Ads Target House Democrats for Their Loyalty to Mike Madigan and Their Votes for the Most Unbalanced Budget in IL History
Over the past few weeks, House Democrats made the decision to put their loyalty to Mike Madigan above the interests of the people of Illinois. Instead of working to balance the budget and reform state government, House Democrats rammed through the most unbalanced budget in Illinois history, a budget that had a $7.5 billion deficit and would require a $1,000 tax increase on Illinois families to balance.
The Southern Illinoisan’s Editorial Board put it best this morning when they called Representatives Brandon Phelps and John Bradley, “soldiers in service to Speaker Michael Madigan.”
The Southern writes, “Mike Madigan preserved the status quo again this year, and Brandon Phelps and John Bradley were again more than willing to assist.”
Today, the House Republican Organization launched TV ads in multiple media markets across the state, targeting vulnerable Democratic legislators who walked the plank and voted for Madigan’s reckless “budget.”
The ads call out Reps. John Bradley, Brandon Phelps, Andy Skoog, Dan Beiser, and Kate Cloonen for their unflinching loyalty to Mike Madigan.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Thursday lashed out at Gov. Bruce Rauner, comparing the Republican governor’s call for Downstate Democrats to stand up against the Chicago machine to Donald Trump’s “playbook of demonizing one group of people for his political advantage.”
Rauner responded to the attack during an afternoon appearance in Itasca, comparing Emanuel to Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis, who is known for her sharp retorts.
“I don’t know where all these goofy personal attacks come from,” Rauner said. “That’s not helpful. I’m starting to think Rahm is taking his speaking lessons from Karen or something. This is not helpful. We’ve got to focus on the facts and what’s constructive.” [Emphasis added.]
Well, yeah. So if focusing on what’s helpful and constructive is so important, then what has the governor been doing for the last three days? That Emanuel comment didn’t emerge from a vacuum.
* A massive corporate bailout funded by increased electricity rates for a hugely profitable company is absolutely needed to protect a handful of Downstate jobs. But don’t even mention giving Chicago’s schools a penny more than they received this fiscal year, because that would be horrible…
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner is “extremely upset” to hear Exelon’s decision to close its nuclear plants in the Quad-Cities and Clinton, Ill., he said during a visit Thursday to the East Moline Correctional Center.
The state’s Republican leader said he has been talking with Exelon officials for weeks and planned to continue conversations later in the day.
“I’m trying to work with Exelon to keep these plants open,” he said, pinning blame on Illinois Democrats’ unwillingness to act on “tough votes,” including a bill aimed at helping Exelon’s money-losing nuclear plants, until after the general election in November. “We need to protect those jobs.”
Rauner pushed Illinois lawmakers to find a compromise, stressing that he does not want the state to lose Exelon, a “good company” with “good-paying jobs.”
We’re talking hundreds of millions of dollars a year for 1500 jobs - and if those plants become profitable again the state wouldn’t be able to claw back the subsidies.
* Those are good jobs. Don’t get me wrong. And the jobs and taxes are hugely important to those two small towns.
But thousands of employees of human service providers throughout the state have been laid off and he won’t sign a fully-funded stopgap approp bill that’s been on his desk for weeks.
* And while we’re at it, after excoriating the House Democrats for passing a 500-page budget bill with only hours of debate, he had his GOP leaders introduce two appropriations bills on the last day of session that totaled 1,054 pages and demanded immediate floor votes.
Dude… Please.
Sorry, but every time this governor goes on one of his Rolling Thunder “I’m Not To Blame!” Pander-Bear tours he makes me cranky.
Governor Bruce Rauner told WAND News Wednesday that he believed in early May that a compromise on a new budget was nearly at hand.
That potential deal, or grand compromise, never materialized. Rauner blames it on Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan.
“I knew we were getting close because Speaker Madigan started to insert himself. Because he was concerned we were actually going to get a grand compromise and he doesn’t want that,” Rauner told WAND’s Doug Wolfe. “Members of the Republican caucus and the working groups came back and said wow, you could see the chain got pulled in on the Democrats and they’ve reversed, or taken things off the table, or changed their position and gone backwards.”
They did indeed seem to pull back during the last few days.
[Democratic state Sen. Dave Koehler], too, disagreed with the governor’s characterization of action in the working groups.
“I think we’ve made some real progress,” he said. “It doesn’t look like it, because always on the last day of session things get real crazy.”
But, he said, any agreement on a short-term deal should come out of those groups.
“That’s really what needs to happen. … The reality is that the only way we’re going to make progress is we have to do something in a bipartisan way,” he said.
However, he said that he’s comfortable working on a temporary budget with the likelihood of voting on reforms in Rauner’s “Turnaround Agenda” later in the year or after the new year dawns as part of a final deal — though he still wants negotiation on the terms of those items.
“No one involved in the process can just say ‘No, we’re not doing it,’” Koehler said. “You have to at least talk about something. Now, everybody gets real nervous out there, saying, ‘What are you doing?’ Well, allow them to have their conversation and to find out where you can have some meeting of the minds.”
Yes, the city needs to put some skin in the game. And, yes, the state has a very real responsibility for its largest school system. But the CTU has to do its part as well. And that pension pickup is a huge cost-driver for CPS. Huge.
*** UPDATE *** Greg Hinz…
Claypool, in a quick interview, reacted very negatively to the comments.
“I’m shocked that the CTU is surrendering to Rauner and letting him off the hook for the state’s responsibility to fund education,” Claypool said.
Thank you so much for Tuesday’s article calling violence “a huge public health crisis”—we at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago couldn’t agree more. And we echo your call for “an urgently coordinated response to this disaster.” That’s why we created Strengthening Chicago’s Youth (SCY) four years ago. Like you and your readers, we recognize that it is not just the Illinois Department of Public Health, local law enforcement or any one entity that can solve this complicated problem. This is why SCY supports and helps coordinate efforts among so many government and non-government organizations that are doing this work. This is a true public health approach.
We all have to do our part to prevent violence. SCY encourages everyone to take action to prevent violence through our Focus on Five, which calls for:
· Sustained investment in children and youth. Policymakers must make a commitment to fund programs and implement laws that will enable our young people to reach their full potential. Without strong, consistent support of programs that work, is it any wonder when our children fall farther behind?
