* That parliamentary hold is gonna cause Speaker Madigan significant problems if he doesn’t remove it soon. The lottery debacle is something everybody can understand…
Illinois Lottery sales dropped by tens of millions of dollars last month after officials stopped paying winners.
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s Administration revealed the latest blow to state finances as new doubts arose about a deal that could clear the way for lottery winners to get their cash.
The House approved a bill allowing the Lottery to resume payouts by a big bipartisan majority. But then House Speaker Mike Madigan pulled a switcheroo, refusing to send it to the Senate. Some saw pure political grandstanding.
“There’s a willingness to compromise among almost everyone, except Mike Madigan. And now we have situations where he’s clearly standing in the way,” said State Senator Christine Radogno.
Oy.
* Background from the AP…
Illinois Lottery ticket sales dropped to the lowest point yet this year in October, the same month lottery officials announced they were delaying payouts over $600 because of the state budget impasse, according to data obtained Thursday by The Associated Press.
Sales for most tickets, including instant games and Powerball, declined about $21 million — with October sales at roughly $215 million compared to September’s approximately $236 million. The high was about $260 million in March, according to data obtained in a freedom of information request.
The figures confirm what ticket vendors at gas stations, convenience marts and grocery stores have said anecdotally for weeks about people’s frustration with Illinois’ budget problems.
Lottery officials announced in mid-October that anyone winning over $600 wouldn’t get the money right away because the account used to pay those winnings was dwindling. That followed news in late August that payouts over $25,000 were on hold because there wasn’t the authority to cut checks that big.
*** UPDATE *** More from the AP…
An attorney representing Illinois Lottery winners who haven’t been paid their winnings has asked a federal judge to prevent 38 other state lotteries from sending money to the agency.
The winners represented by attorney Thomas Zimmerman Jr. in a lawsuit haven’t been paid because of Illinois’ lack of a budget. Zimmerman filed a motion for a temporary restraining order late Tuesday asking the judge to bar the other lotteries and the association overseeing Mega Millions and Powerball from giving the Illinois Lottery the money owed to Illinois winners of those games.
Zimmerman asked that the money instead be held in an interest-bearing, court-controlled account.
“If someone in Illinois wins (Powerball or Mega Millions), then other states that participate in the game have to kick in some of the prize money,” Zimmerman said. “Illinois is then holding the money and not paying the winner. All we’re asking is don’t send it (the money) to Illinois — send it to the court … so we can get these people paid or earn interest on the money until it can be paid.”
Thanks to a commenter for the linky.
- siriusly - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 9:00 am:
I am not debating the merits of school kids demanding funding to keep schools open. I am not debating whether or not a school principal should engage in lobbying either - I think that we all have a constitutional right to address our government of course.
But should school kids and administrators take time out of a paid school day to lobby legislators on funding? Seems a bit like political work “on the clock” to me. Just saying, there is a cost to not being in the classroom as well.
Rep. Sims - were those kids at your office during the school day ? Very odd to me.
- Anon221 - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 9:01 am:
And in the courts…
http://thesouthern.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/judge-asked-to-block-outside-money-for-illinois-lottery/article_6edfcdd6-ef50-5a96-a5e3-e522649e2899.html
- zatoichi - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 9:08 am:
“There’s a willingness to compromise among almost everyone, except Mike Madigan. And now we have situations where he’s clearly standing in the way,” said State Senator Christine Radogno.
Of course there is no other single person standing in the way. Only Madigan.
- wordslinger - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 9:09 am:
No more hostage-taking.
The fact that Rauner initiated this reckless and irresponsible political strategy, and that GOP GA members enabled it for months, doesn’t give Madigan license to do the same.
The governor is retreating. Be the grownup in the room and allow him to do so, where and whenever possible.
The cleanup of his willful FUBAR is going to be difficult and painful enough.
