Where we go from here
Thursday, Jun 1, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
State Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, whom Madigan appointed as a chief budget negotiator, will hold public hearings, with the first scheduled for June 8 in Chicago.
“Our plan is for the House, Democrats and Republicans, to work through the month of June, [to] continue to work on budget-making, working on a balanced budget,” Madigan said. “We will invite and will expect participation by all members of the House.”
The governor has called these hearings “shams.”
* But…
The budget plan at hand, borne of months of bipartisan Senate negotiations, called for spending $37.3 billion fueled by $5.4 billion in tax increases. But Madigan said his members got skittish after watching a fickle Rauner during the Senate talks, allegedly often changing his mind on individual parts and pulling GOP members off votes while maintaining he was hands-off.
“Some of our people are concerned, having observed how the governor worked with the Senate Democrats, where he would negotiate, then back away, negotiate, back away,” Madigan said. “They just don’t have a high level of confidence in the way the governor has conducted himself.”
* Rep. Greg Harris…
“A lot of folks have watched what has happened in the Senate, where they thought they had reached an agreement, and at the end of that agreement they found out the governor was pulling votes off the bill, and then attacking the very people who had worked on the compromise, voting for things he had previously supported.”
* Also…
House Minority Leader Jim Durkin says it’s a pattern: Democrats can proclaim victory by passing a measure in one chamber, only for it to be ignored in the other – meaning it has no chance of becoming law.
Other measures that were part of the “grand bargain” are going to the governor’s desk, including bills that make it easier for local governments to consolidate (Senate Bill 3), that loosen state purchasing rules (Senate Bill 
, and one that would make way for Rauner to sell the James R. Thompson Center (Senate Bill 886), the seat of government in downtown Chicago.
“Despite all of these things along the way, where the governor was fighting us, where he was saying things to make us stop, promoting ideas that just aren’t accurate, or even putting out half-truths, I would go as far to say as lies about what we’ve done in the Senate. We acted responsibly,” Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, said.
* And…
The governor said negotiations stalled over term limits, local government consolidation, workers’ compensation and a property tax freeze.
“They know darn well where we are apart, what we need to do to cut, what we need to do to reform the system. The majority in the House knows darn well what needs to be done. They’re not doing it,” the governor said.
Rauner — who faces re-election next year — called reforms he wants to grow more jobs, as well as the property-tax freeze, “not partisan” and necessary. And he urged lawmakers to stay in Springfield and continue to negotiate on a budget deal.
* More…
Gov. Rauner: “I am going to demand that the Democratic majority [going forward] be here in Springfield and negotiate a compromise- a truly balanced budget with changes to fix our system…We could have and should have done this two years ago. You can’t find anyone in the State of Illinois who won’t say: ”We need property tax relief, our property taxes are too darned high.” Democrats in this state feel it just as passionately as Republicans…”
But he wouldn’t answer a question about whether he will call them back into town for a special session.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 12:45 pm:
===The governor said negotiations stalled over term limits, local government consolidation, workers’ compensation and a property tax freeze===
Not one of those have a single state budgetary measure.
Rauner direct understand the difference between “wants” and “requirements”
If Rauner is so desperate for a budget, he’d find 60 and 30 with Cullerton, Radogno, and Durkin, and force Madigan’s hand.
The phony Rauner wants to travel the state to bash people to win re-election… to also hold up the next political map.
Rauner does NOT want Democrats to expose the phony that IS Raunerism…
If the Dems show progress while Rauner, in costumes, decides to mock places like Charleston and Carbondale… the Dems should “educate” on the Rauner shams.
- PENSIONS ARE OFF LIMITS - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 12:53 pm:
My property taxes are not too high. I just single-handedly made his statement false.
- Archiesmom - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 12:56 pm:
= The majority in the House knows darn well what needs to be done. They’re not doing it,” the governor said. =
Translation: They aren’t doing what I tell them to do.
- Sir Reel - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 12:56 pm:
Lots of “darns” from the Governor.
He must be wearing his plaid shirt.
- Anon221 - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 12:59 pm:
This was re-tweeted from Mary Ann’s tweet, and it is bizarre. Was Team Rauner taping for more “outreach” PSAs???
https://twitter.com/jaredleopold
- Joe M - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 1:02 pm:
==“I am going to demand that the Democratic majority [going forward] be here in Springfield and negotiate a compromise==
He had better demand that the Republicans be there too, to negotiate a compromise, as now it will also take their votes to pass anythinig.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 1:07 pm:
===“I am going to demand that the Democratic majority [going forward] be here in Springfield and negotiate a compromise===
Great grab - Joe M -
This is a quote from a governor that purposely pulled votes and undercut the Republican Leader of the Senate… Whom negotiated a compromise…
…and this governor… is worried… about negotiating a compromise?
I felt bad for Leader Radogno during that whole presser yesterday.
- zatoiochi - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 1:08 pm:
I wish Rauner would put a budget dollar value to term limits, have a specific number of where property taxes should be, and provide a written proposal for what values work comp payments should be. There is also that pesky balanced budget thing where he keeps ignoring his required step one. Everything else is just talk.
- UIC Guy - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 1:14 pm:
Like PAOF I don’t think my property taxes are too high, because I am aware of the good things that can be done with tax revenue. Most people want more of those things–better schools, safer streets, more help for the poorest among us, and so on—but most people probably also want lower taxes. It’s the job of a politician to say that trade-offs must be made, and to propose the set of trade-offs that s/he thinks best. It is, in particular, the Gov’s job: proposing a (genuinely balanced) budget is precisely a way of doing that. And that’s precisely what the present Gov has failed to do. He’s simply not doing the job. We’re all paying the price, and will continue to do so, as services (and colleges) are unfunded and bills (and interest on them) pile up.