· Equitable access to high quality mental health services. We know that violence often stems from generation after generation of being raised in traumatized families and communities. Groups like the Illinois ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) Response Collaborative and Lurie Children’s Center for Childhood Resilience are working to address the root causes of trauma in children and support those who have experienced adversity, ultimately helping to break the intergenerational cycle of violence. As many of these partners say, “Hurt people hurt people.” We need to ensure that resources are dedicated to allow every Illinois resident to get the mental health care they need.
· Common sense approaches to gun violence prevention. Research shows that there are gun violence prevention policies that can save lives, including anti-trafficking laws and enforcement measures and evidence-based approaches to keep guns from dangerous people. Let’s bring these policies—like Gun Dealer Licensing—to Illinois to help curb the scourge of illegal guns endangering our children.
· Juvenile justice system that reflects what we know about adolescent development. Adolescents’ brains are not fully developed, and policies should view a child’s involvement with the justice system as an opportunity for intervention to prevent further delinquent behavior. We commend the state for many important reforms that have been adopted over the last several years and hope for continuing improvements—such as adoption of robust wraparound approaches that meet all needs of at-risk youth.
· Sustained investment in strong communities. We know that the toll of violence falls disproportionately on low-income, minority communities and that community and economic development policies can help to rectify this situation. Whether it’s through investing in proven community-based programs like CeaseFire Illinois, improving relationships between police and residents or bringing jobs to the neighborhoods most affected by violence, Illinois is only as strong as the neighborhoods we live in.
SCY would be happy to work with any of your readers to figure out how they can do their part to strengthen and support our youth, families and communities.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Levin, MPH
Director, Strengthening Chicago’s Youth
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
Chicago Public Schools CEO Forrest Claypool, who banked the financial future of the troubled district on a now-failed legislative session, said Wednesday that “the fight’s not over” as he implored parents statewide to lobby the governor.
“We still need them to stay involved because we have another obstacle to overcome, and that’s Gov. Rauner. They should remind the governor of his pre-gubernatorial history as someone who supported education funding, equality and reform. And I’d like to see that governor come back,” Claypool said by telephone. “The strategy of trying to divide the state around the issue of education just isn’t going to work.”
* Which resulted in this memo…
June 2, 2016
Mr. Forrest Claypool, Chief Executive Officer
Chicago Public Schools
42 W. Madison St.
Chicago, IL 60602
Dear Mr. Claypool:
I know you share my concern that without a balanced state budget, many schools may have difficulty opening in the fall. As I’m sure you are aware, the General Assembly adjourned Tuesday without passing a balanced budget for fiscal year 2017.
Earlier this week, the Governor and Republican leaders introduced an education funding bill that increases total PK-12 education funding by more than $240 million and ensures no school district loses money. In this time of great uncertainty, will you support a fiscal year 2017 education funding bill that keeps CPS funded at the exact same level as fiscal year 2016, including keeping funding for the city’s block grant and after-school programming in place?
If your answer is yes, then you support the plan introduced by Governor Rauner and the Republican Leaders this week – and I would ask you to advocate for its immediate passage so that all schools in Illinois can open in the fall. If your answer is no, then you need to be honest and tell the people of Illinois that you are holding up school funding for the entire state so that Chicago will receive hundreds of millions more than it did last year – despite declining enrollment in Chicago Public Schools and a state in deep fiscal crisis.
Thank you for your prompt reply.
Sincerely,
Beth Purvis
Secretary of Education
I’ve asked CPS for a response.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Here’s the response, which is more of an insult than anything else…
June 2, 2016
Dear Secretary Purvis,
As the highest paid official in Gov. Rauner’s administration, I’m sure you are aware that Illinois is near dead last in education funding.
I’m also sure you are aware that the current education funding formula punishes students living in poverty. This double whammy is a brick on the back of Illinois’ middle class and working families.
We understand the governor wants to turnaround Illinois. We urge him to start with education. Bring Illinois out from the bottom of the barrel and stop the insanity of an education funding system that punishes the poor.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Claypool was hired at a $250,000 annual salary plus benefits, which would be more than Purvis. So one insult deserves another. From Gov. Rauner’s deputy chief of staff Richard Goldberg…
Forrest Claypool doesn’t like it when women make as much money as he does. What a wonderful role model for Chicago students.
Schools in Illinois, on average, could stay open for five months without state funding, a recent survey by the Illinois Association of School Administrators found.
The possibility of schools shuttering continued to linger after state lawmakers on Tuesday evening, in the final hours of the spring legislative session, failed to reach a deal on a K-12 education-spending bill. […]
Even though they could open, [Mike Chamness, IASA’s director of communications] emphasized the consequences would still be devastating.
“If you spend all your reserves to stay open for five months, those reserves would not be replenished and at that point in time you would have no safety net whatsoever,” he said.
Yep. That very same thing has already happened to social service providers and higher education institutions.
*** UPDATE *** From the IASA…
Rich,
I wanted to clarify that the survey we did at IASA was an informal survey in our magazine. While the 5 month average might or might not be truly be representative of the statewide situation, I wanted to make it clear that we have districts from one end of the spectrum of not being able to open to the other end of districts that can survive the whole year but then might have no safety net remaining. Obviously, the districts most dependent on state aid are impacted the most. The closer we get to August, the more troublesome the scenarios become, financially and logistically, for schools. We realize that the ongoing budget impasse has had real consequences and suffering for innocent people. We would hope that common sense will prevail and the 2.1 million children who attend public schools in Illinois would not be used as political bargaining chips by either side.
Thanks.
Michael Chamness
IASA Director of Communications
Turns out, this was just an online survey. Not exactly scientific.
Thursday marks [ousted Chicago legislative inspector general Faisal Khan’s] first official day as CEO of the nonprofit Project Six — named after The Secret Six group of Chicago businessmen who helped bring down Al Capone.
Khan won’t say who’s paying the bills at Project Six — which employs Khan, three full-time investigators and a communications director out of offices in the historic Monadnock Building — but he insists the organization has no political or ideological bent. Its only aim is to take on corruption, ethical lapses and misguided policy, wherever it occurs in city, county or state government, he said.
Nate Hamilton, the group’s spokesman, said the money folks are being kept secret so politicians don’t go after them.
“We protect the privacy of our donors to prevent anyone from being targeted, harassed or retaliated against by the system that we will be fighting to reform,” said Hamilton, a former spokesman for the Illinois Policy Institute, a “free market” think tank that Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner has donated more than $500,000 to over the years.
