* The background to this item is here. I somehow completely missed this statement from Chris Kennedy’s campaign this morning. My e-mail browser has been acting up a bit today. Better late than never, I suppose…
Yesterday, Governor Rauner said he is focused like a laser on getting a budget passed, but yesterday, when the Senate was voting on budget, he was nowhere to be found. After two years of failure on a budget, it seems like the only thing Governor Rauner and his Republican allies are laser focused on is false political attacks.
That would’ve been a decent response if I’d posted it at 10:30. Oops on my part.
Rauner said he’s still digesting the report from the commission. He also said it wasn’t the commission’s job to draft a bill that could be considered by lawmakers.
“What they did was lay out the parameters for a bill to get drafted,” he said. “I’ll talk to the General Assembly about who should draft. My sense is, I think the senators, I don’t know, I think they’re working on something. If they’d like our administration to draft something, we can do that.”
When it comes to the complex, politically prickly topic of overhauling public school funding in Illinois, lawmakers and Gov. Bruce Rauner’s office can’t even agree on who should take the first step.
Democrats who run the Senate Education Committee told Rauner’s education adviser Thursday that the Republican governor should draft legislation to reflect recommendations from a school funding report released last week. The adviser, Beth Purvis, countered that the plan should come from the Legislature.
The two sides agree that the formula for financing public education should be changed to ensure poorer districts receive more financial support from the state. The recommendations, which come from a commission created by the governor, said that Illinois must assess how it supports schools on a district-by-district basis but didn’t indicate how legislators could accomplish this.
I’m getting a sore neck from watching this ping-pong game. How about they just find a way to somehow do it together?
Wait, wasn’t that the commission’s job? Apparently not.
…Adding… Hey, maybe they could use this bill…
The Funding Illinois’ Future coalition applauds Rep. Will Davis for his leadership in the introduction of HB2808, which aligns with the Illinois School Funding Commission’s Report. HB2808 makes school funding in Illinois more equitable and adequate and has the potential to end a decades-long problem. The bill aligns with equity principles in last week’s Illinois School Funding Reform Commission Report—and the principles of Funding Illinois’ Future—providing any new money to the neediest schools first and taking local contributions to school funding into account. We urge members of the House to co-sponsor the bill as a first step toward passing bipartisan, bicameral legislation this spring. Illinois must end the chronic underfunding of low-income schools and give all students the education they deserve in order to be ready for college and career.
Illinois needs a funding system that is equitable, adequate and fair. Illinois remains worst-in-the-nation in providing resources for low-income school districts. For every dollar Illinois spends on a non-low-income student, it spends 81 cents on a low-income student. Legislative action is needed now so that students in poverty access to resources so that districts may invest in reducing class sizes, providing updated textbooks and modern technology and offering advanced placement and other classes like art, foreign language and music that make up a well-rounded education. Funding Illinois’ Future remains steadfast in its view that new funding legislation must do the following:
1. Recognize individual student need
2. Account for difference in local resources
3. Close funding gaps in five years and keep them closed
4. Provide a stable and sustainable solution
About Funding Illinois’ Future
Funding Illinois’ Future is a coalition of more than 200 school districts, school superintendents, community- and faith-based organizations working toward fixing Illinois’ worst-in-the-nation school funding formula with the goal of giving every student in Illinois the education they deserve.
WBEZ Chicago’s new monthly segment, Ask the Governor, will give listeners a rare opportunity to have their questions answered directly by Gov. Bruce Rauner, who will be live in WBEZ’s studio. WBEZ 91.5 FM is the only media outlet in Illinois with access to the governor in this capacity. The first segment airs tomorrow, Feb. 10 at 9:00 a.m. on WBEZ’s live weekday talk show, The Morning Shift. If you miss the live broadcast, it will be available for streaming on-demand at wbez.org or on the WBEZ app.
Hosted by The Morning Shift’s Tony Sarabia, Ask the Governor aims to promote government transparency by providing constituents with real-time insights on the Illinois political landscape.
Listeners will be able to submit their questions by calling the studio line at (312) 923-9239 and by posting to WBEZ’s Facebook page.
