Pot, meet kettle
Tuesday, Feb 2, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the Illinois Policy Institute’s news service…
The Senate President is playing politics with a bill that appears doomed on arrival. That’s according to Governor Bruce Rauner’s office in response to Senate President John Cullerton calling for a cooling-off period before sending over a tuition assistance bill.
Senate Bill 2043, which Democrat majorities say will fund MAP grants for eligible students, passed the legislature last week despite minority Republicans pointing out the governor intends to veto the bill because it’s not tied to any funding stream.
Senate President John Cullerton’s office issued a news release Monday saying he’s waiting until February 16th to send the bill to the governor so the governor will “rethink his veto announcement.”
Cullerton’s office said the state isn’t honoring its commitment to students and urged the governor rethink his position and “not act rashly but rather in the best interest of these students.”
Governor Bruce Rauner’s office responded saying there’s no way to pay for SB 2042. The administration has offered a path toward compromise. A statement from Rauner’s office says the governor has agreed “to sign legislation that funds MAP, community colleges and universities tied to ways to pay for the programs.”
The governor’s office says “rather than playing politics with a dead piece of legislation, we urge the Senate to focus on finding real solutions and vote next week on legislation that would fund MAP grants with a fiscally responsible way to pay for them.”
* From today…
The CPS takeover bill he supports, which would enable the state action, is, of course, also “doomed on arrival” in the House and Senate.
- Conn Smythe - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 11:47 am:
As an aside, that’s quite the lede for a news shop that goes out of its way to insist it can keep its mothership out of the newsroom.
- VanillaMan - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 11:47 am:
According to the IPI though, our governor is a victim and is powerless against the GA, the Courts, and the English Language.
- Saluki - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 11:48 am:
Leslie Munger seems to be the only adult in this mess.
- Anon - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 11:49 am:
Let’s check back in a few months when CPS still doesn’t have a contract with CTU, runs out of cash, issues layoff notices and stares down a strike to see if the GOP’s CPS legislation is still dead.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 11:51 am:
When INN gets credentialed…
Food for thought.
To the Post,
Rauner, as governor, has more options once a bill gets to him; Veto, AV, Sign, etc. …
This Bill is no exception.
The Bill yet to PASS… wishin’ it did and gets to him is the first kind of folly; the failure to understand how legislation needs to wind it’s way through.
Pot and Kettle, both are doomed…
Rauner refuses to see the Executive’s role in the processes.
That’s purposeful or not. Which is worse is up for discussion.
- Mama - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 11:52 am:
“The CPS takeover bill he supports, which would enable a state takeover, is, of course, also “doomed on arrival” in the House and Senate.”
The ‘financial’ take over of CPS may be a good thing.
- Earnest - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 11:52 am:
Keep your eye on the bouncing political ball. Don’t notice that the state budget is heading towards a crisis that will create untold amounts of leverage.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 11:54 am:
If Cullerton really wants to fund MAP grants, why not run it with something like procurement reform? The guy wants to be portrayed as a reasonable dealmaker and someone who matters in Springfield. Now is his chance to back up his talk with some action. He can get a deal on MAP funds by next week’s session if he is willing to step out of the Speaker’s shadow.
- Anon221 - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 11:56 am:
Seems like Rauner is getting more “frustrated” that he may have to deliver his Budget Address on his own merits. Cullerton is not going to let himself be used as a prop for Rauner’s “magic act”.
- Juice - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 11:56 am:
Does CPS meet the criteria for takeover?
“(b) As used in this section:…
“District” means any school district having a population of not more than 500,000.”
Nope. Doesn’t meet criteria. Easy enough. Got any more brain busters?
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 11:57 am:
Unless Rauner can get 60 and 30…
That’s on ANY governor.
The MAP bill passed, can’t be overridden, Rauner knows it, so the Governor owns that students looking abd needing MAP are victims to Rauner’s hostage-taking.
“Simple”
- sosilly - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 11:58 am:
After seeing ipi’s propaganda new service at work, how is this any different than political activity? Oh thats right. Its not any different.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 12:00 pm:
–Let’s check back in a few months when CPS still doesn’t have a contract with CTU, runs out of cash, issues layoff notices and stares down a strike to see if the GOP’s CPS legislation is still dead.–
Let’s.
You be in charge of that.
- TD - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 12:00 pm:
“What we need’s a diversion.”
- Huh? - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 12:00 pm:
Here is what I don’t understand - If the State can’t afford the $700 million to pay for the MAP grants, why did 1.4% allow ISSC to award the grants last fall?
It seems to me that if the grants are unaffordable now, they were unaffordable when they were awarded. Clearly, the governor is not managing the budget or his departments.
- Wensicia - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 12:01 pm:
CPS student population is currently under 500,000.
- Six Degrees of Separation - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 12:10 pm:
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs4.asp?ActID=1005&ChapterID=17&SeqStart=11200000&SeqEnd=29300000
Wensicia, the statute refers to the population of the school district as a whole, not the number of students in the system. This is the statute that some were trying to change as to make CPS eligible.
