“Continuous session”
Wednesday, May 31, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Man, did I ever get tired of hearing Speaker Madigan say “The House is meeting in continuous session” these past two years. Here we go again…
Illinois House Democrats resolved to keep meeting in a “continuous session” this summer, signaling they’re unlikely to agree on a budget plan to send to Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner on what was previously their last scheduled day to be in Springfield on Wednesday.
Earlier, Democrats in the Senate had approved a comprehensive budget plan that relies on a series of tax increases, but House Speaker Michael Madigan’s members have been reluctant to embrace it amid a veto threat from Rauner. While negotiations among House Democrats were continuing, doubts remained if they would be able to unite behind a measure that could reach Rauner’s desk before they are scheduled to head home Wednesday.
“I think there would be very little support for just throwing it up on the board to see what happens. I think people want to make sure that it has the requisite number of votes to pass,” said state Rep. Greg Harris, a Chicago Democrat.
I was told yesterday that the plan was to come to town every Wednesday through June. We’ll see if that holds up.
- facts are stibborn things - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 1:57 pm:
I think MJM and the house Dems are going to insist on Republican votes on any tax increase.
- facts are stubborn things - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 1:57 pm:
I think MJM and the house Dems are going to insist on Republican votes on any tax increase.
- Ron Burgundy - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 2:00 pm:
“Continuous”
adjective
1.
forming an unbroken whole; without interruption.
- Bob Hicks - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 2:01 pm:
Why do Democrats have to unite? This is a budget for state government and last time I checked the Governor was a republican.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 2:02 pm:
Is meeting recently for 6 hours total in about a 4 week period continuous?
- Ahoy! - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 2:05 pm:
How about the courts mandate that session be in 8 - 5 Monday through Friday until a budget is passed? Or better yet, don’t let them leave the capitol until one is passed. Let’s get a judge with some showmanship.
- Winnin' - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 2:05 pm:
Well, they’re doing exactly what the ILGOP wants them to do. Punt like the ILGOP House and Senate.
Nice robocalls.
Nice work, GOP.
- Almost the Weekend - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 2:06 pm:
Will per diem and mileage be allowed during continuous session? Because if so, this is a PR disaster waiting to happen.
- Lord Help Us - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 2:07 pm:
It’s official: Illinois is a failed state. We need the Federal Government to appoint an emergency manager. Our elected officials have abused the privilege of state sovereignty like a child abuses a privilege.
- Bob Hicks - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 2:09 pm:
I do not believe they get mileage and per diem after scheduled adjournment date. Capitol Security should also withhold food.
- Winnin' - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 2:09 pm:
“We need tax relief.” — Bruce Rauner
- wordslinger - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 2:13 pm:
Springfield Hotel and Tavern Stimulus Plan.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 2:14 pm:
Illegally holding legislators and/or the Governor “until” isn’t how democracy works.
If you think these ideas are better than the felonies that they actually are then a 3rd World Banana Republic might be where you’d feel more comfortable.
- Lt Guv - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 2:15 pm:
“It’s official: Illinois is a failed state.”
Well, there’s Trump’s excuse to send in the troops. One failure backing up another.
- Perrid - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 2:23 pm:
OW, it depends on what you mean when you say make them. Obviously kidnapping them is illegal. If there were thousands of people protesting at the capitol demanding they work 8-5 until they get something on the budget done, that too could be considered “forcing” them to stay and not be illegal. Obviously that’s not gonna happen, but it is possible and not particularly illegal (not sure what permits might be needed, etc.). You kinda jumped the gun a bit.
- Norseman - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 2:25 pm:
And we thought the numerous Blago special sessions were torture! Now we have Rauner the impasse king.
700 Days
- Skirmisher - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 2:26 pm:
I hate to see that nothing much has changed, but the Republicans are duty bound to put votes on a tax increase that we all know is necessary. At some point, they have to put ideology aside and do what must be done for the greater good. I would be very disappointed to see the Dems go it alone.r
- DuPage Moderate - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 2:26 pm:
Until we vote every single one of these political hacks out of office, we’re going to get what we deserve - failed and uninspired “leadership.”
This is gross.
- Winnin' - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 2:27 pm:
Where’s Durkin’ in all of this? Perhaps craftin’ a plan of his own.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 2:27 pm:
- Perrid -
Nah.