“We need to work together to move our state forward, which is why I’m thrilled about this open dialogue with Illinois residents,” said Gov. Rauner. “I’m looking forward to a spirited, and productive, discussion that results in a spectrum of ideas about how we get our state back on track.”
“As always, we’re big proponents of transparency, accountability and productive, open-minded public conversation—values that are especially important right now,” said Vice President of Content and Programming Ben Calhoun. “We’re pleased to have the governor at WBEZ to connect him with the public for what we imagine will be very substantive, meaningful conversations.”
This new segment is an ideal fit for The Morning Shift as it will rely heavily on authentic engagement with listeners on-air and via social media to stimulate conversations with a local and regional impact.
The Ask the Governor segment is just another example of the unique, thought provoking programming that WBEZ Chicago is committed to producing for its listeners. This further aligns with the station’s mission to keep listeners engaged and informed through the production of high quality journalism.
Further scheduling for Ask the Governor will be announced at the end of February.
For video from the live broadcast, please contact the Illinois Office of Communications and Information at 217-782-xxxx or contact xxx xxx at xxx.xxxx@illinois.gov or 312-xxx-xxxx. Video will also be available for download at the Illinois Department of Central Management Services website.
Kennedy said he would spend between $50 million and $100 million of his own fortune to defeat Rauner.
w
Whoa.
I hadn’t seen that anywhere else, so I reached out to Chris Kennedy’s campaign. The reply…
No, he didn’t say that. He said that even if Rauner put $100 million in it wouldn’t be enough to paper over his failed record.
Thomas might have take that along with what he said that he would put his money where his mouth is to suggest that he would self fund the whole race. But he never committed to an amount that he was going to put in.
Well, that kinda put a damper on my planned post about yet another wealthy self-funder. My draft headline: “Kennedy to spend up to $100 million of his own money on race.” Since I already put the rest of it together, we might as well get on with it.
* Rick Pearson has a very solid piece on the Chris Kennedy announcement, so while we’re gonna take a look at this little bit, you should read the whole thing.
[State Sen. Daniel Biss] dismissed the need for fielding a wealthy challenger to Rauner, saying Democrats need someone “who can draw a strong contrast with the governor.” […]
Given the prospect of two wealthy businessmen atop the November 2018 Illinois ballot, Kennedy sought to separate himself from Rauner’s background in acquisitions, mergers and finance.
“I’ve spent my whole career building things up. I made money by paying other people. Gov. Rauner has done just the opposite. He’s made money by tearing things down, breaking them apart. He’s made money by firing people,” Kennedy said.
“I think it’s important that people have drive and ambition and intelligence, but any coach, any board of directors, any employer, any employee will tell you the most important thing is heart. And Gov. Rauner appears to be heartless,” he said, noting reduced funding for social service safety-net programs due to the budget impasse.
Explaining why one rich guy is a good guy and another rich guy is a bad guy won’t be easy, but it can be done I suppose.
“In the history of our state, we’ve probably never had a worse governor,” said the 53-year-old former chairman of the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. “We’ve gone two years without a budget and only one person is responsible for that and that’s Gov. Rauner.” […]
“I made money by employing people, by paying them. (Rauner’s) whole career was about buying things and dismantling them, taking them apart,” Kennedy said. […]
“I’ll have all of the resources I need to compete, but I don’t think the size of your wallet is what matters to voters. I think its the strength of your vision, the breadth of your ideas and the depth of your commitment,” Kennedy told ABC7 on Wednesday.
Kennedy was interviewed on WGN Morning News Thursday, and anchor Robin Baumgarten asked him,”What do you say to people who say, here’s another wealthy guy who’s just going to throw money at the office. How much different will it be than what Bruce Rauner is doing?”
Kennedy responded: “I think it’s important that people of drive and ambition and intelligence like Gov. Rauner does, but I think you also have to have a heart and a sensitivity, and I don’t think there’s any demonstration that he has a heart.”
Baumgarten followed up by saying, “That seems harsh, you’re calling him heartless.”