Project Six describes itself as an “independent, non-profit organization dedicated to investigating, exposing and ending government corruption in Chicago and across Illinois.”
It was initiated by and is affiliated with the libertarian-leaning think tank Illinois Policy Institute, an organization that has received more than $500,000 from Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner. Project Six has a separate board of directors and will not disclose its list of funders.
The group’s spokesperson, Nathaniel Hamilton, a former Policy Institute spokesperson, denied any connection between Project Six and his old organization. This is despite the fact that the offices for Project Six were initially housed within the Policy Institute and job candidates were interviewed by members of the Policy Institute. An explicit connection between the two organizations could raise questions about whether or not investigations are politically motivated.
“We are a completely independent organization,” Hamilton said repeatedly on the phone.
Emphasis added.
For a self-described reform group to be telling what looks like a major whopper right off the bat doesn’t exactly inspire a whole lot of confidence.
Faisal Khan, Chicago’s $250-an-hour legislative inspector general, says he faces financial calamity.
He can’t afford to pay his taxes. He’s forced to maintain two homes because his pregnant wife lives out of state and can’t fly. And on top of that, he has massive travel expenses from shuttling back and forth weekly, Khan, a part-time contract employee, said in a Feb. 3 court filing.
So who’s to blame? According to Khan, the city, which he says owes him $75,325 in back pay. […]
But while Khan pleads poverty, records show he collected $228,707 in city payments in 2014 — well exceeding his former $202,000 a year salary cap.
The records also indicate that since 2012, more than 60 percent of his office budget has gone straight into his pocket. That leaves him with limited resources to conduct investigations and pay his employees.
A suburban Democrat has asked Illinois’ top auditor to take a leave of absence following his acknowledgment that federal investigators have questioned him about campaign expenses.
With a letter sent Wednesday, state Sen. Laura Murphy of Des Plaines becomes the highest-profile Democratic official to take Illinois Auditor General Frank Mautino to task for campaign expenses that have drawn increased scrutiny in recent months.
Among the expenses is more than $200,000 in about a dozen years at a single service station in his former legislative district.
“I believe a leave of absence would be in the best interest of state government and the taxpayers of Illinois,” Murphy writes in a letter. “Once the probe is complete and only after the cloud over your office has lifted would it be appropriate for you to return to work as auditor general.”
So, since she’s doing this, might we expect more Dems to jump on the “good government is good politics” bandwagon as it relates to Mautino?
And, what’s your opinion about a leave of absence?
We are 11 months – eleven months – into this fiscal year and Illinois is no closer to having a FY16 budget than it was on July 1, 2015. Furthermore, we are one month from the deadline for an FY17 budget that is nowhere in sight either.
The latest round of negotiations between the Governor and legislators culminated Tuesday night in yet another failure. No budget—stopgap or full-year—was passed.
Instead of setting aside differences and agendas to pass a budget that adequately funds the services and programs that children and working families depend on, everyone involved has left these critical services in a continued state of uncertainty and unpredictably. Again.
The failure to reach an agreement on a responsible budget that includes sustainable revenue means that child care centers serving the children of tens of thousands of low-income, working parents will once again stop receiving funding. Home visiting programs reaching thousands of expectant parents, infants and toddlers will remain unfunded for a second year, with many programs unable to continue operating.
The lack of any appropriation for children birth to age 5 in our state’s Preschool for All program and K-12 system means schools will not have any funding for the fall unless something changes. The foundation of higher education will continue to crumble, leaving thousands of university and community college students without MAP grants and impacting the early childhood education future workforce. Teen REACH, homeless prevention, and domestic violence services will all go without funding again. The list goes on.
Prolonging the fiscal impasse will only deepen and extend the pain to children, families and communities - and the domino effect on the state’s economy will be felt for years to come. We have seen vulnerable children and families bear the brunt of our state’s budget problems before, but never at a time when the service-delivery infrastructure is already incredibly fragile and on the very edge of collapse. Many social services providers in Illinois have not been paid since July 1, but have continued to provide services in good faith. There is a bill before Governor Rauner that would provide emergency stopgap funds to help keep these providers afloat while we await a complete budget, and we urge him to sign SB2038 immediately.
We elect our leaders to represent the interests and needs of all residents of Illinois. We do not elect them to wait for the next primary…the next election…the next school year…
By failing to pass a budget for FY16 and FY17, our elected leaders have shown a lack of political courage while children and families pay the price. Legislators have indicated that they will work through June to find a compromise. We call on the governor and General Assembly, regardless of political affiliation, to live up to their commitment and responsibilities and immediately pass a budget that adequately reflects and fully funds our state’s needs and long-held priorities.
Looks like Exelon’s Quad Cities nuclear plant is a goner come September.
Chris Crane, CEO of the Chicago-based utility giant, which also is the largest nuclear plant operator in the country, made clear on a conference call with analysts today that he doesn’t see a way to keep money-losing Quad Cities open in the absence of a state law to charge ratepayers throughout Illinois more to bolster revenues at Exelon’s nukes. Exelon says that three of its six Illinois plants are losing money as wholesale power prices remain historically low due in large part to the low cost of natural gas.
Exelon has established September as the time it must decide the future of Quad Cities, and an anticipated revenue windfall for Exelon’s nukes courtesy of a regional power-plant auction set for next month almost certainly won’t be enough, Crane said.
September came and went and all the nuke plants stayed open.
Exelon said Thursday it will move ahead with plans to shutter the Clinton and Quad Cities nuclear plants, blaming the lack of progress on Illinois energy legislation.
The company, the parent of Chicago-area utilities provider ComEd, said the Clinton Power Station will close June 1, 2017, and the Quad Cities Generating Station in Cordova will close June 1, 2018. Both plants, the company said, have lost a combined $800 million in the past seven years, despite being “two of the best-performing plants,” the company said in a statement.
The move comes after the Illinois General Assembly adjourned earlier this week without acting on the legislation known as the Next Generation Energy Plan, which Exelon said would have helped save the nuclear plants.
* As Steve Daniels notes, there was some significant progress with Exelon’s legislation in late May, but more work has to be done…
Complicating matters is that the disagreements between Exelon and the greens aren’t the only conflicts holding back legislation. The coal industry, and power generators who rely on coal, also want ratepayer-financed help, which has run into opposition from downstate electric utility Ameren.
And much of the solar industry continues to oppose other electricity rate-design portions of Exelon’s bill that they contend would kill the residential rooftop solar business in Illinois before it even really gets started.
