* Apparently, the deadline to take action on the BIMP bill wasn’t last night, but is actually tonight at midnight, regardless of what this article claims…
Gov. Rod Blagojevich had until midnight Thursday to veto legislation, essentially a companion bill to the state budget, that would allow schools to collect the state’s new “foundation level” of $5,734 per student, an increase of $400. Lawmakers voted for the higher foundation level earlier this year. […]
Calls for comment left with the governor’s press office were not returned, but as of 5 p.m. Thursday, the secretary of state’s office said it had not received the bill and the General Assembly Web site showed the bill was still on the governor’s desk.
The legislation, known as a budget implementation bill, raises the foundation level, the minimum amount that a school must spend on each pupil, by $400, to $5,734 from $5,334. Without that change, the State Board of Education says its allocation of general state aid is governed by last year’s foundation level.
The secretary of state has been told to expect some action from the governor today. Word is the office was told the same thing yesterday, but the governor changed his mind. If he doesn’t take action by tonight, the bill becomes law without his signature.
* This article had it right…
Schools around the state are poised to collect more than $600 million set aside for them in August, if Gov. Rod Blagojevich does not veto the legislation before midnight tonight.
If he signs the bill, or takes no other action, the money will be freed up for state school districts. But if he vetoes any part of it, the money — and the school districts — remain in limbo.
* Back in November, the governor indicated that he might change the legislation…
Gov. Rod Blagojevich may be setting up another potentially ugly showdown with state lawmakers. This time, it’s about state spending on schools.
The governor hinted this week that he may take his veto pen to budget legislation sent to him by the General Assembly more than four weeks ago.
“We’re looking at that bill. I think there could be a way to actually put more money into education,” Blagojevich said.
The governor’s move could set up a new battleground in a year that has seen him warring with legislative leaders over everything from health care spending to what time of the day they begin meeting.
* It’s uncertain what he’ll do. The teachers unions and school lobsters are more than a little peeved at the governor for demanding for weeks that the General Assembly pass the BIMP and then sitting on it for so long.
* Watch this space for updates. You can monitor the bill’s status here.
*** UPDATE 1 *** The governor has used his amendatory veto on the BIMP. Stay tuned for more info.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Blagojevich press release…
Governor Rod R. Blagojevich today took action on a Budget Implementation Bill (BIMP) that will give Illinois schools a $560 million increase in state funding. Senate Bill 783, the BIMP for Fiscal Year 2008, provides a record amount of funding for school districts throughout Illinois. With this
year’s increase, the FY08 appropriation is the largest total annual investment in education in state history.
The Governor used his amendatory veto power to get school districts quicker access to additional funding for special education staff. This is the first time
since 1985 that districts will receive a higher rate to help cover special education staff salaries.
Under the BIMP bill, districts will get an additional $1,000 for each certified teacher and $700 for each non-certified staff member. Because of a drafting error, districts were not scheduled to begin receiving that money until FY 2009. If accepted by state lawmakers, Gov. Blagojevich’s amendatory veto means districts will get that money beginning in the
next few weeks.
That’s ridiculous. They could’ve done a cleanup bill. Now, both chambers will have to accept the guv’s AV before schools (and the state police and the secretary of state, etc.) will get their money.
*** UPDATE 3 *** There was another AV message, but this, too, could have been corrected with a trailer bill…
The Governor also issued an amendatory veto to correct an error in the state’s Road Fund cap.
As written, the BIMP bill extends the cap on funding the Illinois State Police (ISP) can use from the Road Fund to $97 million. With only a $97 million extension, the state police could not spend all the money appropriated to them, which would impact staffing. The Governor’s amendatory veto will extend the cap to $106.1 million, consistent with the spending authority given to the agency in the budget passed by the General Assembly. With the correction, ISP will have the funds needed to maintain existing frontline police levels.
“The Governor’s amendatory veto will correct an oversight in the BIMP bill that could have had a very serious and detrimental impact on public safety in Illinois. Making sure the State Police’s spending authority matches its appropriation means we can cover our costs, meet our contract agreements and keep troopers on the frontlines,” said ISP Dir. Larry Trent.