“Well I think he is. He’s thrown a million people of out government programs. He sat on the sidelines while 75 percent of these kids are doomed to a life of economic oppression,” Kennedy said.
The full interview is here. The interviewers repeatedly press him on why he’s blaming the Republican governor and not his fellow Democrats.
* Now, click here and go to the 1:24 mark on the CBS2 story about Kennedy’s announcement. As noted elsewhere today, Gov. Rauner talks about how he’s “very focused like a laser on getting a balanced budget.” But he also goes on to say this in a very sincere and muted tone…
“We need to compromise with each other. We need to listen to each other. And I’m very focused on that. I’m really not paying attention to politics.”
The man has some mad skills. He almost had me convinced. Seriously, watch the video. Rauner will not be easy to beat.
“Susana Mendoza this week refused to accept independent legal counsel to fight for state employee pay. Instead, she chose to work with the Madigan family as part of a blatant effort to shut down state government and cause a crisis to force even higher taxes and more unbalanced spending with no reforms. Susana Mendoza promised us she’d be an independent watchdog, but instead she’s become a Madigan minion.” – Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Steven Yaffe
Today, the Illinois Republican Party added Comptroller Susana Mendoza to BossMadigan.com to highlight how Mendoza is working with the Madigan family to shut down state government and force a crisis.
Check out the page at BossMadigan.com/Susana-Mendoza
Susana Mendoza is bought and paid for by Boss Madigan, and now as Comptroller Mendoza is taking orders from her political patron, pledging to help him and Lisa Madigan shut down the government if allowed by the courts.
Career politician Susana Mendoza quickly became a Madigan ally in the House, voting for every unbalanced Madigan budget that became law, adding billions in debt while shortchanging Illinois schools. She even voted for the highest income tax hike in Illinois history, voted to raise her own pay, and then doubled dipped by taking two government pensions.
In exchange, Mendoza endorsed Madigan for Speaker six times, calling Madigan her “mentor”. In one speech lauding Madigan’s reign, Mendoza nominated him for Speaker and called him a “man who time and time again has demonstrated his passion and love for this state,” and proclaimed that “someday, our children will learn of his contributions.”
Knowing she was a loyal ally, Madigan provided Mendoza with money and support for her political career. When Mendoza wanted to run for higher office, Madigan cleared the Democratic field for her and funded her campaign for Comptroller.
To date Madigan has funneled millions to Mendoza. Now, she’s working with the Madigan family to shut down state government and cause a crisis to force even higher taxes.
“The Madigan family.” Expect to hear that line a couple billion more times.
* The Illinois Supreme Court has already ruled that a state contract provision can’t be paid without a legal appropriation. But filing this suit in the same circuit which ruled in favor of AFSCME’s lawsuit to pay state workers without an appropriation is definitely an interesting idea….
Pay Now Illinois (PNI), a coalition of Illinois-based human and social service agencies and companies, filed suit today in St. Clair County Circuit Court against Governor Bruce Rauner, Comptroller Susana Mendoza and directors of three statewide agencies, seeking a preliminary and permanent injunction that would force Illinois to begin timely payments for services performed under binding contracts dating back to the start of the current fiscal year, July 1, 2016.
The suit, a direct result of Illinois’ 20-month budget impasse, was filed in St. Clair County where, in 2015, a circuit court ruled in the case of AFSCME v. State of Illinois that the State of Illinois must pay state employees on a timely basis, despite the lack of a budget or agreed-to appropriations by the General Assembly and the Governor. State employees have not missed a single paycheck since the start of the budget impasse on July 1, 2015.
“Precedent has been set with the ruling in St. Clair County that required state workers be paid; we feel our constitutional claims are as strong, or possibly stronger,” Pay Now Illinois Chair Andrea Durbin said. “We are hoping for the same success so that we can get paid what is owed us, and we can be certain of getting paid in the future. After all, why should state workers be paid, but not state contractors? The state must provide assurance that it is a responsible business partner.”
