Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar » 2008

Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* 5:37 pm - The House plans to vote tonight on two of the guv’s amendatory vetoes. Rep Chuck Jefferson has reversed course and will move to accept Blagojevich’s AV of a health insurance to allow people to stay on their parents’ insurance until they’re 29.

The other AV is of a TIF bill to exempt disabled vets from paying property taxes. That’s a GOP bill and the HGOP is caucusing at the moment.

The House is also planning on running a “mini capital bill” tonight.

* 6:08 pm - The House Republican sponsor of the second, vets-related AV will move to accept the governor’s amendatory veto.

* 6:15 pm - The Senate has adjourned, so if the House votes to accept these amendatory vetoes, the Senate won’t be around to vote on them. They’re all going home.

* 7:14 pm - Both AVs were accepted.

12 Comments

@ the fair

Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* 2:25 -Huge turnout. Speaker and Lisa Madigan are no-shows after all. Secretary of State White and Comptroller Hynrs are also absent.

Nothing but cheering so far but there are lots of AFSCME fills are here.

• 2:50 pm - A few boos when Senate Prez Jones was introduced but the crowd is still mostly well behaved if a bit bored and talkative. Several have already left.

• 3:00 pm - Guv’s speech drowned out by AFSCME members shouting “don’t cut healthcare.”. Blagojevich re protesters: “Theyre lucky to have a job.” Union members walked out and guv is continuing his speech.

Not sure why AFSCME walked out because they had stepped all over the guv’s speech The governor did extend an olive branch after they left, saying they’re on the same side.

3:15 pm - Over and out.

* Related…

* Divided Democrats gather at state fair

* Blagojevich’s speech drowned out at Democrats’ unity rally

* Local Democrats continue to fight

* Madigan coming around to infrastructure plan

33 Comments

Governor’s Day

Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* 10:20 am - Comptroller Dan Hynes received a standing ovation at the Democratic county chairman’s event today when he said that a capital plan is going nowhere and substance abuse funding is being slashed not because of some outside force, but because of a personality clash.

Also, Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Secretary of State Jesse White both received standing O’s when they were introduced.

I ran into the new chairman of the organization last night, and he said he wanted to make sure today’s event, which features New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson as they keynote speaker, runs smoothly and without controversy.

House Speaker Michael Madigan was introduced earlier, and the reception was a bit tepid. But there was no booing. Same for Senate President Jones, but Gov. Blagojevich received a rousing standing ovation.

* 10:41 am - Gov. Blagojevich: “I’m glad that the Speaker is here, and I’m interested to see if we can work together to get things done for people.”

More Blagojevich: “I didn’t become a Democrat because some Chicago boss knocked on my door and offered me a job.”

Um, huh? He married his alderman’s daughter, for crying out loud.

* 10:48 am - I told you about this earlier today, and I tipped off subscribers about this possibility last week, but here’s more from the Tribbies…

House Speaker Michael Madigan drew applause at Wednesday morning’s Democratic county chairmen’s brunch when he said “good progress” had been made among his members exploring the lease of the Illinois Lottery to fund a new statewide construction program.

Madigan has blocked Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s proposed $25 billion public works program largely due to a lack of trust of the governor among House Democrats. But the powerful Madigan, who also chairs the state Democratic Party, said House Democrats have been meeting for the past two days to discuss a lottery lease—the basis for funding Blagojevich’s plan.

“Today, the prospects look very, very good,” Madigan said to applause, largely from representatives of labor organizations who back the construction bill. Madigan said “good progress” has been made in reviewing the details of a lottery lease but also said work remains in developing an agreement.

Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago), who has joined with Blagojevich in repeatedly attacking Madigan and House Democrats for stalling the public works measure, said he was heartened by the speaker’s comments.

“The good news today is we’re going to move a capital bill forward,” Jones said.

* 11:17 am - An e-mail from the Better Government Association arrived just in time for Governor’s Day…

The hearing for oral arguments in the BGA’s Freedom of Information lawsuit against the Governor to obtain copies of federal grand jury subpoenas was just scheduled by the 4th District Appellate Court. The hearing will take place on September 16th at 10:00 a.m. at the U of I law school in Urbana.

Apparently the 4th District hears a handful of cases at the law school each year and the BGA’s case is one of this year’s selections.

The BGA won at trial and the governor is appealing.

* 12:07 pm - The governor just spoke to reporters and brushed off repeated attempts by the gathered scribes to get him to say something negative about Speaker Madigan. Blagojevich instead said that since it looks like things are starting to get close on the capital bill that he would rather not go into that sort of attack.

Interesting.

I wonder if his “volunteers” at the State Fair will be following the governor’s lead. Stay tuned.

* The governor was also asked about Comptroller Hynes’ speech. Hynes said that this was “the best of times and the worst of times” for Democrats. “Best,” meaning Obama, “worst,” meaning Illinois.

The guv said he had read a lot of Charles Dickens and claimed that if the author of A Tale of Two Cities was alive today he’d love the All Kids program.

The man knows how to stay on-message when he wants to.