But with the dramatic concessions to the wind industry, Exelon has made clear its willingness to wheel and deal in order to save its nukes. May 31 has come and gone, but wide-ranging and far-reaching energy legislation in Illinois remains very much in play.
Thursday, Jun 2, 2016 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Paying it forward and giving back, and expecting nothing but happiness - that is the ultimate gift. Rock Valley Credit Union went above and beyond just providing “normal financial service” to a member on Saturday, May 28th when they surprised Denise Krienke, a long-time member who is going through cancer treatment with a visit from Guardians of the Ribbon PINK HEALS Winnebago County.
Financial Service Provider Andy Poffinbarger had been helping Denise with options for helping her pay medical bills, have money to live on, avoid overdrawing her checking account and to stay afloat. During his interactions with Denise, he learned of her journey and the struggles she was facing and wanted to help. Knowing of the partnership Rock Valley has with PINK HEALS, the credit union reached out to the local non-profit organization and explained Denise’s story.
PINK HEALS didn’t hesitate. Andy worked with Denise’s family to have her at the credit union following the annual Memorial Day Parade, and as soon as the sirens sounded, the procession of fire trucks, motorcycles, Pink Heals’ signature Pink police car and fire truck appeared, tears rolled down Denise’s face. She was shocked that a credit union would care enough to do something for her. Over 50 volunteers from Pink Heals, 15 Rock Valley Credit Union employees and many family and friends stood in line to give Denise a hug of support and encouragement. She was presented with gift cards to gas stations and a grocery store to help relieve some of the burden.
Taking time to get to know our members, their personal stories, and helping as best as we can - that is the credit union difference. Rock Valley Credit Union made an impact in Denise’s life beyond helping her financially. Credit unions are proud to fulfill our mission of giving back to our members and the communities we serve.
Today Alderman Howard B. Brookins Jr., Chairman of the Committee on Education and Child Development of the Chicago City Council, blasted Governor Bruce Rauner for racially tinged attacks on Chicago’s public schools.
It was reported in the media that Rauner said the following, “‘The Senate and the House were competing with each other – who can spend more to bail out Chicago with your tax dollars from southern Illinois and central Illinois and Moline and Rockford and Danville, the communities of this state who are hardworking families who pay the taxes,’ [emphasis added] Rauner said. ‘The taxes should go into our communities, not into the Chicago political machine. That’s where Speaker Madigan and his allies want the money to go.’”
Brookins responded:
“I’m appalled that Governor Rauner would say that Chicago families are not hardworking and don’t contribute to the tax base of Illinois. In fact, we pay a larger percentage of our incomes in taxes than the Governor or his billionaire friends, who he continues to protect from paying their fair share while ordinary people suffer,” said Brookins.
“Perhaps Governor Rauner believes there’s something about the 84% of Chicago Public School students who are African American and Hispanic that makes them undeserving of the full funding provided to other communities in Illinois,” Brookins continued. “Or, perhaps he is trying to stoke racial resentment with these divisive and misleading attacks.
“There is no so-called ‘bailout’ of the school system being proposed. Chicago taxpayers provide 20 percent of the income tax money that funds public education in our state, our children make up 20% of the state’s enrollment, yet our students receive only 15 percent of the state’s spending on education.
“These inflammatory comments are designed to conceal the budget mess Rauner purposefully created in an attempt to break institutions like organized labor and social service providers that are a lifeblood to middle class families in Illinois.
“In our state’s nearly 200-year history, Illinois has never experienced such a tumultuous period where it couldn’t even pass a budget. That is Governor Rauner’s failure, and one he has repeatedly tried to cover up with ridiculous attempts at misleading the public. The hardworking, taxpayers of Chicago will not stand for his reckless rhetoric any longer,” Brookins concluded.
“Yesterday people across the state were looking for solutions,” Emanuel’s statement reads. “Instead of uniting the governor was dividing. Instead of leading he was playing politics, pitting parents and students in one part of the state against parents and students in another. Right now schools across Illinois need a leader, and instead Bruce Rauner is following the Donald Trump playbook of demonizing one group of people for his political advantage.”
* As did the mayor’s CPS honcho…
Very disappointed that Gov. Rauner is pitting IL regions against each other. He was elected to lead all IL + we all need #fairschoolfunding
* Vienna, by the way, has a population of just 1,434 people…
“The Senate and the House were competing with each other over who can spend more to bail out Chicago with your taxes,” Rauner said during an appearance in Vienna. “The money shouldn’t go there, it should go here.”
The two chambers were, indeed, competing with each other the other night. No argument there. But Chicagoans, unlike the residents of Vienna and everywhere else in this state, directly make the vast majority of their own school pension payments.
In a campaign-style speech, Rauner took aim at House Speaker Michael Madigan; Senate President John Cullerton; and state Sen. John Sullivan, D-Rushville, who is assistant majority leader of the Senate. […]
A handout sheet passed along by Rauner’s office said Sullivan has gotten $1.75 million during his political career from Madigan, Cullerton and the “Chicago machine,” but it failed to specify whether they were campaign funds. The handout also was written in a way that made a leadership stipend — which Sullivan and all leaders in both parties receive — look like it came from Madigan and Cullerton.
“We need you to call Sen. Sullivan and have him stand up” to the Chicago political machine, Rauner said.
When reminded that Sullivan did not vote for a Senate education bill that would have boosted funding for Chicago Public Schools by nearly $1 billion, Rauner said that more was needed. He suggested that Sullivan demand a vote on an education bill and a social services stopgap bill crafted by the governor’s office.
I asked the reporter about his “Rauner said that more was needed” line because I didn’t quite get it. “Rauner wanted more from Sullivan, as in his support for the governor’s two budget plans,” was his explanation.
* So, are they really saying that the Chicago schools will receive no more money? Because, frankly, I don’t see how the heck they intend to get anything at all done if that is the case…
Republican Senator Jason Barickman of Bloomington is on the tour with Rauner. He says House Speaker Michael Madigan’s budget plan would “bail out” the city of Chicago and its school district.
“Us downstaters need to stick together… so that we don’t enable Mike Madigan to bail out Chicago.”
The post-May 31 magic numbers are now 71 and 36. Those can’t be reached if CPS isn’t part of the mix. Period.