The Pay Now Illinois suit in St. Clair County claims that with the adoption on June 30, 2016 of the six-month Stop Gap Bill – PA 99-524 – the state paid some outstanding contracts for fiscal year 2016, but did so by reducing or terminating funding of contracts for fiscal year 2017. “The so-called ‘Stop Gap’ Bill has unlawfully reduced or capped the liability of the State to plaintiffs on the contracts for services in fiscal year 2017 – contracts that had been agreed to in writing or orally before P.A. 99-524 was adopted on June 30, 2016,” the suit says.
As a result of unpaid contracts and an uncertain future, social service agencies are facing severe cash squeezes, according to the lawsuit. Over 40 percent of the plaintiffs are using or have fully expended their lines of credit, and more than 32 percent are struggling with liquidity issues. Approximately 76 percent have already taken actions to reduce staffing expenditures, while nearly 60 percent of the plaintiffs have reduced services. Failure to pay for work that has been carried out “is causing permanent and not temporary damage” to the agencies and “irreparable injury to the client populations that have lost services and damaged the credibility of the plaintiff organizations with many vulnerable and emotionally troubled persons,” the lawsuit says.
The suit also claims that the state’s failure to pass a fully funded, balanced budget is a violation of the state’s constitution. The lack of a budget removes the security to contract holders that they will be paid. And the lack of appropriations removes the opportunity for a legal remedy against the state for failure to pay its obligations, violating the plaintiffs’ rights to due process. It goes on to warn, “In the absence of injunctive relief, not only the plaintiff organizations but the entire State-supported infrastructure for providing human services faces irreparable and lasting injury.”
In addition to the Governor and Comptroller, other defendants in the suit are James Dimas, Secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services; Jan Bohnhof, Director of the Illinois Department on Aging; and, John R. Baldwin, Acting Director of the Illinois Department of Corrections. PNI plaintiffs include 37 Illinois-based human and social service agencies and companies.
This is Pay Now Illinois’s second suit against the governor and others seeking payment on overdue bills. The first suit, filed in May of 2016, is now on appeal before the Appellate Court of the First District of Illinois. On August 31, 2016, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Rodolfo Garcia dismissed PNI’s first suit, which had sought an immediate preliminary injunction and full payment of unpaid contracts dating back to July 1, 2015. Agreeing that this case presented important constitutional issues, he urged PNI to expeditiously appeal the suit to a higher court for resolution.
“We are suing to get paid, but also to protect the integrity of contracts in the State of Illinois,” Durbin said. “Right now, nobody doing business with the State of Illinois can be certain of getting paid. And that is no way to run a business. If the State can get away with not paying our contracts, does any contract holder have security that the State’s word is good? Will they believe that the State of Illinois has integrity?” [Emphasis added.]
Grant preliminary and permanent injunctive relief requiring the defendant state officers to specifically perform their obligations of payment under the contacts attached hereto and on a timely basis pay the vouchers submitted and to be submitted for the remainder of the fiscal year
Nonetheless, defendants have paid other creditors in the absence of agreed-to appropriations.
While such payments have occurred under various court orders, the defendant Governor announced that the State should continue to pay State employees without agreed-to appropriations even if the order requiring such payment in AFSCME v. State were to be dissolved—and that he would take every available action to ensure they would get paid even without an appropriation.
At the same time, defendants—including the defendant Governor—will not pay plaintiffs in the absence of agreed to appropriations.
Union membership in Illinois is declining. In 2016 alone, union membership fell by 35,000 in Illinois, the worst loss in the region.
States like Missouri and Indiana, on the other hand, saw substantial growth in union membership according to an annual Bureau of Labor Statistics report on union membership.
* And it’s gonna get worse without a real budget. From S&P Global Ratings…
We believe Illinois’ distressed fiscal condition and dysfunctional budget politics now threaten to erode the state’s long-term economic growth prospects.
* This is just one more reason why so many people think so highly of Rep. Kelly Cassidy. She’s something most typical politicians are not: honest, frank and open…
With abortion access under siege by a president who once suggested women who seek abortions should be punished, several North Side state representatives want to make sure abortions remain safe and legal in Illinois.
One even decided to speak up about her own.
State Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) said medical issues meant that without an abortion, she would have become infertile as a result of a high-risk pregnancy.
