care, it’s not going to provide the needed money to schools, and there’ll be no capital bill,” Hoffman said.

* More on the spending…

The proposed spending plan agreed to by legislative leaders would provide for a $597 million increase for schools, which would boost per-pupil spending in Illinois by about $400. Universities would see a 2 percent increase.

* More…

It would not provide $100 million to Cook County Hospital sought by Cook County Board President Todd Stroger or provide funds for the cash-strapped CTA.

* You can see more details here.

* The gaming negotiations continue, but without Speaker Madigan’s input…

Separately, Blagojevich, Jones and the two Republican legislative leaders are trying to put together a bill that would give Chicago a land-based casino, hoping that could fuel a multibillion construction program and push funding for school operations up to $900 million. Left out of the meeting was Madigan, who said he was not invited. The speaker said he wants to craft a construction program but noted, it’s “very interesting that they’re attempting to work on a major gaming bill and they have nobody from the House Democrats.”

* And, of course, there’s plenty of pork to go around, but not nearly the sort of spending that the governor wants in the capital bill…

State lawmakers stand to bring home as much as $200 million for largely local pork-barrel projects if they pass a budget deal being negotiated by leaders of both parties in the House and Senate.

Senators are eyeing more than $1 million each for projects in their districts, and House lawmakers hope to get at least $650,000, according to rank-and-file lawmakers who have handed in their wish lists.

* But there’s a key difference in how the projects are funded…

House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) said the projects going to the lawmakers in his House Democratic caucus would be included in specific line items, but he did not specify how much the overall allocation is for his caucus.

“The public is going to see everything,” Madigan said. “The public is going to see everything. We have nothing to be concerned about, nothing to hide. Not a bit. Where you ought to look for hiding is among the Senate Democrats, where they’re going to do a lump sum.”

* Meanwhile, gaming opponents are starting to gear up…

Some activists in Chicago… are objecting strongly to the secretive way this downtown casino deal is being negotiated behind closed doors in Springfield, with little or no input from the public.

They are demanding that before any new casino is built, voters be given the opportunity to cast ballots on the issue in a referendum.

“We think that if a referendum was held, a casino would fail, but that would remain to be seen,” said Doug Dobmeyer of the Task Force to Oppose Gambling.

* More budget stuff, compiled by Paul…

* Bill to boost cigarette taxes advances; more here

* Another deadline comes and goes

* Vote may come today, but skeptics remain

* Editorial: Rumbling toward a budget wreck

* Tribune Editorial: If the schools win more money… …from Illinois’ bet on casinos

* Chicago’s Teacher’s Union: 3% raise won’t be enough

* Editorial: To boo or not to boo at Gov. Blagojevich

28 Comments