*** UPDATE *** Donation info…
In lieu of flowers, memorials to the Hospice Foundation of Northeastern Illinois, 405 Lake Zurich Rd., Barrington, IL 60010, www.hospiceanswers.org, or 224-770-2413 or the Illinois Conservation Foundation (for the benefit of youth hunting), 1 Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702, www.ilcf.org, or 217-785-2003.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* From the House Republicans…
Visitation
Thursday, June 9, 2011, 1-9 p.m.
Davenport Family Funeral Home
419 E. Terra Cotta Ave. (Route 176)
Crystal Lake, IL 60014
815-459-3411
www.davenportfamily.com
Mass
Friday, June 10, 2011, 10:30 a.m.
St. Anne Church
120 Ela St. (at the corner of Franklin St.)
Barrington, IL 60010
847-382-5300
Burial
Private
White Memorial Cemetery
Barrington
…Adding… Here is Rep. Beaubien’s official obituary…
Mark Beaubien
State Representative 52nd District
State Representative Mark Beaubien Jr., 68, of Barrington Hills, died suddenly on Sunday, June 5, 2011. He was born October 30, 1942 in Waukegan. He married Dee Prola Beaubien on August 15, 1964 in Springfield, Illinois. Together they raised two sons and have five grandchildren. Dee was his wife for 47 years, his best friend of over 50 and the source of much of his inspiration.
Rep. Beaubien was an Assistant Republican Leader, serving as State Representative since his appointment on October 22, 1996 to fill a vacancy. He was subsequently re-elected to six additional two-year terms.
Prior to becoming a lawmaker, Rep. Beaubien served as a member of the Lake County Board from 1992-96 during which time he also served as Cuba Township Supervisor. Rep. Beaubien enjoyed a successful career in both law and banking, quickly emerging as a community leader through his professional experience and civic involvement.
Rep. Beaubien’s expertise in law and finance proved a tremendous asset as the House Republicans’ chief budget negotiator. In this role, Rep. Beaubien became a leading advocate for fiscal responsibility.
In the General Assembly, Rep. Beaubien had many accomplishments, too many to list here, but some of his proudest moments included spearheading initiatives to make seatbelt enforcement a primary reason for law enforcement to stop a vehicle, voting with his convictions in support of the recent Civil Union Bill, passing a bill that provided Municipal Pension Reform, leading the charge to save Round Lake Schools and playing an active role in the Sportsman’s Caucus and issues related to hunting and other open space issues.
Rep. Beaubien was a confident man who refused to limit his ideals to those of his generation, embracing the timeless values of honor, respect, loyalty and integrity while rejecting its occasional intolerance and prejudice. He knew instinctively that these fundamental rights that he both cherished and demanded were meaningless unless they were enjoyed by all men and women. This principled leadership made it easy for him to support issues and causes that were unpopular within his party including the fundamental rights of women and the gay community. Rep. Beaubien’s easy wit, quick smile and unpretentious wisdom made him well liked by even those with whom he disagreed. His was an intelligence without narcissism and his popularity was enhanced by the fact that he did not seek it. If asked why he was one of the few Republican supporters of the Civil Union Bill, he would respond with humility and simplicity that it was simply time and we should all “live our own lives and speak our own truths.” His legacy is in his convictions and values.
Representative Beaubien was dedicated to community service throughout his life. His civic activities over the years included involvement with the Northwestern University Committee on Athletics and Recreation (1988-1992), the Board of Directors of Buehler YMCA in Palatine, (1971-1993), the Board of Directors at Northwest Community Hospital (1978-1991), a Member of the John Evans Club of Northwestern University (1988-Present), the Barrington Area Community Center Task Force (1993-1995), the Barrington Area Seniors Task Force (1994-1997), the Founders’ Committee of the Ela Area YMCA (1994-1997), and a member of the Lake County and Illinois State Bar Associations.
Rep. Beaubien received his B.A. degree from Northwestern University in 1964 and his Juris Doctorate from the Northwestern University School of Law in 1967.
Left to cherish his memory are his wife of 47 years, Dee, sons, Mark and Bob and spouses Kelly and Mary, grandchildren Annie, Bobby, Ella, Marco and Luciana.