45 Comments

Question of the day

Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The setup…

A legislative review panel unanimously rejected Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s idea to move about 140 state jobs from Springfield to Harrisburg, three hours apart. But the vote isn’t binding, and the governor maintains that he intends to move the jobs as an economic boost to the southern Illinois town.

But the bipartisan, legislative Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability’s six-hour hearing last month and the “pounds of evidence” generated might not go to waste, says Sen. Jeff Schoenberg, an Evanston Democrat chairing the commission and author of the law setting a review process for closing state facilities. The legal and economic data provided as a result of this process could be used as evidence in court.

Legal challenges could come from the state legislators representing the Springfield area, as well as the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 or the local Teamsters union representing the affected employees in the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Division of Public Safety. […]

Sen. Bill Brady, a Bloomington Republican on the commission, said the process has highlighted questions about the fiscal merit, the political motivations and the human impact on the employees.

The administration, however, is looking at other evidence to the contrary, suggesting the move will save money and help out an economically depressed area. Here’s the governor’s statement, provided by e-mail this afternoon: “We will be moving forward with the geographic relocation of IDOT’s Division of Traffic Safety to Harrisburg, as previously mentioned. We’ll be working with the employees who do not choose to relocate, within the terms of their contracts, to find positions for them in Springfield. We will follow all appropriate timelines and guidelines as we move forward.”

* The question: Where do you stand on this concept of moving state jobs out of Springfield to economically depressed areas of the state? Please explain fully. No drive-bys. And try not to focus solely on Gov. Blagojevich. Thanks.

52 Comments

Cows before kids

Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The AP has a pretty good summary of what’s going on in Springfield this week, but they also tread lightly, particularly on the last point…

Q: What do black lawmakers say about the [special session on education]?

A: That Blagojevich called it, so it’s his responsibility to present an agenda. […]

Q: Hasn’t Blagojevich ordered special sessions before?

A: Yes. This week’s sessions will be the 23rd and 24th so far in the current two-year legislative cycle. […]

Q: Why does Blagojevich keep calling special sessions if nothing ever happens?

A: A governor only has so many ways to exert pressure on legislators. With the state budget deep in the red, there’s little money for pork projects in the districts of cooperative lawmakers. With federal investigators probing his administration, he can’t award jobs to political allies.

Two things Blagojevich can do are use his veto power to amend legislation - which he’s doing increasingly often - and order special sessions. Even if lawmakers do nothing, he can point to their inaction as evidence that they’re obstructionists.

* Erickson asks a question that is on a whole lot of minds this week…

The question of the day for many state lawmakers Tuesday was: Why are we here?

Called into special session by Gov. Rod Blagojevich, members of the House and Senate were directed to do something about the state’s school funding formula, which allows wide disparities in funding levels among the state’s 800-plus school districts.

But nearly everyone agreed the topic simply cannot be handled in a one-day, hours long session.

“It’s absurd,” said state Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth. “We know we can’t accomplish anything.”

* And Rev. Sen. James Meeks blasted away with both barrels…

In the Senate, Democratic Sen. James Meeks of Chicago sounded a similar theme, accusing Blagojevich of “calling us down here for absolutely no reason at all.”

“Everybody at home thinks that we’re here dealing with some educational matters, when in actuality we’re not,” said Meeks.

“When the governor calls a special session, the governor is supposed to have an agenda. One, two, three, what we’re supposed to do,” Meeks said. “He calls a special session on education without a plan, any ideas on education, and I just think it’s appalling.”

Blagojevich spokesman Brian Williamsen responded that the governor’s previous proposals to the legislature have been rejected.

* More…

‘’He’s sending the same one he sent in 2006 by making a promise and not keeping it — That this is not his priority,'’ said Meeks, a leading critic of the school-funding system.

The governor said he was not happy with lawmakers’ actions Tuesday.

‘’I'm disappointed that after lawmakers asked for a Special Session to fund education, the House called it quits after just a half-hour,'’ Blagojevich said. ‘’There are a number of solutions and proposals that I have introduced that could have been discussed, but instead, some members used their time to point fingers and offer excuses.'’

Blagojevich spokesman Brian Williamsen said in an e-mail that Meeks had requested the special session.

* Cows before kids…

[Sen. James Meeks (D-Chicago) called it “appalling” and “disappointing” that Blagojevich failed to present an education reform plan Tuesday. The senator, pastor of a large South Side church, has called for a boycott by Chicago Public Schools students on Sept. 2—their first day of school—saying they should try to enroll in the wealthy north suburban New Trier Township High School District. The governor instead headed in late afternoon to the Illinois State Fair cattle barns for the annual grand champion auction—a decision that angered lawmakers.

“He did not call a special session to deal with cows,” Meeks said. “He called a special session to deal with kids.”

* And the Daily Herald looks at what the legislative per diem buys at the Illinois State Fair…

What $129 buys you at the Illinois State Fair:

Corn dogs:

43 small ($3)

25 large ($5)

Lemon shake-ups:

43 small ($3)

25 large ($5)

Vinegar fries:

43 small ($3)

32 medium ($4)

21 large ($6)

Deep-fried Snickers:

36 ($3.50)

Soft-serve ice cream:

28 ($4.50)

*Editor’s note: Recommend dipping deep-fried Snickers into soft-serve ice cream!