*** UPDATE 4 *** I haven’t been able to get a comment yet from the Senate or the House Democrats, but considering that Speaker Madigan and the governor don’t get along at all and are never on the same page, this update from the SJ-R may not turn out to be true…
School districts in Illinois Friday got step closer to collecting an extra $600 million in state funding contained in the budget passed in August.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich used his amendatory veto powers Friday on a bill authorizing school districts to collect the extra money contained in the budget. Blagojevich’s office described the changes technical.
Lawmakers could approve the changes as early as next week, paving the way for schools to collect the funds.
*** UPDATE 5 *** Here’s a brief transcription of the AV…
following specific recommendations for change:
page 43, after 2007, by deleting, “and 2008″ and page 43 line 3 before 2007 by reinserting “and” and on page 43, line 5 after 97,313,000, by inserting “For fiscal year 2008 only, no road fund monies shall be appropriated by the department of state police for the purposes of this section in excess of $106,100,000.”
page 337, line 20 by replacing 2006-2007 with 2005-2006
page 337 line 21 by replacing 2007-2008 with 2006-2007
page 338 line 18 replacing 2006-2007 with 2005-2006
page 338, line 18 replacing 2007-2008 with 2006-2007
page 338 line 23 replacing 2006-2007 with 2005-2006
page 338 line 24, replacing 2007-2008 with 2006-2007
page 339 line 5 repl 2007-2008 w/ 2006-2007
p 339 line 10 rep 2006-2007 w/2005-2006
p 339 line 11 rep2007-2008 w/2006-2007
p 339 line 21 rep 2006-2007 w/ 2005-2006
and page 339 line 21, re 2007-2008 with 2006-2007
*** UPDATE 6 *** The SJ-R has now revised its story…
School districts in Illinois will have to wait a while longer to collect an extra $600 million in state funding contained in the budget passed in August.
If they ever get it. Stay tuned.
*** UPDATE 7 *** You can read the official AV message by clicking here.
*** UPDATE 8 *** From the governor’s office…
The BIMP is a lengthy and very technical bill. It was important to make sure it accomplished what it is supposed to. It’s good that we took time to be thorough in our review because during the process we found these issues that could cause problems for schools and the state police if they are not fixed.
*** UPDATE 9 *** More from the governor’s office…
[The governor] did talk to some of the leaders. The changes shouldn’t be controversial — they just make sure the BIMP is consistent with the budget lawmakers passed. Without the changes, schools would not get all of the special ed $ they’re supposed to get in the budget, and neither would the state police.
This, of course, doesn’t explain why they couldn’t have just run a trailer bill with cleanup language.
- GoBearsss - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 9:59 am:
And there it is!
- huckleberry - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 10:11 am:
AV’d
- huckleberry - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 10:15 am:
Rich - any idea when the message will be on the site? Can you post it here?
- OneMan - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 10:22 am:
Wow that is going to make a lot of folks happy… Is the length of the delay a tactical thing or just the fact he seems to take forever to do stuff.
- Anonymous - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 10:25 am:
Here’s the press release:
http://www.illinois.gov/PressReleases/ShowPressRelease.cfm?SubjectID=9&RecNum=6527
- Bill - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 10:26 am:
Oneman,
It could have something to do with the fact that the FY 08 budget was seriously unbalanced and there is no money. Nah….that would make too much sense….never mind.
- Anonymous - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 10:35 am:
So let me get this straight. The AV was intended to correct an “error” that’s been in place for more than 20 years (i.e. special ed reimbursement rate) and which could easily have waited a few more weeks or months to correct. In the process, he holds up funds that school districts (and some other agencies) need NOW, or yesterday. What gives? Is this supposed to be a bargaining chip of some kind?
- A Citizen - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 10:38 am:
Bill is right. The cash flow problem is at a critical level. Many agencies are holding on by their fingernails just to make payrolls.
- GoBearsss - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 10:40 am:
No, let ME get this straight:
You mean that none of the legislators read this bill before they voted on it, and couldn’t catch these obvious errors?
I am shocked - shocked!
- GoBearsss - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 10:45 am:
Honestly, I am surprised he didn’t touch any of the corporate loopholes the BIMP opened up.
Sounds like he made a deal with somebody.
- OneMan - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 10:45 am:
GoBearsss if this is obvious to you then I am really impressed….
