* The House was first out of the gate…

Using only Democratic votes, the House approved two state budgets contained in more than two dozen bills. One version keeps state funding for the fiscal year that begins July 1 essentially the same as this year. The other version — dubbed a “Christmas tree budget” because of all of the goodies in it — greatly expands funding for education, health care and other programs.

* Actually, there are several different budget combinations in those bills passed by the House yesterday, all on party lines…

“Today was an exercise in futility or a farce or a scam or whatever you want to call it,” said House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego. “It’s a budget at the end of the day that’s $3 billion out of whack.”

* That’s true, but the House’s budget plan would allow the Senate and the governor to pick and choose what they wanted to keep. And Speaker Madigan had this to say to the Republicans yesterday…

“You had your opportunity. You had your choice. What’s the complaint? There’s never been, since 1991, so much participation in budget making as there has been over the last several weeks,” [Madigan] said.

The “opening up” of the process, however, could also generate election year ammunition to hurt vulnerable Republicans. By forcing them to reject the menu of budget options crafted exclusively by Democrats, their opponents could argue they failed to vote for any budget.

Also true.

* Meanwhile, the Senate was putting together its own, more modest proposal in the traditional manner…

In a role reversal, the Senate Democrats focused on holding down spending growth, as demonstrated by a move to largely use a $200 million boost in education funding—far less than last year’s $550 million increase—to simply make sure no schools get less next year. Senate Democrats are calling for a $1.3 billion spending increase. Nearly half of that would address the spiraling costs in the Medicaid and FamilyCare programs. But they would not support Blagojevich’s desire to expand state subsidized health-care programs. That includes rejecting the governor’s request to double the breast and cervical cancer screening program to $10 million.

* There appears room for compromise…

[Senate Democratic budget negotiator Donne Trotter] said the more austere House budget is in line with what Senate Democrats think is affordable.

“It’s 80 percent to 85 percent like ours,” Trotter said. “There’s plenty of time (before May 31) to reconcile the rest.”

* But not all is well…

Rep. Frank Mautino (D-Spring Valley) said outlines of the Senate plan sounded “pretty decent.” But Mautino, a budget expert, questioned whether the House would approve the pension bond proposal.

* And the governor is hanging over their heads…

[Blagojevich] could try to keep lawmakers in town if they don’t approve key items he wants, such as $16 billion in borrowing to pay down massive pension fund debt and a new statewide construction plan.

* And…

Blagojevich’s office would only say [yesterday] that it is still reviewing the House budget bills. The governor could veto a budget that isn’t to his liking, forcing lawmakers to return to Springfield to possibly overturn the veto.

Or, he could use reduction and line item vetoes and they won’t have to come back until after the November election. Nobody knows for sure what he’ll do.

* Considering the opposition to an overtime session by Senate Democrats, there is an expectation that Gov. Blagojevich won’t call members in for an overtime session. Plus, there’s this factor…

The federal corruption trial of Tony Rezko, one of Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s political inner circle, may prompt the governor to be open to negotiating a deal, said state Rep. Patrick Verschoore, D-Milan.

“He’s got his problems and I don’t think he wants to call an overtime session,” he said.

* Yesterday’s one high point…

One of the few things both sides of the aisle could agree upon Wednesday was to take a break when former Bulls center Bill Cartwright stopped by to regale them with the olden days of glory when the championship teams also had a guy named Michael Jordan.

* Related…

* Blagojevich tells high court to lobby lawmakers for construction money

* Gov. meets with lawmakers to push infrastructure expansion plan

* Push for Slots Continues in Illinois

* Vote on levee tax likely in July; new sales tax gets gov’s signature

* While IDOT employees picket, governor’s office takes little action

*** UPDATE *** Ray Long has some Senate budget details…

Trotter, the Senate Democratic budget point man, said the Senate is looking at increasing spending in next year’s budget by $1.3 billion.

Along with the $300 million increase for pensions, he said, the rest of the increases would be distributed like this:

–$600 million into Medicaid and FamilyCare programs to address the rising costs of health care programs already in place. It would not pay for expansions in health care that Blagojevich has long sought. A Senate committee has already rejected the governor’s proposal for doubling the funding for breast and cervical cancer screenings.

–$200 million for boosts in cost-of-living increases for workers caring for patients with developmental disabilities and for residents in nursing homes.

–$200 million more for schools. A huge portion of this would be used to make sure no schools would get less money next school year. It’s a significantly lower increase than last year’s exceptional $550 million increase in school funding, but Trotter said the lower increase this year is a result of economic times and the “extraordinary” boost last year.

The budget proposal does not include increases for union workers covered by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which is bargaining a contract with the administration, Trotter said.

That includes the pension obligation bond. Without it, the pension contribution rises to $800 million.