* Related…

* Kass: This week, Gov. Rod “The Unreformer” Blagojevich revealed himself to be something of a madman, perhaps even a dangerous madman.

* State records show that Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s campaign coffers have raked in more than $314,000 in donations from companies and individuals doing business with the state over the last six months — a practice that many critics contend creates at least an apparent conflict of interest.

* Looking back at Michigan’s school funding “reform”

* Will Southland fight for school reform?

* Editorial: Springfield summer rerun gets old

* Southern Illinois Drug Treatment Programs Hit Hard By Blagojevich’s Budget Cuts

* Sale of Champions produces record bids

14 Comments

Today’s pay raise coverage is anything but sweet

Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* You already know this from yesterday, but check out how harsh the Tribune’s coverage is today…

The Illinois Senate rejected a 7.5 percent pay increase Tuesday in the face of withering criticism from voters who feared lawmakers would sneak the raises through after they were safely re-elected in November.

But don’t cry too hard for state lawmakers—they just got a 3.8 percent cost-of-living adjustment July 1. The mere possibility that they could so quickly raise their own pay again served as a focal point for citizen outrage.

Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago) had angled for more money this spring, unabashedly declaring: “I need a pay raise. I need a pay raise.” But with lawmakers unexpectedly in town this week, Jones changed his mind and allowed the vote.

Ouch.

* The NorthWest Herald’s was on the same level…

Illinois Senate President Emil Jones gained a bit of infamy in May when he told reporters, “I need a pay raise. I need a pay raise.”

He didn’t get one. He didn’t get one.

Oof.

* The Sun-Times ran an AP story, but headlined it: “No raise for Emil“…

Even after the 47-0 vote against the raises, state officials still get a 3.8 percent cost-of-living increase.

Senate President Emil Jones, (D-Chicago) voted ‘’present'’ on the raise and called opponents ‘’hypocrites'’ for objecting to the money while accepting a 3.8 percent cost-of-living increase included in this year’s budget.

* And check out the paper’s Higgins cartoon today.

Yikes.

* Related…

* Lawmakers kill pay raises

* Senators kill pay raises for state officials

14 Comments

Madigan clan a no-show? *** UPDATED x2 - Speaker will show ***

Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Not unexpected, but hadn’t heard about the Speaker Madigan part. Lisa Madigan didn’t attend last year’s festivities, either…

Sneed is told neither House Speaker Mike Madigan nor his daughter, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan — who is eyeing a gubernatorial bid — has any interest being on stage with Governor Blago todayduring Governor’s Day at the Illinois State Fair.

Thoughts?

*** UPDATE - 9:39 am *** I just talked to Speaker Madigan’s spokesman, who pointed out that Madigan will share the stage with the governor at the county chairmen’s event this morning and at the state party convention at 11 o’clock. The spokesman said that Madigan then needs to go back to the Statehouse to prepare for the 5 pm special session, so he will be unable to attend the Governor’s Day festivities at the fairgrounds.

Convenient.

Also, the spokesman stressed that he believed the news of the day was that the House was making significant progress on refashioning the Lottery lease bill, which will fund the capital plan. He did say, however, that there wouldn’t be a vote on the plan today.

*** UPDATE - 9:44 am *** OK, well, the Speaker’s spokesman just called back to say that Madigan told a Chicago reporter he plans to be at the State Fair’s Governor’s Day event today.

So there.

21 Comments

Morning Shorts

Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008 - Posted by Kevin Fanning

* Did Ozinga pay to play?

“I’ve got good customers and good friends that happen to be Democrats. Not everybody I know is a Republican. They’re all enthused about their candidate or whatever, and they’re doing a big fundraising effort. I’d like to be able to respond positively to my friends or customers,” he said.

* Ready, set, punch: 10th U.S. District campaign heats up

* Halvorson’s stepson’s injury caused by fall on rocks

* Lawmakers cash in as lobbyists

This is a revolving door system that special interests are happy to exploit - last year, they paid nearly $3 billion to hire Washington influence peddlers. That’s $17 million for every day Congress was in session.

* A good anti-stalker law, if Illinois gets it right

* A day to dine out to help the hungry

* U of C Secretly Buying Land?

* Illinois panel backs Advocate purchase of Libertyville hospital

* State rejects Edward’s plans for Plainfield hospital

* A longer road: Reaching the felony ranks in the state’s attorney’s office

* Cook County residents can register until Oct. 7 to vote

* Sneed: Mayor for Mac A Mac memo . . .

Sneed hears Mayor Daley and state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias will deliver eulogies at the funeral of comedian Bernie Mac this weekend.

* Troutman, gang chief were lovers, feds say

* Watching the Olympics online: It’s better than tolerable

[Didn’t make it: 4]

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Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today’s edition of Capitol Fax

Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

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