Even a judicial decree requiring, the Body (only the House here) or other means to force, that’s not helpful.
- Bob Hicks - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 2:33 pm:
Where’s Durkin? Funny, that should be its own thread.
- Keyser Soze - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 2:42 pm:
Local merchants are celebrating. This is the best thing since Lincolnfest.
- A Jack - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 2:43 pm:
Perhaps lock up Rauner and his staff first until he comes up with a real balanced budget proposal. His directors can’t even come up with any cuts. Why is this the GA’s problem when the Governor has already failed?
I don’t really advocate locking anyone up, but the failure is with the Governor and the GA does not need to bail him out.
Besides I rather like Tick Tock and hope to get a picture with him at the state fair.
- A guy - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 2:43 pm:
Continuous….it’s really a word that describes everything that is and has been happening in our State Capitol.
- Ahoy! - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 2:48 pm:
I don’t think a judge mandating that legislators show up during the work day would constitute a felony or anything close to a “3rd World Banana Republic.”
Maybe locking them in the capitol would be a little much, but if it was done by a judge, they would receive due process right and let’s be honest, in this country we lock people up in far worse places for lesser offenses to society.
- Ohhaimark - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 2:51 pm:
Hello darkness my old frieeeend.
- Ace Laredo - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 2:58 pm:
Is anyone surprised by this?
- don't let the facts get in the way - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 3:00 pm:
Is the rumor true that Moody’s will downgrade bonds if there is no budget today? Is the rumor true that after the downgrade the State has no way to get out of debit-it will financially collapse?
- KAY-ro - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 3:11 pm:
The inevitable consequence of Jim Thompson spending/borrowing a quarter-trillion dollars by undertaxing his generation, and passing this debt to millennials.
- Arock - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 3:12 pm:
” At some point, they have to put ideology aside and do what must be done for the greater good” - Why must only one side compromise on their ideology? It seems that the Democrats ideology started this mess which was in place before Rauner took office. If we do not change things and move forward then we are destined to keep driving the State to continual failure which does not help the greater good.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 3:22 pm:
Oh - Arock -
Rauner needs 60 and 30…
Rauner can get it without the turnaround agenda musts.
- weary - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 3:24 pm:
KAY-ro — so in my personal finances, if I spend more money than I make and then rack up a huge credit card debt to make up for it, it’s my employer’s fault for not paying me enough? Thanks for clearing that up!
- Huh? - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 3:51 pm:
“Why must the Democrats compromise on their ideology? The raunerite ideology started this mess before Rauner took office. If we do not get a full year budget to pay our bills and pay down the backlog then Rauner is destined to keep driving the State to failure.”
Fixed it for you.
- KAY-ro - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 3:55 pm:
Weary, let me help you with your analogy exercise:
Pretend, you are not retired and instead you are younger and have children. You own a house. You need to pass the house onto your children because they need to live in it. If you were Jim Thompson, you would have borrowed all of the equity in the house, deferred all of the maintenance, while hiring all of your friends to sit about. Upon your death, your children inherit a house in great debt that needs to be rebuilt. — your kids end up leaving the house and moving to a new one.
You’re welcome!
- Former DuPage Mayor - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 4:04 pm:
Throw them all out. We have a disfunctional government with disfunctional Republicans and disfunctional Democrats. Intelligent Illinois residents should toss them all out from the Gov on down to the House and theSenate
- weary - Wednesday, May 31, 17 @ 4:46 pm:
KAY-ro, you missed my point. It’s not about what a single governor did for 14 years. It’s about what the state has done for multiple DECADES. The point I was trying to make is that it doesn’t makes sense to spend more money than is coming in, except in the short term for an emergency. And the thing you have the most control over is the spending. Of course democrats will say the tax rate is too low but that’s a false argument. The tax rate is whatever it is, and the amount coming in is whatever it is, and that amount can be estimated ahead of time. And if you say that the estimate has room for error, then maybe you should spend less than the estimate to be safe. But when you consistently ignore the estimates and spend too much anyway, it’s not sustainable. And you end up where we’re at now. Broke. There’s no reason to try to blame a single person or party. Both parties are to blame and it will never get better as long as politician continue to make short-term decisions to get re-elected instead of thinking about the future. It’s not complicated.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 7:57 am:
Ahoy! - , because judges, like senators are incompetent lawyers and they are also in MJM’s pocket of puppets