* And yet as far as I know he did zippo during the session to pass a bill…
Gov. Rauner calls upcoming closing of @ExelonNuclear plants in Cordova and Clinton a "travesty." Hear more from @GovRauner on @wqad at 11
“Less than a day after the second legislative session of his tenure ended again with no state budget in place, Governor Rauner is back on the campaign trail and exploiting state worksites for his own political purposes.
“This morning Rauner held a news conference at the Alton Mental Health Center where, according to media reports, he attacked Democrats and urged people to vote against them. At midday he held another media event at a state prison in Vienna with Republican state Senate candidate Dale Fowler in tow.
“It is highly unethical for Governor Rauner to use a public psychiatric facility and a correctional center as backdrops for his partisan political attacks and candidate promotion, and quite possibly a violation of the State Ethics Act, which prohibits political activity on state property and state time.
“In addition, it is disingenuous at best for Governor Rauner to pose at these facilities after he has spent more than a year falsely attacking state employees, denigrating their union, and threatening them with disciplinary action merely for criticizing his policies.
“Governor Rauner should focus on his own job—signing a budget without precondition—and leave state employees to do theirs.”
…Adding… The governor’s folks are flatly denying that he made any campaign statements at the facilities and said they invited local mayors to the Vienna event. Fowler is a mayor.
…Adding More… From an administration official…
I don’t know what’s more absurd - AFSCME claiming that elected officials advocating to keep government facilities open constitutes campaigning or the state’s largest employee union rooting for a government shutdown.
…Adding Still More… AFSCME points to this tweet as evidence of campaigning…
Gov. Rauner in Alton: We need to vote for downstate, not Chicago. Tell lawmakers to stand up for southern Illinois, not Madigan's machine.
* Gov. Rauner bashed the heck outta Democrats in Mahomet today, from Speaker Madigan to Senate President Cullerton all the way down to the rank and file. He was then asked about calling a special session…
“So far the Speaker has said that he’s planning on calling his General Assembly members in on Wednesdays going forward. I don’t think that’s enough. So, I’m gonna negotiate with the Speaker and ask that we meet far more regularly than that. And then we’ll see what we can work out.”
* Kids, I’m gonna try to take me a little nap. Long, grueling, frustrating month, ending with an even longer day, then a late night and a very early morning. Coffee isn’t working. B-Complex isn’t working. Sleepy and a bit cranky. I often tell cranky commenters that they need a nap, so I’m taking my own advice.
* The administration has been using spit and bailing wire to keep the government going during the impasse. One example…
Description and Specifications: Emergency purchase of bread and bun bases for Illinois Correctional Industries to use in making of inmates’ bread and to provide to other state agencies.
Emergency Justification: Illinois Correctional Industries uses bread/bun base and sweetdough base in the production of bread & buns, and other food staples required to provide to inmates and for sale to various state agencies. The current master contract #PSD4017603 has an expiration of 12/16/2017 but the vendor refused to deliver the said products due to lack of payment. So as not to interrupt customer demands and prevent or minimize serious disruption to the IDOC and other state agencies, it is imperative that this emergency purchase be made.
Accordance with Admin Rule: Minimize serious disruption to critical state services that affect health, safety, or collection of substantial state revenues […]
Total Amount of Award: $190,000.00 (Total Dollar Value Only/Includes Any Renewal Options)
Estimated/Actual Value Description: Estimated
Length of Initial Term: 3
Contract Begin Date: 02/12/2016
Contract End Date: 05/11/2016
Hat tip to a commenter.
…Adding… With a hat tip to another commenter, remember this pledge to cut wasteful spending like emergency procurements from the 2014 campaign?…
* As you’ll recall from yesterday, Gov. Rauner made some pretty harsh, hyper-partisan remarks during his press conference yesterday in front of a backdrop of Republican legislators on the grand staircase…
Rauner suggested the legislature’s majority party had orchestrated a “stunning failure” this spring and accused Madigan, his chief political nemesis, of holding the state and its services “hostage.”
“Speaker Madigan’s Democrats have controlled our Generally Assembly for more than 30 years. Speaker Madigan’s Democrats have controlled spending in our state government for more than 30 years. Under the Democrats’ control, we have the highest deficit, the highest debt, the highest unfunded pensions of any state in America,” Rauner said, flanked by GOP lawmakers along an ornate statehouse staircase.
“The Democrats have spent our state into the toilet for 30 years,” Rauner said. “We are like a banana republic. We can’t manage our money and employers don’t have any confidence in us. They won’t come here unless we can get our act together and balance our budgets. I will always veto unbalanced budgets. I will not sign one. And I will not sign a tax increase unless we have pro-growth, pro-investment reforms and we have property tax protection for our homeowners and our small business owners.”
That sort of talk isn’t particularly helpful, said Senate President John Cullerton.
“You know, I don’t see the advantage in criticizing someone you want to sit down with and negotiate with,” he said. “It’s kinda like, you know, starting a fight … insulting your wife before you negotiate with your wife over something that’s important. You know, ‘I don’t like your mother in law’. That’s not the way you start off with a negotiation.”
Meh. Look, the Democrats have been taking verbal potshots at this governor for a very long time. They’re big boys and girls. They should take what they dish.
* But there was apparently something else going on. Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) posted this on her Facebook page just before the press conference…
This is why cooperation and compromise are in such short supply in Springfield.
Over the last few days, a group of rank and file members of both parties in both chambers came together to plan a show of unity calling for cooperation and civility after our anticipated adjournment without a budget tonight. This morning, nearly every member of the Republican caucus posted a meme using variations on the language from our yet to be released joint statement. Then, the Republican leader theatrically introduced new bills with stopgap budget language, declaring that we could stay until midnight and pass this compromise. Except under our constitution, a bill has to be read on 3 different days, so that’s not possible. Then, I encountered the bank of cameras pictured below and learned the plan is for the Governor and Republican leaders to denounce the Democrats for refusing to cooperate.
I’m ready to work together without gotcha games. It’s well past time.
* Here’s one of the memes she mentioned…
Last day of session. Still no budget. The solution is working together and compromising. I'm ready. pic.twitter.com/K8W6FlzJEs
* And then after the presser, an obviously upset Rep. Chris Welch (D-Hillside) posted this on his Twitter feed…
This group stood together to make budget demands with Gov. Rauner. Does Illinois look like this photo? pic.twitter.com/UkZYCb5uMf
— Emanuel Chris Welch (@RepChrisWelch) June 1, 2016
Oof.