- Henry Francis - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 9:13 am:
I thought Madigan’s reputation was vastly improved due in large part to how poorly the governor was playing his hand. Stuff like this will undue that progress and make it easier for the “because Madigan” chorus to have resonance outside of the Raunerite camp
- Anonymous - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 9:22 am:
I stand with Madigan let it all fall down and let everyone feel the pain it is the only way anything will get done. If everyone in Illinois feels it then maybe just maybe things will change.
- Anonymous - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 9:24 am:
“That’s a bold strategy, Cotton. Let’s see if it pays off.”
Taking an uncompromising position on a compromise bill, just a few days before the public/private discussion, might not have been the most prudent choice.
- Henry Francis - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 9:25 am:
To the update: so now we are going to have the court pay out lottery winners? For a guy who doesn’t show much respect for the other branches of government, Rauner sure does cede to them a lot of his power and authority (well actually responsibility).
- Matt - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 9:26 am:
Anonymous,
You think Mike Madigan is synonymous with change?
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 9:29 am:
Hostages are not helping the process.
It’s… comical… to point out hostage-taking while choosing which hostage-taker is “just”
Enough.
- Anonymous - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 9:31 am:
“Mike Madigan - Decades of reforming Illinois”
“Hang tough, Mike - Keep fighting for the status quo.”
“Mike Madigan - I have no reforms of my own to suggest, I just know if Rauner wants it I will oppose it.”
snark
- Mouthy - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 9:34 am:
So I take it that the state gets money from the other states for Powerball and Mega Millions to pay winners and sticks that money into the general revenue fund. Then it then pays bills with that money that isn’t theirs. Then, assuming that a budget deal is actually arrived at, the winner has to wait in line to get their money. What a racket. Lottery sales are surely going to keep going down.
- Me too - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 9:40 am:
To use the flawed kitchen table budget idea, not paying your bills doesn’t save you money, it gets you hit with massive late fees that only make it harder to pay those bills. Seriously, not releasing the lottery funds is not even penny wise. It’s millions of dollars stupid.
- Austin Blvd - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 9:40 am:
Now that Dunkin’ is a Raunerite, what other leverage does the speaker have but to ensure Rauner won’t play more games or pull some other disingenuous stunt!
- Me too - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 9:44 am:
The lottery thing has to be illegal. Maybe the DOJ will take notice. At least any bookie will always pay on Tuesday, but they’re the criminals. It isn’t rocket science. If those bookies didn’t pay winners, they would lose betters and the whole operation would go down. Just like our lottery.
- Robert the Bruce - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 9:47 am:
I hope it doesn’t take Madigan as long as it took Rauner to behave reasonably.
- Ducky LaMoore - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 9:48 am:
I think the title of this drama should be, “The Governor That Cried Wolf.” The constant Madigan blaming has actually given Madigan cover to do whatever he wants. When things are actually his fault, you still hear the same stuff from Rauner and the Rauner caucus. Maybe you should have saved the “it’s all Madigan’s fault” for when it really was.
- DuPage - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 9:50 am:
If Rauner would drop non-budget Turnaround Agenda items as pre-conditions, I think Madigan would compromise on the actual budget and revenue items. The Turnaround Agenda items can then be voted on without strings attached.
- Politix - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 9:59 am:
Whatever gains Madigan may have gotten by letting the budget mess drag on are quickly disintegrating with this one bill.
- Lincoln Lad - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 10:05 am:
There is a school of thought that the average citizen doesn’t see the politics, doesn’t read the articles on State government, etc. As such, there is no price to pay for ’standing in the way’ for purely political/powerplay motives.
I think that is for the most part true, but I wonder if his hold on everyone else in the GA could be weakened? Not just Dunkin, but others.
- VanillaMan - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 10:11 am:
Rauner set this fire in order to gain some kind of political leverage. Now that he is trying to back away from the fire he set - Madigan is letting Rauner feel the heat.
Everyone, meantime, gets burned.