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Question of the day
Monday, Jun 6, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The setup…
In Greg Zaffke’s case, his mother Anita was riding her motorcycle through Lake Zurich two years ago when she was rear-ended and killed by a woman who was painting her nails.
Lora Hunt of Morris was found guilty of reckless homicide in the crash. She is serving 18 months in a work-release program and must pay nearly $15,500 in restitution to the Zaffke family — penalties Greg Zaffke says don’t go far enough to set an example.
“People hearing a distracted driver goes to prison and it goes a long way to deter other people from driving distracted,” Zaffke said. “When they hear that (Hunt) only gets a year-and-a-half work release … it’s kind of counterproductive when it comes to public deterrence.”
The Wauconda resident has formed a nonprofit group called Crash Coalition to raise awareness about distracted driving and support victims’ families in the courtroom. Zaffke also hopes to push for statewide legislation that would create a negligent vehicular homicide statute — a lesser charge to reckless homicide that would offer penalties beyond minor traffic fines that could follow a fatal accident. Wisconsin has a similar law on the books.
“If Lora Hunt was drunk the day she killed my mom, she would likely be in prison right now,” Zaffke said, “instead of being able to get a job.”
* The Question: Should penalties be increased for distracted driving? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
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Tempest in a teapot
Monday, Jun 6, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Mike Smith was chairman of the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee before his defeat last year. So, he knows the issues inside and out. Smith sponsored a constitutional amendment to institute a graduated income tax, so he’s no Johnny Come Lately to a tax hike. The media may try to make something out of this, but they’re barking up the wrong tree…
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has appointed another former Democratic legislator to a high-paying board.
Former Rep. Michael Smith of Canton was tapped for a $94,000 post on the Educational Labor Relations Board.
Smith lost election to a ninth term in November. He was chairman of the House’s Elementary and Secondary Education Committee and the education appropriations panel.
Smith told The Associated Press he believes he has the background necessary and still believes he can contribute to public service.
* Again, this is no Careen Gordon redux, no matter how hard some are trying to make it look that way. And I have no idea which “appearance of impropriety” this is supposed to be violating…
“It just doesn’t pass the smell test,” said [Sen. Tim Bivins, R-Dixon], a former Lee County sheriff. “Maybe this appointment doesn’t violate any laws. Maybe this appointment doesn’t violate any ethics rules, but it certainly creates an appearance of impropriety, and I think as elected officials, we have a duty to avoid that appearance.”
Bivins compared the Smith appointment to Quinn’s appointment of Gordon and of Terry Cosgrove, who heads an abortion rights group called Personal PAC, which contributed heavily to the governor’s fall campaign. Cosgrove was appointed to the Human Rights Commission.
Even so, Sen. John Millner, a former Elmhurst police chief now living in Carol Stream, spoke favorably of Smith, saying, “Mike is a good man. He was a hard-working state representative.”
Smith was upfront with voters about where he stood on the tax issue, Millner said.
“From my estimation, he has the appropriate background as he was chair of the Elementary and Secondary Education Committee and on the education appropriations committee as well,” Millner said. “He has the necessary background.”
Millner is absolutely right here. Back off.
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* As subscribers already know, it’s going to get lots more complicated than these reports reveal, but they’ll do for now…
Quinn announced Monday he would be talking to legislative leaders about a date to come back because he says there’s an outstanding issue with the state’s capital construction program.
The Chicago Democrat says lawmakers adjourned last week without approving an appropriations bill so the state can spend money on its ongoing capital construction program.
Quinn says he wants the lawmakers back to the state Capitol promptly so work doesn’t have to stop on projects around the state, including road, bridge and other construction projects.
Quinn says if work stops on the projects it will throw 52,000 people out of work.
More…
[Sen. Matt Murphy, R-Palatine] said it’s an “open question” whether the projects could be funded through the summer since lawmakers gave Quinn an extra six months to pay off bills. But Quinn’s administration contends it can’t spend money on bills racked up after June 30.