“I didn’t want to have an abortion; I wanted to have those two babies,” Cassidy said during a committee hearing Wednesday. “But I wanted to survive, and I wanted to maintain my fertility.”
Cassidy, who represents Edgewater, Andersonville and Rogers Park, added that she never would have had her three sons later on had it not been for the affordable, safe access to an abortion.
Yeah, she has a liberal district, but that testimony took real guts.
The legislation is part of a broader agenda announced Wednesday by House and Senate Democrats that represents resistance to Trump in the legislature their party controls. Democrats detailed their fears that he’ll push to weaken women’s rights, and they protested the president’s executive order banning immigrants and refugees from some Muslim-majority countries. […]
Other efforts announced Wednesday call for paid sick time, paid family medical leave and access to free feminine hygiene products for students in grades 6-12. The group emphasized that more legislation could come up during session as it discusses other issues and the impact of the state budget impasse on women.
Sen. Melinda Bush, D-Grayslake, said she is hoping to build on momentum from last year, when she successfully rolled back the sales tax on feminine hygiene products. Her new focus centers on legislation that seeks to prevent tailors, dry cleaners, hair salons and barbers from charging men and women different prices for the same services.
* Press release…
Building on the spirit, enthusiasm, and sense of solidarity of those who participated in Women’s Marches across Illinois on January 21st, a coalition of legislators gathered today at the State Capitol to embrace an agenda titled, Illinois Women Moving Forward. The agenda, created in a collaborative process with legislators and public policy groups committed to improve the lives of women in Illinois, is premised on the basic notion that all “Illinois women are entitled to equality.” The agenda contains a number of issues that the legislators hope to debate during the upcoming months of the legislative session, from access to affordable health care, equal pay, and policies that positively impact the ability to raise a family.
“The Women’s March was so inspiring, drawing together masses of people reflecting the true diversity of the entire State of Illinois,” said State Senator Toi Hutchinson. “One of the things that was easy to see was that the March was not simply a moment in time, but a call to action for a positive agenda to move forward. That is what Illinois Women Moving Forward provides – advancing the lives of everyone in Illinois, we won’t go backward.”
The agenda contains three basic pillars: Women’s Health Care, Economic Security, and Justice. The health care pillar includes a pledge to safeguard and ensure access to safe and legal abortion, as well as guaranteeing health coverage for women’s preventive health care. The economic security pillar calls for paid sick time, paid family medical leave for working families, and a raise in the minimum wage to a sustainable standard. Finally, under the justice pillar, the group is seeking to strengthen the Equal Pay Act to target systemic discrimination, banning discrimination in insurance coverage, and publicizing portions of the Illinois Human Rights Act that bar charging men and women different prices.
“Passage of this agenda would move not only women, but all of Illinois forward,” said Representative Sara Feigenholtz. “We do not want to go backward as a State – and this is a comprehensive path forward that will support women and families from Waukegan to Carbondale.”
The signatories to Illinois Women Moving Forward include: Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Senator Daniel Biss, Senator Melinda Bush, Senator Cristina Castro, Senator Toi Hutchinson, Senator Julie Morrison, Senator Heather Steans, Representative Kelly Cassidy, Representative Sara Feigenholtz, Representative Laura Fine, Representative Barbara Flynn Currie, Representative Robyn Gabel, Representative Will Guzzardi, Representative Sonya Harper, Representative Lou Lang, Representative Anna Moeller, Representative Litesa Wallace and Representative Ann Williams.
The agenda also is supported by organizations, including the ACLU of Illinois, Aids Foundation of Chicago, Chicago Foundation for Women, Chicago Women Take Action, EverThrive Illinois, Fathers, Families and Health Communities, Illinois Choice Action Team, Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Illinois NOW, McHenry County Citizens for Choice, Men4Choice, Metropolitan Chicago Breast Cancer Task Force, Midwest Access Coalition, Mujeres Latinas en Accion, National Association of Social Workers, Illinois, National Coalition of American Nuns, National Council of Jewish Women IL State Policy Advocacy Network, Planned Parenthood of Illinois, Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice – Illinois, Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, The Voices and Faces Project and Women Employed.