- Anon0091 - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 1:14 pm:
Pritzker is apparently about to launch this ad placing the blame squarely at Rauner’s feet. http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/First-Negative-Campaign-Ad-of-Illinois-Governors-Race-Set-to-Air-425746283.html
- UIC Guy - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 1:15 pm:
That should be: PAOL.
- Amalia - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 1:20 pm:
Rauner has us on the road to nowhere. others are trying. Lead Governor. do not act with inaction and burn the house down.
- Pundent - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 1:26 pm:
=We could have and should have done this two years ago.=
But two years ago the issue was pushing a right to work anti-union agenda. Part of the problem with the “turnaround agenda” and Rauner’s insistence on “reforms” is that they’ve never been static. They’re simply different levers that he pulls each time a budget deal seems to be within reach.
- Porgy Tirebiter - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 1:29 pm:
Anybody who talks about demanding things from a coequal branch of government is only exhibiting his lack of understanding about government
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 1:31 pm:
Yes, lets have more meetings, discussions, as long as they don’t cut into the real important work of lying, attacking fellow pols, and bamboozling the sleeping majority of despaired citizens. (The awake citizens are making plans for exiting Illinois)
- Precinct Captain - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 1:35 pm:
Why doesn’t the Governor want public hearings on his “reforms” (read gut punch to workers and families)? Could it be that the more the public learns about Bruce Rauner, the less it will support his demagoguery and shenanigans?
- Ducky LaMoore - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 1:36 pm:
Okay… so he demands they return to Springfield but won’t answer a question about calling a special session. I have previously seen this sort of outlandish incompetence in government. I have never seen so much passive aggressive behavior in it though. Seriously, lead or get out of the way. Oh wait, I forgot, chaos is the plan. It has to be. There is no other logical explanation.
- Arock - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 1:42 pm:
At least two of your major candidates think property taxes are too high as they hired lawyers to get theirs lowered. Michael Madigan makes a good living fighting for lower property taxes for his clients. All your candidates want a progressive income tax system to relieve the burden of high property taxes on the poor and middle class. The State has not been funding their fair share of school funding for quite a while so the school districts part of the property tax bill has climbed quite a bit where I live.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 1:44 pm:
===At least two of your major candidates think property taxes are too high as they hired lawyers to get theirs lowered===
Sounds like a Governor that took 3 homeowner exemptions… I know, you forgot - Arock -, lol
- Cubs in '16 - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 1:51 pm:
So Rauner publicly demands lawmakers remain in Springfield to “negotiate a compromise” but when the House announces they will conduct hearings through June to do this very thing Rauner calls it a sham? Pick a lane already. sheesh
- Passive Agressive - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 1:57 pm:
===The governor said negotiations stalled over term limits, local government consolidation, workers’ compensation and a property tax freeze===
But a deal was “close”.
- DuPage Bard - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 2:01 pm:
You had a deal on the table, right? It wasn’t a great deal but it wasn’t a bad deal either?
So now what? More press junkets, more spin, more whatever. You don’t open schools you’re done. People will forget the names of the Reps and Senators who were in office during these years. You will be remembered forever. Hope you have a Plan B?
But please bring them back they did so much since Jan??
- Mama - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 2:16 pm:
“The governor said negotiations stalled over term limits, local government consolidation, workers’ compensation and a property tax freeze.”
Rauner failed to mention his #1 must have is “busting the unions”. He also failed to state the Dems did pass a bill for workers’ compensation and a property tax freeze, but those bills were not destructive enough for him.”
- Not It - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 2:22 pm:
Three Governors in a row have been forced to seriously consider or implement Special Sessions. Maybe the Governors aren’t the problem.
- James Knell - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 2:31 pm:
To know who is mostly to blame, isolate the variable. Madigan has been there with multiple Republican and Democratic governors. Like it or not, there was always a budget passed before Rauner and his bank vault showed up to tell us how much he loved Illinois (which is why it must burn to the ground).
There is he is folks… Captain of Industry, Master of the Universe, Alpha & Omega Male, International Mr. Carhartt, BTK Wine King… opps, no budget again man. Behold his awesome might…. our very own Emperor Bokassa.
- Retired State Worker - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 2:32 pm:
I live in Edwardsville and our local school district was able to get a property tax INCREASE approved by voters in April. The district did a good job of explaining the issues and providing justification for the increase. Explaining how the state failed to meet its obligations and the impact on education was an easy sell for me to buy. I hate paying more in taxes but would hate living in a third world country more.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 2:37 pm:
“Three Governors in a row have been forced to seriously consider or implement Special Sessions. Maybe the Governors aren’t the problem.”
That’s not the same thing as not getting a budget passed three years in a row, is it Not It? That’s like saying other batters have fouled off pitches (but none of them struck out 3 times in a row).
- Jake From Elwood - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 2:37 pm:
Where do we go from here?
Now that all of the budgets have blown up
And how do we spend our time knowin’ nobody gives a damn.
I don’t want to work here no more, I don’t want to stay.
Ain’t gonna spend the rest of my summer, quietly fading away.
Games people play
You take it or you leave it
Things that they say don’t make it right.
If Rauner promised you the moon and the stars would you believe it?
Games people play in the middle of the fight.
(h/t The Alan Parsons Project)
- Bruce (no not him) - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 4:33 pm:
“Where we go from here” Wisconsin?? Iowa?? Indiana??
- Rod - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 4:45 pm:
Clearly Rep Harris was not following the commentary on this blog, because most folks on this blog believed there would be no final deal done on the grand bargain on a bipartisan basis. For example when Rich asked on April 24 are they really very close on a grand bargain? Most had the correct answer No. Those on the blog who have argued we likely will not see a full budget approved until after the Nov 2018 election may be correct.