Also if it was so obvious why did it take the governors office 2 months to find it.
- GoBearsss - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 10:50 am:
My comment was mostly tongue-in-cheek.
Since I don’t do this stuff for a living, I really don’t know whether they were obvious or not. But to the people who DO do this stuff for a living, it should have been obvious.
- Pot calling kettle - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 10:51 am:
Are there other changes he made and did not put into his press release?
- Pot calling kettle - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 10:51 am:
The gov’s office says “technical,” smells fishy to me.
- DC - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 11:00 am:
Is the Governor planning to fund the special ed increase through transfers or is this an “execuitve” appropriation without legislative authority, forcing the legislature to vote to increase state spending in order to approve the AV? The other issue, from a timing standpoint, is when the GA will take the AV under advisement and vote up or down? They can’t technically do it under the existing special session which would imply it would have to done during the regular session which won’t start for a few more weeks, thereby delaying funding to the school districts.
Had he signed the bill, the money would be flowing out immediately. By his actions, he has essentially put the extra funding in jeopardy not to mention delaying the disbursement.
Great job, Rodney. That’s what you get when you surround yourself with people who can’t think beyond today’s press release.
- anon - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 11:01 am:
As far as timing of votes on the AVs, the Senate does not meet until Jan. 9, so has until Jan. 24 to vote (in which case it would have meet on a currently unscheduled date). Then House does not meet until Feb. 13 according to its current calendar, then it has 15 days, or until Feb 28 to vote on the AVs. Or does required action on the AVs force a change in the calendar of either chamber?
- DC - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 11:08 am:
Once again he has added a comma to a dissertation and effectively delegated the rest of the paper to someone else to complete under his name. My guess is the BIMP bill took second fiddle to a BCS Bowl game and they looked at it during halftime.
- Ghost - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 11:24 am:
he has to do an AV, otherwise there is no opportunity to say how he single handedly helped save and benefit schools despite the bill passed by the GA.
- Squideshi - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 11:44 am:
$1,000,000 contract to the community mental health provider that has more than 700 beds in multiple counties, huh? Why didn’t they just come out and name the entity? LOL
- countryboy - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 11:50 am:
If he signed it, the schools and others get the money. If he didn’t, same result. The eleventh-hour AV continues the stall, but now makes MJM the holdup. Smack the Speaker, at the simple cost of delay and confusion statewide? Our guv?
- Arthur Andersen - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 12:16 pm:
It’s also a long stretch to say that the $97m Road Fund ISP spending cap was “an error.”
Perhaps failing to raise the cap is an error, but the cap itself is not. Besides, who drafts the BIMPs?
Let’s see, this was also the change needed to avert “laying off 90% of the State Police on January 1.”
Public Official A continues to push his credibility deficit even faster than he is raising the State’s budget deficit.
- A Citizen - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 12:56 pm:
“…that could cause problems for schools and the state police if they are not fixed….”
AH Ha !! We are led to believe the Fix is in! Guv and staff have lost their collective mind.
- Anonymous - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 12:57 pm:
Want to improve education (and solve our oil addiction and global warming at the same time)? Online education is how our state can stay competitive in the future. Start with high schools offering unavailable classes thru ivhs.org and encouraging home schooling. As it expands we no longer need to spend millions on new buildings and non-instructional staff. The result is kids get far more personalized education for a fraction of the cost throughout the year, better preparing them for future employment. We would be investing in fast internet infrastructure to every home, so anyone living far from economic powerhouses can still access great colleges and top paying jobs from the comfort of home. Are we ready to thrive in the future?
- Willie Stark - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 1:02 pm:
It’s all about “leverage,” don’t you see? In the fever swamp delirium that passes for strategic thinking in the governor’s office, this will be one more ingredient for that mighty tasty burgoo they’ve been cooking up for months. Another great and grand bargain that Rod’s putting together. With his incredible mastery of details and his remarkable ability to look at the world from the perspective of other parties in a negotiation so as to better appreciate what they are trying to accomplish and then reach consensus, he’s just the man to pull this rabbit out of his hat (and then toss it into the stew, to boot). Yum.