“This has the potential to sort of be a manufactured crisis, there is the potential that these projects could go on throughout the end of the year without a problem. But again, we’ve got to look at the motivation. The Senate Democrats and the governor can’t help but spend more money and this is an opportunity to spend an extra half billion dollars and they are trying to maximize the leverage to get it in the budget,” Murphy said. […]
A spokeswoman for Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, said he agrees with Quinn that lawmakers must return to the Capitol, but the president’s focus isn’t just on construction programs but other issues as well.
“We need to come back this summer because our work is not done,” said spokeswoman Rikeesha Phelon. “Without sufficient funding for education and human services, the budget is incomplete.”
* More…
The Illinois Road and Transportation Builders Assn. called Gov. Quinn’s announcement today to halt road construction projects a “grievous mistake,” that will have dangerous repercussions for countless families and businesses throughout the state.
“These road construction projects are exactly what will provide some stability to our economy,” said Michael J. Sturino, President and CEO of the IRTBA. “To ask our workers, our families, our citizens to pay for the inability of our elected officials to come to a budget agreement is, frankly, appalling.”
According to IRTBA, if the Illinois Department of Transportation is forced to shut its doors on all road construction projects in the state, due to the budget impasse, it will put about 31,000 people out of work and onto the unemployment rolls. The shutdown itself will cost approximately $30 million, and the daily cost to maintain the shutdown would be around $3 million. According to Mr. Sturino, the reverberations from a move like this would also negatively impact all Illinois motorists, too.
“State legislators need to understand that their bungling will be devastating to our businesses, thousands of workers and their families,” he said. “I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask the legislature to halt their own pay if they can’t do their jobs and produce a budget.”
*** UPDATE 1 *** From a press release…
Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka on Monday released the following statement in response to Governor Pat Quinn’s intention to shut down state road and capital projects on June 17. Topinka has asked legal counsel to review the matter, and implored state leaders to work together to prevent a capital project shutdown:
“My message to fellow state leaders is simple: do not play games with capital projects and the jobs they bring to Illinois. These initiatives not only maintain our roads, bridges and transportation network, they also provide good jobs, and support tens of thousands of families across our state. It is one thing to limit state spending on construction, but quite another to stop payment on projects already underway.
“My office will continue to pay state contractors for as long as legally possible, but ultimately this question must be addressed by the General Assembly and Governor. If that means calling an immediate special session, so be it. One thing is certain: our families and businesses are already struggling and paying more than ever before to state government; they deserve better than to be subjected to a high-priced game of legislative chicken over the capital bill.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** Raw tape…
*** UPDATE 3 *** From Statehouse lobbyist David Starrett in comments…
SB2172, as amended, specifically permits the obligation of funds until August 31, 2011. This is in addition to the lapse period extension provision everyone has been focusing on.
The bill passed both chambers and is ready to be sent to the Governor. If Quinn would sign this, it would largely prevent any near-term crisis during the construction season. Ahh, but he doesn’t to prevent the crisis, does he? –And once he receives SB2172, he still has 60 days to create one.
From the amendment’s synopsis…
Provides that all outstanding liabilities as of June 30, 2011, payable from appropriations that would otherwise expire at the conclusion of the lapse period for fiscal year 2011, and interest penalties payable on those liabilities under the State Prompt Payment Act, may be paid out of the expiring appropriations until December 31, 2011, without regard to the fiscal year in which the payment is made, as long as vouchers for the liabilities are received by the Comptroller no later than August 31, 2011
That would seem to indicate that Quinn can keep making payments out of the capital projects program even though the projects haven’t yet been officially reappropriated.
*** UPDATE 4 *** From a commenter…
The analysis presented in Update #3 is wrong. All it says is that bills must still be in by the end of the lapse period, which is August 31. However, obligations must still be made by June 30. The normal procedure doesn’t change, just the time period the Comptroller has to pay the bills. You can check with the Comptroller’s office but that is the answer you will get.
I have, in fact, checked with the comptroller’s office and am awaiting a response.
*** UPDATE 5 *** From the governor’s office…
The state incurs costs for work that has been completed. The legislation does not gives us the legal authority to extend FY11 appropriations, it just allows us to pay for work done in FY11. The lapse period allows for a bill to be submitted by August 31 - but does not allow us to pay for work done after June 30.