*** UPDATE *** In an e-mail to constituents, Rep. Cassidy claimed the Rauner press conference “derailed” the bipartisan press conference…
Over the last week, my conversations with colleagues on both sides of the aisle suggested a growing belief that the solution lies with the rank and file and a willingness to stand up and say exactly that. A majority of both caucuses in both chambers planned a press conference immediately after adjournment to mutually declare a desire for continued negotiation, compromise and civility. Instead, the Governor introduced a stopgap budget plan that just a couple of days ago he ridiculed when a similar solution was suggested by the Senate President. The Governor and most of the members of the Republican caucuses in both chambers stood with him to have another “gotcha moment,” declaring that the Democrats weren’t willing to work with them on a bill that was introduced yesterday via press release. This action derailed the planned bipartisan press conference.
Sent: Wednesday, May 18, 2016 3:49 PM
Subject: FY17 Homeless Youth Continuation Application Plan & Budget Forms
Importance: High
Dear Providers:
Attached are the FY17 Continuation Application Plan & Budget forms and instructions along with the Grant Application cover page. All documents must be completed and submitted on or before June 6th to be considered for funding in FY17. We apologize for the short turn around, but we needed to ensure that we were in compliance with 30 ILCS 708, the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA). It should be noted that very little has changed in the Application Plan, so most of the existing information from last year’s plan can be updated. Additionally, the Uniform Budget Forms that are required are not yet ready, but we expect them any day. DHS is working on creating a usable PDF version that will be sent out as soon as possible. I am including an excel version of the Uniform Budget template for you to use as a guide. However, it is very important that you double check the formulas as they are incomplete.
When completing your budget forms and narrative, please be as complete and detailed as possible. These budgets must be approved prior to DHS issuing contracts for FY17. We will not be able to approve these budgets if there is not sufficient detail provided.
So, they’re bidding out contracts for FY17 grants when they don’t even have a budget for FY16. Man, what a state. Talk about bad faith contracting.
* And those budget forms that “are required” but “not yet ready”? Bad news…
Sent: Friday, May 27, 2016 1:25 PM
Subject: FY17 Homeless Youth Continuation Application Plan & Budget Forms
Importance: High
Afternoon All,
As you are aware, the complete Uniform Budget Template is still not fully complete. In lieu of this, we have a new plan. Attached please find a fillable 4-page PDF version of the Uniform Budget Template. This version does not include the worksheet pages in which you were to include your detailed budget narrative/justification. It will still be necessary for you to provide a detailed budget narrative/justification along with the attached 4-page Uniform Budget Template.
Budgets will NOT be approved if sufficient detail is not provided in this narrative. It is necessary to provide this detailed justification for EACH section and line item within your budget. For those of you that have received funding through this Bureau in the past, you are aware of the level of justification required for the budget to be approved.
Please understand that FY17 contracts cannot be issued until after your budget is approved. So please describe the program need and “show your work” so-to-speak as to how you arrived at the amount being requested for each item. Also, please make sure your administrative costs (direct +indirect) do not exceed the maximum 20% including match (if required).
For this year, you may provide that narrative justification/detail in whatever format you like. You may use the previously provided excel version of this template, some variation of that, something you used in a previous year or even provide it in a word document. If you chose a narrative (non-table) format – please be certain that all line items are listed and fully addressed.
Finally, as this year funding is only being awarded for one year, please disregard the years 2 and 3 columns in the budget template.
* And then…
Date: Fri, May 27, 2016 at 1:59 PM
Subject: FW: FY17 Homeless Youth Continuation Application Plan & Budget Forms
Unfortunately, for you to be able to fill and save these forms we just sent you need to have more than Adobe Reader on your computer. If someone in your office has Adobe Acrobat they should be able to open the document in acrobat, fill and save. But you obviously do not and should not have to go through all of that.
Please try this – we have tried on multiple computers with only reader software and it has worked.
We are very sorry for the inconvenience.
If anyone is experiencing accessibility issues with this document, please email me at [redacted] and we will be able to provide an ADA compliant accessible version.
One last thing – you can find the CSFA # and the CSFA Description/title on the Application Cover Page (3-page pdf document). For this program there is no NOFO number, please indicate N/A.
* As we’ve already discussed, the governor is out on the hustings today touting his “Fully Funded Stopgap Budget and Clean Education Bill.” Here’s the outline, which was shared with subscribers yesterday morning…
To: Interested Parties
From: Tim Nuding, Director, Governor’s Office of Management & Budget
Date: May 30, 2016
Re: Short Term “Bridge” Appropriations Bill
After fully reviewing SB 2048, the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget (GOMB) has confirmed our initial belief that the full year appropriations contained therein would result in total state general funds spending of $40 billion – making it $7.5 billion out of balance. GOMB continues to recommend a total veto of that unworkable spending plan.
Last week, I urged the General Assembly to focus on a comprehensive balanced budget alongside meaningful reforms to grow our economy. It has become abundantly clear that the legislative majority will not compromise and pass a balanced budget with reforms.
Progressing into Fiscal Year 2017 with no appropriations is not an acceptable alternative as schools must open in the fall, vendor and grantee patience has understandably worn thin and the continued delivery of critical life, health and safety state services would be in jeopardy.
As an option of last resort, the General Assembly should fulfill the Governor’s long-standing request to pass a standalone appropriations bill for PK-12 education and also pass a fiscally responsible appropriations bill that serves as a bridge to keep government functioning and protects the public’s health, welfare and safety.
Taking into account the very latest and disappointing developments in the status of negotiations, GOMB would support the following approach to keep government functioning and to protect the safety of the public during the continued impasse.
This proposal is not designed as a full-year budget. It is designed as a bridge plan that allows schools to open, keeps the lights on, protects public safety and prevents a government shutdown. It is fully funded and therefore fiscally responsible, unlike other potential short-term budget proposals that seek to impose piecemeal out-of-balance budgets for months at a time.
For Fiscal Year 2016:
1. Appropriate the remaining non-GRF line items that have yet to be appropriated in FY16.
a. Includes funding for homeless programs, domestic violence prevention programs, sexual assault programs, state parks, and the senior citizens real estate tax deferral program.
2. Utilize the balance in the Rainy Day Fund to pay outstanding bills at various state agencies from Fiscal Year 2016.
a. Funds for utilities, food and medical services at state prisons, mental health centers and veterans homes. These allocations would allow the state to make payments to the many municipal utilities that are owed money.
b. Funds for postage at agencies such as the Department of Revenue required for revenue collection and tax compliance.