- Politix - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 10:14 am:
“Maybe you should have saved the “it’s all Madigan’s fault” for when it really was”
Great point.
- walker - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 10:18 am:
Lottery sales are way down, and will continue to sink due to loss of public trust. Even after the bill passes the damage will linger.
- Willie Stark - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 10:22 am:
I’m sorry, I must have missed the part where the governor has acted in good faith to bring people together (what most credible people, like Edgar and Thompson, believe to be a primary role of a governor). Seriously, could someone point that out? Climbing down on DON and Child Care before he got his clock cleaned with Republican defections? Not good faith. Labor and business working out UI? What did he have to do with it? Persisting with the Turnaround Agenda demands? There is a significant downside to just piecemealing everything in the absence of a revenue and overall budget solution. Also, upping the pressure now, 4.5 months into the new fiscal year, rather than waiting until March, would also make revenue enhancements more impactful and politically doable. I know people are desperate for progress, but the moment to moment thinking is fraught with peril. Using the IFA to issue junk bonds is reeking of desperation and the worst kinds of Wall Street financial engineering.
- Anonymous - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 10:27 am:
It says something that the media has allowed Rauner to take the budget, kids, and seniors hostage without saying anything and now all of a sudden seems to finally be outraged - as long as it isn’t their buddy Rauner. What a little money can do…
- Rich Miller - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 10:29 am:
===the media has allowed Rauner to take the budget, kids, and seniors hostage without saying anything===
Another victim heard from.
Seriously, are you insane?
- Norseman - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 10:37 am:
Well said Word!
- Austin Blvd - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 10:59 am:
To Wordslinger’s point…perhaps Madigan shouldn’t be taking hostages.
To Willie Starks’ point, so true that Rauner created this mess in the first place and is now attempting to position himself as the hero.
Now, why in the world would Madigan want to take a risk and get more of Rauner’s Mea Culpa Amendments crammed down his throat.
Since introducing his own red ink budget in Feb, Rauner has done nothing but negotiate in bad faith.
Maybe, just maybe, Madigan is trying to keep Rauner honest.
Maybe, instead of being disingenuous, Rauner should put all of his cards on the table for Madigan to see.
- Huh? - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 11:12 am:
I am confused. The brick was put in the bill by the House Majority Leader, not the Speaker of the House. Furthermore, the Senate is not in session until next month. Secondly, as writers said yesterday, the brick was placed on the bill to prevent Dunking from messing with it. So blaming Mr. Madigan for something he didn’t do is pointless.
That being said, there is nothing done in the House that doesn’t have the approval of the Speaker.
- Liberty - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 11:17 am:
If all Republicans want to do is sit around and blame Madigan they would be better off to look at what is going on at home first. Rauner is clearly flinging crumbs so he can continue to blame when he is the real problem.
Rauner’s refusal to use his amendatory veto on the budget is the problem, not Madigan.
- LarryMullholland - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 11:25 am:
Liberty: I am not sure you have caught up on the news yet but the Speaker team did just stop a bill from moving out of the House that passed 115-1-1.
This being held up is not Madigan’s Money. IT IS OUR MONEY! The money is local money paid by local people intended for local use. Who else should be blamed for the procedural hold on the HB 4305?
- Observation - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 11:33 am:
I don’t play the lottery on a regular basis. When I do and if I would win really big, it would take me several months to work through the legal process to set up a trust, protect the winnings, etc. If sales are down, then it seems my odds may have improved. I just might start buying a few tickets. /snark
- Just Me - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 11:59 am:
How many trial lawyers are making money from the lack of a state budget?
- Formerly Known As... - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 12:36 pm:
==Furthermore, the Senate is not in session until next month==
They can be called back at any time.
- ottawa otter - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 12:40 pm:
I am at a loss to understand this bleating for compromise. Madigan is not the issue. Rauner is the car salesman who offers a rattle trap for$50,000 and wants to compromise at $45,000. What do folks not get about the oldest ploy in the books? MJM has it right, just say “no”.