On the local political landscape, [CME chief exec Terry Duffy] is less sanguine. Budgetary and other fiscal problems plaguing Illinois and Chicago will lead CME to remain light on its feet and mindful of other headquarter options, he said. In 2011, CME threatened to move its base if the state didn’t provide a tax cut that was eventually forthcoming.
In the past few years, the company has sold and leased back much of its local Chicago real estate, including some of its Chicago Board of Trade buildings, and sold its Aurora data center to CyrusOne, making it more nimble, Duffy said.
“I’m a big believer that if you want these companies that are headquartered in this great city—and I call it a great city–you have to give clarity that you’re willing to make the tough decisions to put plans in place so we can reinvest here because it’s hard for us to reinvest when we don’t know what it’s going to be like,” Duffy said. “Right now, I will tell you this company is as nimble as it’s ever been in its history and it’s going to stay that way until we get more clarity.”
The company’s approximately 2,700 employees are about 43 years old, on average, and are some of the youngest, most highly paid in the city, with no particular loyalty to Chicago, he adds. “They rent and they’re ready to go–you gotta sometimes hold them back,” Duffy said. Duffy noted that Detroit has a lot of the same attributes as Chicago—on the water, with a central US location and a transportation hub, dangling the notion that Chicago isn’t a unique “geographic gem.” “Chicago and Illinois need to get (their) fiscal house in order,” he said.
Still, CME wouldn’t find the caliber of trading industry talent that is in Chicago in Detroit, Rosenthal said. Rival Intercontinental Exchange would have a heyday picking up CME Chicago employees on the cheap if CME were to move to someplace like Texas, he said.
* The governor sent an e-mail to state employees today…
Dear State Employees:
As you know, Attorney General Lisa Madigan is attempting to block state employee pay and force a crisis in Illinois. There are two proposals in the General Assembly, but only one is a real solution. Watch this video to know where we stand.
Thank you for your work on behalf of the people of Illinois.
As you know, Attorney General Madigan is going into court asking a judge to end state employee pay. The Attorney General now believes the state should be shut down until a budget is passed. We do not agree.
Two proposals have emerged in Springfield to address this issue. One proposal, sponsored by Rep. Avery Bourne and Rep. CD Davidsmeyer, would ensure state employees get the same treatment as legislators and constitutional officers — making it the law of Illinois to pay state employees on a continual basis regardless of the budget impasse. The other proposal is backed by Speaker Madigan — and it supports the Attorney General’s attempt to shut down government. Rather than stop paying employees and shut down government immediately, Speaker Madigan’s bill would stop employee pay and shut down government on June 30th instead.
Speaker Madigan will try to sell his June 30th government shut down proposal as a solution in case his daughter wins in court. But don’t be fooled. It’s not a solution — it’s a crisis showdown set for June 30th when the Speaker will use the leverage of a forced shut down to finally get the massive tax hike he recommended in December 2015.
There’s only one solution that makes sense: give state employees the same rights as the Speaker, rank-and-file legislators and the Attorney General herself. Give state employees permanent continuing appropriation for their pay just like legislators gave themselves. I will veto the Speaker’s June 30th government shut down proposal should it reach my desk. The General Assembly should fix this problem once and for all by sending the Bourne-Davidsmeyer state employee pay proposal to my desk immediately.
I don’t take a paycheck - never have, never will, but I believe state employees who show up to work every day for the people of Illinois should get their paychecks no matter what.
After all the hooplah over that CPS letter to parents blasting Rauner, this might be a bit much [ADDING: Click here for Greg Hinz’s take on that particular dustup.]. It’s not nearly as blatantly political, of course, but it most certainly mirrors the Rauner political attack machine messaging.
…Adding… When the governor promised to veto the Madigan bill, wasn’t he actually threatening to “create a crisis”? Isn’t that what he accuses both Speaker and AG Madigan of trying to do?