- Harry - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 12:21 pm:
It feels like the old Blago days, which weren’t about governing as much as appearing to be governing.
- Unicorn - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 12:24 pm:
So if the money is not there for SB 2043, how would the money have been there for the alternative bills the Republican’s have proposed? FY16 is already half over, along with the procurement for that time frame - procurement reforms wouldn’t net enough to fully fund that bill’s spending would it? I guess with fund sweeps, funds could possibly be available but who’s to say the governor would actually sweep those funds into higher education? Honest questions, I just am having difficulty justifying the argument that SB 2043 is fundable when I don’t see how the counter-offers are much more realistic in that realm. Kinda like the governor saying the FY16 budget presented to him was out of balance, when the one he presented was out of balance as well. Pot:kettle?
- Tone - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 12:29 pm:
Juice - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 11:56 am:
Does CPS meet the criteria for takeover?
“(b) As used in this section:…
“District” means any school district having a population of not more than 500,000.”
Nope. Doesn’t meet criteria. Easy enough. Got any more brain busters?
Huh? CPS student population is 397,000.
- cdog - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 12:31 pm:
On February 18, AFTER THE GOVERNOR SUBMITS A BALANCED BUDGET, and he explains how ECE, k-12, and HEd will be funded for FY17, Cullerton will have even more leverage.
Cullerton could push back his Feb 16 action, by two days, to Feb 18. (I do wonder why he chose the day befor the Budget Address…)
That’s going to be one wild budget address on February 17. I am not a big fan of the hostage game, but there are going to be some really good targets presented on February 17.
Of course, all hostages are always attributable to Rauner, after any moderate analysis.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 12:35 pm:
===CPS student population is 397,000. ===
So?
District population refers to residents, not students.
- burbanite - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 12:41 pm:
-Let’s check back in a few months when CPS still doesn’t have a contract with CTU, runs out of cash, issues layoff notices and stares down a strike to see if the GOP’s CPS legislation is still dead.–
Lets check in with the status of the State now, since the Gov. has taken office. AFSCME doesn’t have a contract and the Gov. is trying to get an impasse declared, the state is running at a deficit (out of money), no budget, service providers closing all over the state, vendors refusing to do business with the state. So why on earth would any one believe this administration can fix CPS when they can’t even do their own job?
- Anon221 - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 12:43 pm:
cdog- “Cullerton could push back his Feb 16 action, by two days, to Feb 18. (I do wonder why he chose the day befor the Budget Address…)”
***
My thoughts- let Rauner veto it right before the Budget Address. Let HIM explain to the students and their families that he just can’t do it- he needs a broom to sweep some of the 800 or so funds (you know Diabetes Research, Duck Unlimited, those kinds of things), and he needs that power now and forever, amen. Not only that, but here’s my FY17 budget and MAPS grants are…??? Agree with you, Feb 17 is gonna be really interestin’.
- DuPage - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 12:52 pm:
It was Rauner who said the 5% income tax rate was “NOT needed”. This 5 Billion reduction in revenue is ENTIRELY Rauner’s doing, period.
- G'Kar - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 12:57 pm:
When THEY do it, it is “playing politics.” When WE do it, it is “badly needed reforms.”/s
- Ghost - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 1:03 pm:
So rauner hold budget ip over antiunion demands, but calls holding a education funding bill politics
more to the point, the gov big failure to lead her is talking sideways around a tax increase, and trying to stand apart from it.
instead of playing politics gov, why not just indicate your support to restore the tax increase, or part of it, and move on….
this is the bizzaro thing rich mentioned before. The gov seems to think the dems will be grateful to be allowed to pass a tax inc, knows we need a tax inc, but refuses to just support it and do a budget.
- Jack Stephens - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 1:09 pm:
Bruce:
One fiscally responsible way to pay for this would be to kick the pot smokers out of prison, then we could close most of them. It costs $20,000.00 plus a year to baby sit pot smokers. I’m tired of over paid Union bologna sandwich makers downstate.
Love,
Jack
- Stones - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 1:18 pm:
So what is this local control thingy work? I thought the Governor was a proponent.
- Whatever - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 1:29 pm:
==Let’s check back in a few months when CPS still doesn’t have a contract with CTU, runs out of cash, issues layoff notices and stares down a strike to see if the GOP’s CPS legislation is still dead.==
If it ever comes up, the GOP sponsors themselves will declare it dead, because it doesn’t include a funding source.
- cdog - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 2:13 pm:
Governor’s office says others need to “fund MAP grants with a fiscally responsible way to pay for them.”
Hahahahaha!!! I guess that’s what a balanced budget, based in reality (not RaunerWorld) will look like too!
“FISCALLY REAPONSIBLE” HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
I can not wait until he practices what he’s preachin’, February 17!
- PMcP - Tuesday, Feb 2, 16 @ 4:58 pm:
Just looking at the statute linked above but the state takeover part never explicitly defines school district population (using the phrase “school district with a population of less than 500,000) while in a separate section it uses the explicit term “school district in a city with a population less than 500,000″ so there may be an opening for Rauner to challenge it at least, regardless that’s just sloppy.