We cannot pay for work done in FY12 without an FY12 appropriation. If we were able to continually pay for capital projects without an appropriation, we would not need to pass an annual authorization.
Short version:
(1) Work has to be done by 6/30 (you can only use FY11 approps to pay for FY11 work—they cannot be used for FY12 work; rather, there must be an FY12 reapprop for work to be done in FY12.)
(2) Invoice for work done in FY 11 has to be in by 8/31
(3) The State can make payment until 12/31 (after that, the vendor has to go to the Court of Claims)
*** UPDATE 6 *** House Speaker Madigan’s spokesman Steve Brown gave the standard line this afternoon of:”We are prepared to work cooperatively with the governor.”
Asked if that meant the Speaker was OK with a special session, Brown said it wasn’t necessarily the case, adding that the Speaker believes “the lapse period will take care of the construction season.”
So, apparently, in this case, “work cooperatively with the governor” can mean: “Tell the governor he doesn’t have a leg to stand on.”
*** UPDATE 7 *** Leader Radogno…
At issue is the effort by majority Democrats in the Senate to add nearly a half a billion dollars to the state budget by filing a hostile amendment to HB 2189, the annual construction and road appropriation. In the House, Speaker Michael Madigan refused to accept the Senate add-ons and sent the measure back to the Senate asking that body to “recede” or withdraw from the hostile amendment.
Although the Speaker’s request was received in the Senate before that chamber adjourned, no motion to remove the add-on spending was filed and instead, the Senate adjourned without taking up the proposal. That left the state’s annual road and capital construction program without needed legal authority to proceed.
The construction program is the least controversial portion of the state budget and Senate Republicans will work with their House colleagues from both parties to get the unrelated spending removed so that a “clean” construction program can be approved.
* Related…
* Illinois legislative session hailed as productive
* Expect Quinn to tap Chico to head Illinois State Board of Education: Quinn was impressed by Chico’s education plan during the mayoral campaign, particularly the focus on early childhood education and expanding the pre-K network. Quinn is pushing to restore $17 million in state budget cuts to early childhood education.
* Lawmakers continue to cut despite major income tax increase - College students, the elderly and the mentally ill could be among those hit
* Emanuel getting much of what he wants in spring session
* Editorial: Pressing the agenda
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One last time, with feeling
Monday, Jun 6, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Good news about Saturday’s fundraiser…
An effort led by Southern Illinois legislators aimed at softening the blow delivered by devastating flooding will likely top the $100,000 mark.
The effort, Southern Illinois Together, had already far surpassed its $50,000 goal before the doors even opened to the fundraising event at Black Diamond Harley-Davidson warehouse in Marion on Saturday, state Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion said.
“We’re up over $86,000 right now,” Bradley said just before the event. “We have some significant pledges that will be coming in the next few weeks. I anticipate we’ll raise an amount in the six figures.”
Money raised will be “efficiently and fairly” divvied up by a committee and delivered to those victims of flooding who need it most, Bradley said.
AT&T Illinois contributed $10,000 to the cause. Many thanks to them.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it. Family obligations. But I am sending a check, and you should too. Make it payable to the Poshard Foundation and put “Flood Victims” in the memo line. Here’s the mailing address…
Poshard Foundation
700 Logan College Dr.
Carterville, IL 62918
Thanks.
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More gaming pros and cons
Monday, Jun 6, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Howard Stutz writes a column about gaming for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He’ll kick off our gaming expansion discussion today…
Will Illinois become the next Pennsylvania, a case study for casino expansion where revenues have grown more than 54 percent in two years?
Or will Illinois become the next Ohio, where political infighting halted casino construction and could sink the state’s gaming potential?
Good questions. He doesn’t provide answers, but they’re still good questions.
* Steve Chapman kinda contradicts himself on gaming expansion…
Is Chicago likely to reap big economic gains? Not in this lifetime. A new casino may attract more visitors and create new jobs serving drinks and dealing cards. But money lost at the blackjack table can’t be spent on other types of recreation and entertainment. Jobs that spring up in gambling-related businesses may be lost in other sectors.
Casinos have been useful in reviving depressed areas, according to the 1999 National Gambling Impact Study Commission Report. That may have little relevance to Chicago, which is not exactly a declining Rust Belt relic.
