27 Comments - winners and losers - Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 11:21 am: Is this massive package, which almost no one understands, the ONLY way to do the budget? Is it like Nancy Pelosi said about Obamacare: We had to pass it so we could begin to understand it? - Rod - Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 11:21 am: Its a very good thing these bills were reassigned to the relevant committees from the executive committee. I am however totally unclear how either the grand bargainers or the GOMB are able to estimate the first year cost for SB 1, the school funding reform bill since it has yet to be finalized and the hold harmless costs for the districts have not been released. To say that leader Radogno pushed her own caucus too hard without sufficient input is probably a fair assessment. Possibly President Cullerton did the same with his caucus, only the Democrats have become accustomed to approving budgets that were balanced only in name so what the heck just go for it. - Arsenal - Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 11:32 am: ==Is this massive package, which almost no one understands== This is the beginning of the process. There will be plenty of time to study the bills and understand what they entail. In fact, many people *have* already done that. - winners and losers - Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 11:42 am: Arsenal - Please explain SB 1 and SB 13. Thanks. - Anon221 - Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 11:48 am: Cullerton is explaining SB1 right now in Committee. It would be nice if the audio was working in that room- big hint to any staffer that might be able to fix that! It would be nice to be able to hear our democracy at work. Blueroom is requiring a password to access that livestream, and I have yet to figure out who to contact to get one. - Arsenal - Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 11:51 am: ==Arsenal - Please explain SB 1 and SB 13.== If that’s your criteria for how the state should legislate, than the only bill that will ever pass is the “Give Arsenal $1 Million Act of 2017″. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 11:56 am: ===and I have yet to figure out who to contact to get one. === It’s on their website: To contact www.blueroomstream.com E-mail us at: info@blueroomstream.com Or give us a call at: (217) 496-3661 Also, I’m in initial talks with the company to get a password for my subscribers. I should probably get moving on that. - PublicServant - Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 11:57 am: ===Todd Maisch speaking in opposition to the entire package;=== The “Chamber of No” rears its ugly head. - Rod - Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 12:03 pm: SB 1 is currently a shell bill for school funding reform for the entire state of Illinois. The bill is being drafted by the Governor’s Commission on School reform on a bipartisan basis using what is called the Evidence Based funding Model. SB 13 is the property tax cap bill, it includes a complex provision on making changes concerning contracts between school boards and a third parties, there is a provision on allowing local districts to waive what are called unfunded mandates for school districts using a public referendum, there is another provision on drivers education training that allows for contracting with commercial driver training schools. As one can imagine the school related provisions are controversial. - PublicServant - Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 12:08 pm: Hrrrmmm? ===Can’t help but notice many opponents of bipartisan Senate budget deal are among the governor’s closest allies: Chamber, IPI, etc.=== I’m shocked I tell you, shocked! - Anon221 - Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 12:10 pm: Thanks Rich - Anon221 - Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 12:22 pm: From a tweet by Brian Mackey- “Can’t help but notice many opponents of bipartisan Senate budget deal are among the governor’s closest allies: Chamber, IPI, etc.” The SOTS Address tomorrow is really going to be interesting. Is Radogno playing a part, being thrown under the bus, or is she standing up to Rauner? I really hope she is intent on Going Around when necessary, and she brings her caucus along for the ride. - PublicServant - Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 12:29 pm: SB13 Allows locals to privatize food and transportation services…yikes, that’s the governor’s wet dream. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 12:34 pm: ===that’s the governor’s wet dream. === Please. It gives suburban and downstate schools the same authority as Chicago already has - and Democrats did that long before Rauner came along. - Henry Francis - Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 12:34 pm: The 4.99% rate just reeks of being a gutless, half-measure. Put on your big boy/girl pants and raise the rate to what it needs to be to fund the FY. And explain how it is the responsible, fiscally sound thing to do. - Madigoon - Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 12:38 pm: They aren’t doing anything and won’t do anything. Granted alot of public servants care but it’s up to leadership. Madigan runs the show and everyone knows that. The Senate is putting on a show for cullerton’s legacy. There won’t be a budget until there is a new governor. Madigan won’t pass it because he refuses to give rauner a victory. Madigan is literally creating his own messaging by making the governor the most unsuccessful gov in our state’s history. This is politics, not running government. Rauner should have worked harder to oust Madigan when his speaker position was up for a vote. But, his money and arrogance blinds him way too quickly. He has all that money and isn’t using it to win. You can have all the money in the world, but if you don’t know how to use it you continually take L’s. Rauner might as well be Jerry Jones. Kudos to Cullerton for trying though, but we know the deal. We appreciate you - Rod - Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 12:41 pm: The Governor’s School funding commission has done some estimates on what it calls the minimum funding costs for implement the Evidence Based Model for FY 17 which would become SB 1. It was shared with folks today. Its about $500 million more over FY 16. Now that is a very low ball number, because the Commission also estimated to reach what is called adequacy for funding schools $5 billion more a year would need to be appropriated for k-12 education. The Governor’s Commission by the way has been meeting almost continually for weeks now. Considering the elected members of the House and Senate serving on it are not getting paid I give them some credit for their hard work. - wondering - Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 12:44 pm: Didn’t Rauner campaign on the pledge to drop the income tax further 2 years into term? I thought he was talking of going to 3% as of Jan 1 2017. If this be true, why would anyone in the G.A. feel obligated to take the fall? Rauner said he would do it to it as I recall. - Cassandra - Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 1:01 pm: Imagine the jokes (and campaign ads) if Rauner agrees to 4.99. How will he explain it? Will he apologize? Admit to being clueless when he took office? Admit that Pat Quinn was right on taxes? Unlikely all. But he’ll have to say something. - Arsenal - Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 1:19 pm: ==The 4.99% rate just reeks of being a gutless, half-measure.== Just wait till it ends up at 4.999%! - A guy - Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 1:21 pm: ===But he’ll have to say something.=== If it works, he’ll say He balanced the budget. - Arsenal - Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 1:21 pm: ==Madigan won’t pass it because he refuses to give rauner a victory.== It’s not Madigan’s allies whipping against the deal right now. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 1:22 pm: ===ends up at 4.999%=== Or it could be like gas prices: 4.9999 - WhoKnew - Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 4:22 pm: Add all the 9’s you like after the decimal! It’s still less than it was in 2015. - WhoKnew - Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 4:27 pm: OOPS! Forgot the /s! - Whatever - Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 8:09 pm: ==Or it could be like gas prices: 4.9999== Or like a 5% tax computed using one of those old Pentium processor-based computers. - justacitizen - Tuesday, Jan 24, 17 @ 8:57 pm: ===The 4.99% rate just reeks of being a gutless, half-measure.=== That one-hundredth of one percent will end up costing he state in administrative costs for billings, rounding errors, and is really a stupid idea. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.