…Adding More… The governor’s people strongly disagree. They say they believe Madigan’s bill is designed to take the heat off himself and the attorney general so that he can then flip the pressure on the governor to do a stopgap budget deal by the end of June to avoid a “real” shutdown because there would be no appropriations authority to pay state workers and likely no court order, either.
Governor Rauner’s latest attempt to mislead state workers is centered on the claim that he wants state employees to be paid ‘like legislators’, but legislators are now paid six months late due to Rauner’s refusal to do his job and sign a budget.
The governor caused this crisis by holding the budget hostage to his political demands. Next week he’s due to present a spending plan for fiscal year 2018. If he introduces a budget, helps pass it and signs it into law on schedule this spring, this entire conversation is moot. Instead Rauner says he’d veto a payroll bill, an action that could shut down state government.
For our part, AFSCME and a dozen other unions representing state workers won the court order upholding payroll even without a budget, and our unions have been working with Rep. Sue Scherer to advance House Bill 1798 to ensure state employee payroll now. That bill wasn’t perfect in its initial form, but Rep. Scherer has been willing to address our concerns, and the bill is moving forward. That’s how compromise and the legislative process work.
In contrast, the governor’s threat to veto a bill not sponsored by his partisan political allies follows a familiar pattern: Rauner makes a demand, refuses to compromise, and bullies those who disagree.
If he wants to make progress, the governor should negotiate, not dictate, both in developing a fully-funded budget and reaching a fair contract for state employees.
Speaking Wednesday night at the Sangamon County GOP’s Lincoln Day Dinner, Gov. Bruce Rauner said he had to leave the Prairie Capital Convention Center and “go back over to negotiate some more with the legislators. We’re in the middle of heated negotiations around getting a balanced budget” with needed changes. […]
He also lauded Democrats in the Senate for working with Republicans on issues including term limits, property tax relief and reducing the regulatory burden on business.
“This is a major breakthrough,” Rauner said. “We’ve got to applaud them. It’s hard. They’re getting attacked from all sides. … But we’ve got to compromise, listen to each other, but get a good, fair deal for taxpayers.”
Secondly, I’m glad he acknowledged that Senators are being “attacked from all sides.” But that would include attacks on the Senate Republican Leader, who’s being whacked hard by several of Rauner’s own pals. Click here, for the latest.
* From a press release sent by Sen. Kwame Raoul on yesterday’s floor votes…
I do believe many of my Republican colleagues wanted to vote in favor of these measures, but they were undermined by the governor’s office and members of the far right, who are sabotaging work towards a compromise that will allow us to create the stability our state needs.
With Gov. Bruce Rauner and House Speaker Michael Madigan having locked horns from day one on the issue of a budget — with little progress to show for it — Cullerton and Radogno began their compromise negotiations without either one being part of the mix.
Now, however, Cullerton is calling on Rauner to raise his voice on the issue, contending a push from the governor in the right direction could make a world of difference in finally making the bitter stalemate between him and Madigan a thing of the past.
Further, Cullerton says, expedience is necessary because the plan raises $6.5 billion in new revenue – in part by raising the state income tax to 4.99 percent, retroactive to the start of the year. Get too far into 2017 without making the new rate law? Making the change, and counting on the revenue from it, will no longer be possible. […]
Republicans’ reluctance may stem from their awaiting a signal from Rauner, who has used his personal wealth to largely fund the Illinois Republican Party, which in turn funds many senators’ campaigns. Rauner has continually voiced his appreciation to Cullerton and Radogno for their work, but he has been unwilling to take a public stance on what they’ve crafted. Some of the governor’s staunch allies, including the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and the Illinois Policy Institute, are actively campaigning against the plan.
“I think the pressure should be on the Republicans from the business community to realize that they finally have to do something quickly. That’s what I’m hoping will happen,” Cullerton said, as he held up a report released this week by Standard & Poor’s that said the Senate plan could help to alleviate pressure on Illinois’ deteriorating fiscal condition.
In an interview with POLITICO, Kennedy lampooned Rauner, calling him a “petulant child” who engages in “revenge politics” and casting him as a dictator who has bought the Republican Party and silenced dissenting voices.
“I’d say the only thing worse than a one-party state is a one-man party and that’s what Rauner has done,” Kennedy said.