The best hope is that the city will draw players who now venture to northwest Indiana, which has made itself a local gambling destination. But any gain here would come at the expense of the people in and around Gary, if that counts for anything.
A big part of the idea behind the Chicago casino is to stop the outflow of cash across our border to Indiana. If it keeps gaming revenue local, it’s a plus. We shouldn’t worry too much about Hammond.
* This doesn’t seem like a major concern to me…
The Illinois State Fairgrounds Grandstand would have to be remodeled if Gov. Pat Quinn proceeds with legislation to install slot machines, according to the state Department of Agriculture.
“It (slots) would have to be at the track, and the only structure at the track is the Grandstand,” said Jeff Squibb, a spokesman for Agriculture.
The grandstand doesn’t have any room for slot machines now, Squibb said.
“I think it’s apparent to anyone who’s been to the facility that there would have to be modifications made,” he said.
The far end of the grandstand which houses the media room is practically empty. Also, I assume some slots would fit easily into the current betting window area.
* The Pantagraph ignores the difficult political reality of passing a gaming bill…
If the bill had just focused on the Chicago casino, airport slot machines and additional gaming positions in existing venues, it would be easier to accept. But, in typical Illinois fashion — or, more fairly, typical political fashion — it attempts to offer something for everyone in its 400-page package.
A scaled-down version might make sense, but this monstrosity is a bad bet.
They’ve tried for the past 20 years to pass this bill. It ain’t easy politics. If it was, it would’ve passed two decades ago. Wishing it was easy doesn’t make it so.
* Good point by Finke…
Of course, governors still get the next-to-last-laugh if they either outright veto or make changes to legislation. Even then, there are people around the Statehouse who think the gaming bill never would have passed if lawmakers took the threat of a Quinn veto seriously.
* The Sun-Times has a wish list for a new casino site, but it’s not sure where it should go…
We see a site that is close to the Loop but not too close, well served by public transportation, and close to struggling residential neighborhoods that need jobs — but, again, not too close. We envision conventioneers by the thousands flocking to a casino there after a full day of product shows, seminars and Power Point presentations.
* But this is a good point by the Tribune editorial board…
And recall Michael Madigan’s insistence in 2007 that if Illinois is to have more casinos, it needs a more independent and muscular Gaming Board to combat corruption and mob influence? His plan had former federal judges and prosecutors nominating board members, plus insulation against pressure from governors (see Ryan, George, and Blagojevich, Rod) and legislators. A new bill triples casino capacity and orders the board to more rapidly roll out video gambling. This hurry-up risks corruption of an Illinois industry previously scarred by two scandals. Regulators already monitor 6,800 casino workers, execs and owners.
Quinn can raise this grade with a veto or an amendatory veto of the casino bill. We’re awarding an F+ instead of an F only because this bill, unlike an earlier version, doesn’t eliminate five Gaming Board members whose careful decisions had angered a pro-gambling legislator.
One reason for Madigan’s plan is because he believed at the time that we had a criminal in the governor’s office. He was right. But this bill is certainly on the light side on oversight.
* The editors of the Galesburg Register-Mail have an interesting debate in the paper between themselves over whether to expand gaming. This is Tom Martin’s opinion…
Supply and demand should settle the issue. If people want to gamble more and, for instance, are crossing state lines to do it, then why not expand the number of casinos and add thousands of wagering machines?
Opposing gambling for moral reasons is a legitimate stance, although I think it would be hypocritical for our state leaders to cry the horrors of more gambling while running a state lottery.
I don’t think we’ll become the Las Vegas of the Midwest, as some have said. Forty-eight states allow gambling these days, so it’s not like adding five more casinos is going to make Illinois unique. It’s the lure of easy money. And it means fewer tough choices for legislators — which is the only problem I have the expansion. It prevents the state from dealing with spending issues.
The gambling expansion conflict is more about the new casinos competing with existing casinos. The Chicago Tribune reports that the Grand Victoria Casino sent $2 million per month to the city of Elgin during boom times. The city now faces losing that revenue to new casinos.
Although I believe gambling should be regulated, I don’t think the government needs to protect one city against another. Demand will determine whether there’s more of a market out there. If there’s not, the revenue will be split among more entities. It happens all the time in business. If it’s not a money maker, casinos will close. Sign the bill.