3. Appropriate $458 million from the Commitment to Human Services Fund – the amount estimated to be available in that fund by the end of the fiscal year – to provide payments to human services providers who are not covered by court orders or consent decrees.
For Fiscal Year 2017:
1. Appropriate full year funding for Early Childhood, Elementary & Secondary Education.
a. Recommend a standalone bill for education.
b. Full funding of general state aid, no proration.
c. Additional funds for hold harmless so that no school gets less money through the formula in FY17 than they did in FY16. Allows time to continue to discuss changes to the school aid formula for FY18.
d. Provides local schools with certainty of full year funding and ensures that all schools open on time in August.
2. Appropriate all federal funds, mirroring what was done in Fiscal Year 2016. This has no impact on the general revenue fund and will allow federal funds to flow directly through to providers, such as child care providers.
3. Appropriate non-GRF line items, including:
a. appropriations to restart mothballed capital projects in mid construction that were halted due to lack of appropriation authority in Fiscal Year 2016, including projects for public universities and community colleges and including the flood plain buyout program.
b. appropriations for emergency repairs at state facilities statewide.
c. appropriations to fund the full road construction program in Fiscal Year 2017, including bridge repair and local government road allocations which are funded predominantly out of motor fuel tax funds and vehicle registration fees.
d. appropriations to fund the state’s low income heating and energy assistance program.
e. appropriations for required debt service payments related to Met Pier bonds, Civic Center bonds, and Sports Facilities Authority bonds.
f. ensure continued food delivery and utility services at our state veterans homes.
4. Appropriate $600 million from the Education Assistance Fund for Higher Education. This is the amount expected to accrue to the Education Assistance Fund over the first six months of fiscal year 2017.
a. Provides stop-gap funding for public universities and community colleges and the Illinois Math & Science Academy.
b. Ensures those universities most at risk, including Chicago State University, Western Illinois University and Eastern Illinois University are able to open for and complete the fall semester.
5. Appropriate $180 million from the Commitment to Human Services Fund for payments to human services providers not covered by court orders or consent decrees. This is the amount expected to automatically accrue into this fund in the first six months of Fiscal Year 2017.
6. GRF appropriations of $450 million fully funded by non-repayment of interfund borrowing.
a. Ensure food vendors get paid to continue food deliveries to our 24 hour residential facilities, including state prisons, state facilities for persons with developmental disabilities, state facilities for persons with mental illness.
b. Ensure that utilities such as electricity and water services, and medical services continue to be provided to these same facilities.
c. Ensure that our fuel vendors and vehicle maintenance vendors who provide the services needed to keep our state troopers on the road and keep our Department of Transportation trucks on the road, including salt distribution and snow removal in the winter months.
d. Ensure that child support payments continue to be provided statewide.
e. Ensure purchase of cigarette tax stamps so that Illinois can continue to collect cigarette tax revenues.
f. Provide funding for the Secretary of State to help cover utility costs for critical government facilities.
7. All appropriations for FY17 could include language allowing those appropriations to be used to pay outstanding Fiscal Year 2016 bills, if necessary.
In an editorial published over the weekend, [Reboot Illinois] called on rank-and-file Democrats — meaning those outside the leadership — to defy House Speaker Michael Madigan and strike a deal with Gov. Rauner.
That didn’t happen.
On Tuesday afternoon, Doubek didn’t seem too surprised. She pointed to the very real power Speaker Madigan has over House Democrats, which makes it risky to get on his bad side.
“He provides a lot of the funding for their campaign,” she said. “He provides a lot of the workers who go door-to-door. He gets a lot of that money and manpower from labor unions in the state of Illinois as well as from trial lawyers.”
Several Senate Democrats, including some members of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, were unhappy with the budget blueprint Madigan muscled through the House last week, contending the longtime speaker too often dictates to them what the state budget will be. The bill failed, garnering only 17 “yes” votes and 31 “no” votes — an emphatic rejection of the powerful Madigan, who also chairs the state Democratic Party. […]
Cullerton met behind closed doors with black caucus members Tuesday evening. State Sen. Emil Jones III told reporters the biggest issue was that “we didn’t have a part in that budget. We weren’t a part of the negotiations.”
“Yeah, it may have taken away a pressure point, but we’re going to be here to negotiate all summer, so we’ll get something done,” Jones said.
The Senate’s refusal to adopt a budget plan bearing the clear imprint of Madigan, the state party chairman, represented a stinging rebuke to the longest-serving statehouse speaker in America and a setback Rauner allies called a “catastrophe” for Democrats.
Within the 39-member Senate Democratic majority, some senators complained they were unable to have input in the House-passed plan, which arrived last week as a take-it-or-leave it proposition, one of Madigan’s legislative hallmarks over the years in his dealings with Illinois’ upper legislative chamber.
“There was a lot of resentment over the way it was passed,” said Senate President John Cullerton.
On the Senate floor, Cullerton said working groups would be finding a way to fund education.
Despite the lack of action on budget deadline day, late Tuesday Cullerton told reporters he’s confident he can get a temporary budget — one that could fund the state until January — in a week. He said he was “optimistic” he could work with Rauner and the leaders on passing a temporary budget that will help the state move forward.
“I hope to have a budget. Think about this. A real budget, signed by the governor — an agreement — within a week. That’s more positive than we’ve been up until now,” Cullerton said.
Cullerton said he reached an agreement with Rauner during a Tuesday leaders meeting to pass a budget “that’s not going to be encumbered by things that have kept us from passing a budget until now.”
* Cullerton held a press conference near the end of last night’s session. Raw audio…
How [the Senate] voted on Speaker Michael Madigan’s state budget (which failed): The 17 “yes” votes were all Democrats. The 10 “present” votes were all Democrats. And of the 31 “no” votes, 19 were Republicans and 12 were Democrats, including some potential GOP targets.
The Democratic leadership’s spending plan, first passed by the House last week, was $7 billion short on revenue. It was nothing but a political document, a way to put Gov. Bruce Rauner on the spot — sign this joke or you will be to blame when the schools don’t open — and he made clear he would never sign it.