- Blue dog dem - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 12:45 pm:
Ridiculous posturing. But I do wonder were unspent lottery dollars ended up.. Irrelevant though because border counties thrive on drive overs to buy lottery tickets. Immeasurable.
- Anonymous - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 12:46 pm:
“- Observation - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 11:33 am:”
Take a math class
Your odds do not improve
- Huh? - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 12:46 pm:
Who else should be blamed for the procedural hold? How about the Senate. They won’t be back in session until next month.
Say there wasn’t a motion to reconsider and the bill was sent to the Senate. No action be taken on the bill when the chamber isn’t in session. Who is at fault now? I would put the blame on Cullerton for not scheduling more days in Springfield.
I throughly understand the bind that the local agencies are in. They are caught in a quagmire caused by political forces outside their control.
It is convenient to blame Madigan for this problem. But that is cheap political fodder of the day.
- Huh? - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 1:50 pm:
FKA - The point is that the Senate has not been called back into session. Until the Senate is called back, your point is moot.
Blaming Madigan for the hold up is nuggets for the nattering nabobs of negativity.
- Huh? - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 3:09 pm:
Blaming Madigan is throwing stones at the wrong window.
“This is all due … to Governor Bruce Rauner’s veto … on June 25, 2015, including the check-writing ability for winning payouts of the Illinois Lottery.”
http://www.examiner.com/article/governor-rauner-running-illinois-like-a-business-starting-with-illinois-lottery
Rauner could have signed the budget for the lottery. He chose to creat the problem. Madigan tried to fix it by passing a bill the other day. It isn’t Madigan’s fault that the Senate isn’t in session.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 3:20 pm:
===isn’t Madigan’s fault that the Senate isn’t in session===
True, but there’s still that motion to reconsider. If they came back today, they couldn’t do anything with the bill.
- Norseman - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 3:33 pm:
Madigan is definitely increasing his portion of the contributory blame for continuing the impasse.
Moylan’s bill could have been sent to the Senate for first reading the day it passed. That would have left the Senate on the hook for two more days. (Without searching, I’ll give MJM the benefit of the doubt that a Senate bill wasn’t available to amend.) He should also have given serious consideration to the Rauner add-ons.
- Formerly Known As... - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 3:43 pm:
@Huh? - The point was that the Senate not being in session until next month is a trivial and easily ==fixed== excuse to not release the bill.
The bill is bipartisan. All Mr Cullerton needs is a quorum to ==get it done==.
Lottery winners and the IML must appreciate Speaker Madigan’s sudden respect for the Senate’s schedule. Unlike the respect he showed for their schedule when waiting to pass the GA pay raise block until after the Senate left town, forcing them to take a ==blatantly unconstitutional== vote when they returned.
Dunkin has no reason to ==mess with== a bill the Governor, the IML and 99% of both parties support. The thing ==messing with== this is the Speaker. Not the schedule.
- wordslinger - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 3:50 pm:
FKA, your inconsistency and hypocrisy are revealing.
You defend Rauner for months for taking hostages as a way to leverage “reforms” you can’t articulate or defend.
But not Madigan is a villain after two days.
No hostage-taking, period, Rauner or Madigan.
- A guy - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 4:09 pm:
I don’t know. The fact that the Speaker is bricking a bill with a 115 votes on it might have something to do with it.
Not to mention a Governor ready to sign it.
Your last statement “No Hostage taking period” should be beyond argument.
- Norseman - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 4:16 pm:
=== Your last statement “No Hostage taking period” should be beyond argument. ===
A guy, are you starting to get it?
- wordslinger - Friday, Nov 13, 15 @ 4:19 pm:
Guy, you “don’t know” about what?
“Something to do with it” — what is the “it” that “something” “has to do with?”
The words you write seem to be referring to some statements I wrote. What are they?