When asked about Madigan’s dual role as Democratic Party chair and powerful legislator, and criticism that he wields too much control in the state, Kennedy countered that it’s the Republican Party in Illinois that has grown too fearful of Rauner and his money, to speak out. […]
“Do you think Dick Durbin reports to Mike Madigan? Do you think Rahm Emanuel reports to Mike Madigan? Do you think any congressman or senator reports to Mike Madigan? Our party is a party of enormous diversity and independent voices,” Kennedy said. “The Republican Party has none of that anymore … the Republican Party has become a one-man shop, where one or two men have dominated … Where he uses his wealth to silence them. He’s an economic bully. I think that weakens them, I don’t think that makes them stronger.”
“The governor said he was going to shake up Springfield, instead he’s tried to hold up Springfield. He was sent to heal not hurt, and he’s failed in every way,” said Kennedy, son of former Attorney General Robert Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy. […]
Asked about the critique, Kennedy faulted Rauner for using his wealth to silence opposition in the GOP. “I have not heard state representatives or senators offering a second way because he bullies them with his money.”
“I think it’s an insult to me, an insult to the entire Kennedy family and an insult to the voters of Illinois to make a statement like that that anybody’s going to believe,” [Kennedy] told the Chicago Tribune [about the Republican attacks].
“I think Gov. Rauner has spent his entire time blaming others and not leading. Even now, as the state Senate tries to find a compromise on the budget, Gov. Rauner remains on the sideline. We don’t know what his intentions are. And that’s not right. He’s in the big chair. He ought to lead. Otherwise, he’s one (term) and done.”
Following an event in Normal, Rauner did not address Kennedy’s candidacy when reporters asked about it.
“I am very focused, like a laser, on getting a balanced budget with structural changes to our system, but it’s broken and been broken for a long time. And we need to compromise with each other. We need to listen to each other. And I’m very focused on that. I’m really not paying attention to politics,” the governor said.
He’s focused like a laser, alright. On the budget? Maybe not so much. On his Madigan messaging to avoid blame for the impasse and taint his opposition? Yeppers.
“Chris Kennedy spent day one of his campaign sticking with Mike Madigan, defending him in TV interviews and even going so far as to proclaim that Madigan bears no responsibility for Illinois’ problems. Kennedy is following rule one of the Chicago machine – never speak an ill word about your political boss.” – Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Steven Yaffe
Chris Kennedy’s first day of the 2018 campaign got off to a rocky start. In multiple interviews with Chicago TV, Kennedy would not blame Madigan for any of Illinois’ problems.
Asked about his relationship with Mike Madigan by every Chicago television station, Kennedy either defended Madigan or dodged the question.
WLS reported that Kennedy doesn’t “hold Mike Madigan responsible for any of this” and Kennedy confirmed to NBC Chicago that he met with Speaker Madigan to discuss his campaign.
You can almost see the strings being pulled behind above Kennedy’s head.
* From Senate President John Cullerton’s spokesman John Patterson…
I’ve received several process or technical questions about the status of the “grand bargain” given the defeat of SB 11.
First, if you need it, here’s a statement you can attribute to me, John Patterson, spokesman for Illinois Senate President John Cullerton.
“The overall deal remains under construction.
“Today, we began the process of getting the balanced budget and reform package approved. We took a few important steps forward, and we also learned that more work needs to be done. The Senate President has already talked to the Republican Leader and we’ll see what steps we can take to regain momentum and hopefully deliver a long overdue balanced budget plan.”
OK, now for the process.
From a process standpoint, the proposals that won support today – SBs 3, 8 and 10 — remain in the Senate. The pension reform legislation – the defeated SB 11 – will need to go on a new Senate Bill. Upon winning support for that Senate Bill, the previously approved SBs 3, 8 and 10 could be recalled so we could update the language that links all the proposals together as a grand bargain.
Basically, there are procedural avenues to keep the grand bargain negotiations going.
Bottom line: Grand bargain still alive.
That is your inside baseball process update.
John
More in a bit, but I think this was a good place to start.