But Rauner’s own solution was only marginally more responsible. Completely reversing a stand he took just last week, the governor now wanted the Legislature to approve a stopgap measure to fund the state through the end of year, pulling money out of old pants’ pockets and forgotten wallets — one-time tricks. He would fund the worthiest causes — homeless programs, state parks and domestic violence prevention programs — but only by raiding the state’s Rainy Day Fund and the like. His “bridge plan,” as he would be the first to agree, would do nothing to improve long-term government stability and predictability.
Rauner remains an inept rookie politician. He still thinks like a private equity guy, not like a governor. He understands how power works in private business — he who has the most money wins — but not in politics. And he continues to treat the great city of Chicago, truly the beating heart of a healthy Illinois, like a corporate subsidiary to be shed if it fails to meet its quarterly earnings projections. […]
Rauner continues to insist on some degree of acceptance of his pro-business and anti-union “turnaround agenda” reforms before he’ll contemplate higher state taxes, though finding additional revenue ultimately is the only way a balanced state budget will be achieved. We sure wish we could divine Rauner’s bottom line on that.
And House Speaker Michael Madigan continues to insist that Rauner’s reforms would only hurt the middle class. But we’d like to know Madigan’s real bottom line, too. Or is he determined not to budge even an inch, biding his time until after the November elections, putting raw politics ahead of what’s best for Illinois?
The regular session of the General Assembly ended last night at midnight and there was no agreement reached on a fiscal year 2016 or fiscal year 2017 budget. There is some indication that negotiations will continue during June in order to try to get something done before the end of the fiscal year on June 30. However, with the November general election and the partisan warfare intensifying, there is a real threat that no budget agreement will be reached until after the November general election, if ever.
The Responsible Budget Coalition (RBC) releases the following statement:
Another major deadline has passed and again the officials charged with operating state government have failed to produce a fully-funded budget that implements Illinois’ policy priorities– that is, they have not produced a responsible budget.
The failure of our leaders to reach a budget agreement means that:
Child care centers that serve the children of tens of thousands of low-income workers will stop receiving funding.
Elementary and high schools may not open on time in the fall.
As many as 130,000 low-income college students could lose the Monetary Assistance Program grants they need to afford a college education.
All 29 agencies serving survivors of sexual assault will continue furloughs and staff reductions begun in July 2015 and services for over 3,700 sexual assault survivors will be in jeopardy.
The waiting time for the suicide hotline will be at least six months.
Thousands of more people experiencing homelessness will join the 8,000 that have already lost services.
In-home care services for seniors will continue to be slashed, forcing them into nursing homes, and many more will join the over 3,000 seniors that have already lost home-delivered meals (Meals on Wheels) services.
Illinois cannot wait any longer for a responsible budget; it cannot wait until after the election. Every day of the impasse causes more suffering and unmet need, loss of infrastructure and talent, and neglected state policies and programs. Every day of the uncertainty, unpredictability and dysfunction of the impasse further erodes the business climate. The Governor and the legislators have a job to do. They must pass a fully funded budget for FY16 and FY17 before the end of June.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Press release…
Monsignor Michael M. Boland, President of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago, released the following statement today in response to the lack of a resolution to the Illinois State Budget.
“Pope Francis has called on us as a society to care for the least among us and places special value on the lives of the elderly and children. Yet, for more than a year our state leaders have failed to pass a State budget that remembers those who are suffering the most in our communities.
The social safety net across the state is continuing to crumble. Like every other human services provider, we have been greatly impacted by the lack of a State budget or clear plan of how to proceed, more than a year after we anticipated a budget would be passed. We are owed more than $25 million by the State of Illinois for services that we were contracted to provide.
More than 1 million people count on Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago for help. These are the most vulnerable people in our state – seniors, children, veterans, families. These are the very people our elected leaders pledged to protect.
Throughout this past year we have made incredibly difficult decisions, including significant administrative budget cuts and implementing a hiring freeze, in order to keep our doors open and help those most in need in our communities.
This entire year we have operated in good faith that our elected officials will work together to find a solution to the State budget. It has become increasingly clear that the budget stalemate will continue into the summer.
We are the lifeline for support for 1 million people. However, it is unsustainable for us to continue to float the state more than $2 million each month for programs to support those most in need. Difficult decisions will need to be made soon if this budget stalemate continues. I strongly urge our elected leaders to take responsibility and pass a state budget that is not balanced on the backs of the poor. This is not a matter of politics, it is a matter of people’s lives.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** More bad news…
June 1, 2016
The following message was sent today by University of Illinois President Tim Killeen to faculty, staff and students regarding the state budget situation.
Dear colleagues:
The General Assembly yesterday adjourned for the second straight year without reaching agreement with the governor on funding to support the University of Illinois system and public higher education across our state. These consecutive failures in Springfield are unprecedented in Illinois history.
Gov. Bruce Rauner and legislative leaders have pledged to continue negotiations, but I am gravely concerned about the implications for our students, our faculty and staff and our campuses if we are forced to weather another protracted period without adequate funding from the state.
This great university system is not in danger of shutting its doors, but a crisis is worsening nonetheless.
We are now 11 months into fiscal 2016 with only stopgap funding that will provide about a quarter of the nearly $650 million in state funding that we received the year before. Now, we face the prospect of a new fiscal year with no state support.
To date, we have weathered the shortfall responsibly through significant cost-saving initiatives, structural reforms and prudent financial management. But we cannot withstand a continued loss of state funding without considerable damage to our core missions – teaching, research, public service and economic development.
All options are on the table as we go forward – layoffs, reductions of academic programs, closure of units and cuts in a health-care enterprise that provides critical care to underserved populations in Chicago. All would damage the very core of our mission to serve students and the public good, and erode a rich, 150-year legacy of academic excellence and economic impact that would be far more costly to rebuild than sustain.
We will continue to do everything in our power to preserve the world-class quality that is synonymous with the University of Illinois, ramping up efforts that have been underway for well over a year to advocate at every turn for the interests of our students, our employees and the people and families of Illinois. I hope all of you will join us, and I will update you as the budget process unfolds.
Although the session dragged on into the night, Rauner officially threw in the towel at 5 p.m., telling reporters the legislative session had been a “stunning failure.”
Not surprisingly, Rauner put all the blame on Madigan and the Democrats who follow the speaker’s lead, conveniently overlooking his own role in the continued debacle.
Asked if he took any responsibility, Rauner said “absolutely,” before deflecting it again.
Asked by a reporter if he bore any responsibility, Rauner responded, “Absolutely. You know what, I will always veto dramatically out-of-balance budgets.”