Go read the whole thing.
* Related…
* Chicago worries its casino will attract mob
* How gambling expansion would change the suburbs
* Foes plan to attend Arlington Hts. meeting
* Saddling horse racing with slot machines
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How - and why - workers’ comp reform passed
Monday, Jun 6, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The AP has a tick-tock story on how workers’ comp reform finally passed…
With Republicans still firmly opposed, he and other backers focused on rounding up votes from six of seven Democrats who didn’t support the bill the first time around. Two lawmakers who voted for the bill on its first try would not be present for the final vote.
Bradley, Raoul, Madigan and state insurance director Michael McRaith approached them all, trying to allay concerns that had thwarted the bill in the first round.
Yes, they told one, workers would still be able to get a second opinion from doctors. Yes, they said, your constituents would still be allowed to choose their own doctors. Yes, they informed another, the bill thoroughly protects injured workers’ rights.
But Madigan’s power to persuade _ through his influence over the legislative process, political fundraising, and ultimately his members’ political fates _ proved critical. The speaker supported the workers’ comp bill at least partly as a helping hand to business in the wake of the state’s income tax increase, which Democrats had sponsored.
* My weekly syndicated newspaper column looks at the same subject…
In all the years I’ve covered Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, he has never allowed his chamber’s Republican minority leader to best him. A minority leader might score a win here and there, but those victories are always short-lived. The wins are almost akin to a challenge to Madigan’s manhood itself, and they are never allowed to stand.
And so it was yet again with workers’ compensation reform. House Republican Leader Tom Cross locked his caucus into a position against the bill the Sunday before the spring session adjourned and the bill appeared to die.
Indeed, the House Republicans surprised many by making no attempt whatsoever to even try and hide their real motives for voting lockstep against the workers’ comp bill. Simply put, the proposal harmed the interests of the Illinois State Medical Society by mandating a 30 percent cut in medical reimbursement rates. Republican after Republican rose during debate to decry the proposed medical reimbursement cuts. The Medical Society has historically given a ton of campaign cash to the House Republicans. If the Democrats simply reduced the cuts down to the Medical Society-approved 20 percent level, the Republicans more than implied, there’d be a deal.
The Speaker was in no mood for a deal. Instead, he pulled out all the stops, as only he can. The legislation wound up passing with 62 votes on the last night of session, even though two of Madigan’s 64 members were out of town.
The bill also picked up a lone House Republican supporter. Rep. Chris Nybo (R-Elmhurst) had wanted to vote for the bill on Sunday, but was browbeaten into submission the first time around.
The House Republicans might ultimately regret their political maneuver. While the Republican leadership managed to keep all their other members off the legislation, support for the bill by most Senate Republicans undercuts their “official” position that the reforms don’t go nearly far enough.
Illinois Chamber President Doug Whitley didn’t have many kind words for the bill in the days leading up to the vote, but he showered praise on the legislation after it cleared the House on the second try.
“I’m glad it passed,” Whitley said after the bill was finally approved, running through several positive aspects of the legislation. Whitley’s group has been pushing workers’ comp reform for more than two years, and the obviously exhausted business leader said he was relieved this phase was finally over.
Whitley said it would probably take two years for the reforms to work its way through the system. By the next gubernatorial election, he said, the results should be clear. If they work, then that’s great. If they don’t work, then he vowed to make workers’ comp reform an issue in the 2014 campaign.
Whitley singled out Senate President John Cullerton as the “hero” of the moment. Cullerton has been pushing to reform the system since last fall.
While Cullerton certainly deserves praise for his persistence, he wasn’t alone. Both sponsors, Rep. John Bradley and Kwame Raoul, guided the talks to a conclusion. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel helped flip some recalcitrant Democrats and Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration never let up the pressure.
Illinois Manufacturers’ Association CEO Greg Baise and Illinois Retail Merchants Association President Dave Vite rolled with the punches, never panicked and always stayed focused on reaching an agreement that could realistically pass both chambers, even when other business leaders abandoned the quest. Both Baise and Vite have a policy of creating majorities in both chambers which support their groups’ interests, rather than backing a single party over the other. It worked again.