- jwscott72 - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 1:51 pm:
In light of the Obama victory, the Governor is feeling left out and wants someone to pay attention to him. Hence, the AV and its 15 press releases. Come on Rich, trailer bills are boring. You know that. LOL
- Anonymous - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 2:08 pm:
If the changes were so simple and non-controversial they could have been handled weeks ago, or with trailer bills as Rich said. No, this has to be a deliberate attempt on the Gov’s part to delay releasing the affected funds for as long as possible. Why? Is the money just not there… or did it already get spent on something else?
- School Finance - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 2:31 pm:
The fact there is a “technical” drafting issue is another example of the harm the inability of the Governor to work with the GA can have on everyone in the state. My discussions with ISBE staff indicate that the correct language was in the hands of the Governor last spring (with reminders through the fall). It appears that even simple staff level work of sharing draft legislative language has been caught up in the Governor’s continuing Machiavellian antics. Such staff sharing used to be the normal course of business in Springfield.
- DumberThanYouThink - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 2:46 pm:
Opps we had em fooled til the SpinSisters used those thorough and review as something our gang would do.
Slick Willie was out spilling beer in Pasedena and the rest were at our secret vacation spot so we could not get to the BIMP right away.
DiceK and Hollywood wanted the AV to include what their bookies said was needed.
Let’s drop the thorough review stuff and just blame the Devil Madigan for Illinois losing.
That should do for now.
- Prairie Sage - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 2:49 pm:
This, of course, doesn’t explain why they couldn’t have just run a trailer bill with cleanup language.
Willie Stark explained it — it’s all about leverage, or whose court the ball is in. From the administration’s perspective, why on earth would they sign a bill and then leave an extra few million subject to future negotiations, when the AV power provided in the constitution gives the Governor the ability to prescribe a specific solution for what amounts to an up-or-down vote?
I understand the concerns of certain legislative leaders about the breadth of this power, but the language of Article IV.9.e is exactly that broad.
That said, I’ve never understood why the Governor of Illinois needs 60 days to review a bill when the President gets only “ten Days (Sundays excepted)”.
- It's 5 O'clock somewhere - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 2:57 pm:
It is a ploy to develop an insanity defence when Rod is invited to talk to Fitzgerald.
- DC - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 3:06 pm:
If the BIMP bill was heard in committee, and for the sake of assumption let’s say it was, is not incumbent upon the Governor’s Office to have know what was in the bill that was before the committee? They could have amended the bill in committee - or at worse have Hoffman offer a floor amendment and suspend the House Rules to allow the vote- and they could have avoided this. They are not interested in the details of legislation, but rather are only interested in political grandstanding without realizing the implications of their actions.
The associations that publicly supported the AV should have to explain their support in a few weeks when schools start laying off staff because the Governor caused a delay by issuing the AV.
If there were technical problems with the bill, then they should have caught and fixed months ago. Time to fly off to Washington again and issue some emergency rules while he’s out of town.
- Inquiring mind - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 3:43 pm:
Can someone explain to me whether any of this is now law or all of it on hold until the GA acts on it?
- Anon - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 3:45 pm:
Rich, why would the gov try to make these corrections with a trailor bill when the Speaker would most likely make it into an issue to make the governor look bad. If the gov is actually doing what is right here, then it should pass both chambers without objection. This decision simply means that the Speaker will not be able to quietly sabotage the bill and embarras the gov.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 3:53 pm:
To make him look bad? Huh?
Trailer bills have been used for years to clean up language. Rarely do we see something like this unless signing the bill into law would cause real harm.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 3:54 pm:
Also, if the guv’s goal in life is to not look bad, then perhaps somebody ought to have a long talk with him.
- GoBearsss - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 4:17 pm:
Whew! It is a good thing Madigan is back from vacation! Or else… oh… wait…
- Disgusted - Friday, Jan 4, 08 @ 9:49 pm:
If there’s no money, how come the Gov keeps demanding posters, flyers and brochures on the QT, circumventing state print shops, so he can keep his name in front of the public. Happened again today! There is no end to his ego!
- Squideshi - Saturday, Jan 5, 08 @ 10:40 am:
Who came up with this term “BIMP” anyway. Sounds a lot like “BLIMP” to me, which would seem to indicate that it is the invention of someone who wanted to imply that the budget is BLOATED. Hmmm…