It’s also difficult not to point out that if the House Republicans, doctors, unions and trial lawyers had agreed to a compromise proposed back in January, they would’ve taken a far lighter hit than they did last week.
That earlier proposed compromise cut medical reimbursement rates by just 15 percent (half the final total) and included few of the other reforms contained in the current bill. The groups thought they could fight off any changes at all if they held together.
The problem with their logic is they failed to consider that Madigan would make passing a reform bill a point of honor. His personal constitution does not allow him to be bested by the GOP. And in the end, he won again.
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*** UPDATED x4 *** Rep. Mark Beaubien
Sunday, Jun 5, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I’ve been waiting for an official statement since the afternoon, but I’ll go ahead and post it now. This is a major loss for Illinois…
State Rep. Mark Beaubien Jr., a moderate Republican who represented the Barrington area in Springfield since 1996, died Sunday, fellow state lawmakers and local GOP leaders confirmed.
Beaubien, 68, of Barrington Hills, collapsed Sunday afternoon while attending a House Republican fundraiser at Arlington Park racetrack. Efforts to revive him were unsuccessful. […]
Colleagues in the state House said Beaubien had been battling a severe case of pneumonia in recent weeks that had kept him out of the State Capitol for most of the just ended legislative session. However, he appeared in Springfield late last month for the final days of the term.
Beaubien is survived by his wife, Dee, two children and three grandchildren, according to his state House biography.
*** UPDATE 1 *** From the House Republicans…
Rep. Mark Beaubien’s family asked me to send this out to you tonight on their behalf.
“State Representative Mark Beaubien died suddenly late this afternoon. He was at a House Republican event with family, friends and colleagues. Arrangements are pending. We will miss him dearly.”
-Rep. Beaubien’s family
The Beaubien family is asking for privacy during this very difficult time.
House Republican Leader Tom Cross:
“I am deeply saddened by the death of my close friend and colleague, Rep. Mark Beaubien. My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Dee, his children, grandchildren and many friends around the state. He is loved around the capitol for his brilliance, attention to detail, and ability to work with all legislators on very important issues facing our state. I will miss Mark deeply.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** From Gov. Pat Quinn…
“Mark Beaubien dedicated his life to service and making his community a better place. As a state representative, he served the people of the 52nd District with integrity and fortitude, and his sudden passing is a tremendous loss.
“My thoughts and prayers go out to Mark’s wife Dee and their two sons on this sad day.”
*** UPDATE 3 *** Tribune…
He had hailed the passage of the House-driven spending plan by both majority Democrats and his fellow Republicans, calling it a “balanced budget that was built around conservative principles.”
Beaubien voted against the 67 percent increase in the state income tax rate that Democrats backed in January. But while Democrats have focused on the notion that most of the tax would expire in four years, Beaubien said in recent weeks he doubted the full tax hike would ever go away.
A former Lake County Board member, Beaubien, an attorney, formerly was a top official at the Suburban Bank of Barrington.
Beaubien is the descendant of an early pioneer named Mark Beaubien, in whose Sauganash Hotel the town of Chicago was incorporated in 1833.
*** UPDATE 4 *** Sun-Times…
Beaubien was the great, great, great grandson of Mark Beaubien, who came to what is now Chicago in 1826 and opened the region’s first tavern, the Sauganash. When the city’s residents decided to incorporate in 1833, they voted to do so at the Sauganash, which was near the modern-day intersection of Lake and Wacker.
Profiled by the Chicago Sun-Times in 2004 as a living link to Chicago’s earliest days, Beaubien was humble about his family history when asked if it made him proud.
“Proud? No, not proud, really. It’s a little historically interesting, that’s all,” he said. “Every generation has to live and survive on its own. I don’t like guys who go around saying, ‘I’m a Rockefeller, I’m a Kennedy.’ “
For many years, Beaubien was the House Republican point person on budget matters, which was a perfect fit given his experience as a former banker. He was a fiscal conservative, voting with fellow Republicans against Quinn’s 67-percent income tax hike in January.
But his social views were far more moderate, sometimes putting him at loggerheads with the conservative flank of the GOP.
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