This just in…
Saturday, Jul 7, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* 2:24 pm - Let’s start a new thread, shall we? That other one is getting long. The governor, legislative leaders and about 40 or so rank and file state legislators are still meeting on the 2nd floor of the governor’s mansion.
House Speaker Michael Madigan informed reporters a few minutes ago that he has twice told Gov. Rod Blagojevich to stop calling him a Republican.
“Knock it off,” Madigan claimed to have said. Madigan made his comments as he exited the building, but he said he would be back later today for the rest of the meeting.
Gov. Blagojevich came down briefly to see if reporters wanted anything to eat or even a tour of the mansion. He didn’t answer many questions, but he said he would be more forthcoming after the meeting ends.
One of the questions the governor dodged was about Rep. Mike Bost’s suggestion that the House look at the impeachment option.
Blagojevich also didn’t answer a question about Rep. Joe Lyons’ comments to several reporters earlier today. Lyons (D-Chicago) reportedly called Blagojevich a “madman” and said the governor was “insane” while the House debate raged this morning.
* 2:46 pm - A large number of legislators, mostly Republicans, just walked out of the leaders meeting. Both House GOP Leader Tom Cross and Senate Republican Leader Frank Watson talked to the press afterwards and basically called today’s discussions a total waste of time.
The group broke for lunch and then the governor wanted to talk about pension funding, which is when the exodus reportedly began. Some legislators, like Rep. Bill Black, were upset that the governor was making available a pension expert this afternoon whom he had refused to provide to the House this morning. Others were just tired of the exercise.
The governor and a much smaller group of legislators remain on the 2nd floor of the mansion. Senate President Emil Jones has already left (out a side door, away from reporters) and Speaker Madigan left earlier.
* 3:13 pm - The governor will apparently be taking Madigan to court over the Speaker’s refusal to call special sessions at the date and time specified in the guv’s official special session proclamations. It just gets weirder and weirder by the minute around here. More later.
* 4:53 pm - Audio files…
* Gov. Blagojevich didn’t say much to reporters, said he had to return to the meeting, promised to come back and talk to reporters, then didn’t. Surprise, surprise…
[audio:Blagojevich-070707.mp3]
* Speaker Madigan. This is where Madigan talks about his “Knock it off” comment to Gov. Blagojevich…
[audio:MJM-070707.mp3]
* GOP leaders Cross and Watson. Harsh rhetoric about the guv…
[audio:CrossWatson-070707.mp3]
* The governor’s lawyer talks about a possible lawsuit against Speaker Madigan for convening special session four hours before the governor called the meeting…
[audio:Quinlan-070707.mp3]
* The governor’s spokespersons deal with the press at the very end of the day…
[audio:RauschOttenhoff-070707.mp3]
* 4:57 pm - Here are the Constitutional and statutory provisions cited by the governor’s lawyer in the audio above with a bit of commentary at the end from the guv’s office…
Constitutional Provision- Article IV, section 5(b):
“(b) The Governor may convene the General Assembly or the Senate alone in special session by a proclamation stating the purpose of the session; and only business encompassed by such purpose, together with any impeachments or confirmation of appointments shall be transacted. Special sessions of the General Assembly may also be convened by joint proclamation of the presiding officers of both houses, issued as provided by law.”
Special Session Statute- 25 ILCS 15/3:
“Sec. 3. Nothing in this Act affects the power of the Governor under Article IV, Section 5 of the Constitution of Illinois (1970) to call a special session. The Governor, when calling a special session, shall file the proclamation calling the session with the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State shall take whatever reasonable steps necessary to notify the members of the General Assembly of the date and time of the special session.”
NOTE- Sections 1 and 2 of the Special Session Act set forth the procedures for the General Assembly to follow when calling a special session.
Section 3 simply states that the Special Session Act’s provisions dealing with how the General Assembly may call a special session do not affect the Governor’s power to call one under the Constitution, that the Governor shall file a proclamation with the Secretary of State, and that the Secretarty of State shall notify the legislators of the date and time of the special session.
* 5:27 pm - As promised hours ago, here’s Rep. Lou Lang’s House floor speech, wherein the Skokie Democrat excoriates Gov. Blagojevich…
[audio:loulang7707.mp3]
* 5:43 pm - The Sun-Times has a story up on its website…
Illinois’ budget stalemate threatened to explode today into a full-blown constitutional crisis as Gov. Blagojevich contemplated legal action against House Speaker Michael Madigan over whether the governor can set the time for lawmakers to meet on the budget. […]
“We believe the statute and constitution are clear. Speaker Madigan, during his tenure, has answered governors’ calls for special sessions at specific times. What he did is unprecedented,” Blagojevich spokeswoman Rebecca Rausch said. “We think they’re challenging the Constitution. We believe the Constitution is clear.” […]
“Where is he? Why doesn’t he talk with us? I do not believe that he is fulfilling his obligations in his job. I believe that maybe we ought to look into what it will take, and if there are any violations, and do that check, to see if he is to the point that impeachment proceedings could start,” Bost said. […]
There did not appear to be unanimity among Republicans as the GOP’s floor leader, Black, urged his caucus to stop discussing the subject on the House floor.
The governor’s office declined comment on the impeachment question, and Madigan’s office said the speaker had no interest in pursuing the matter.
* 5:57 pm - The AP…
On Friday, Blagojevich said his fellow Chicago Democrat is acting like “a right-wing Republican” because he wants a limited-growth budget.
At a meeting Saturday between Blagojevich and lawmakers over the budget impasse, Madigan said he told Blagojevich “Knock it off. Let’s get serious about crafting a budget.”
A spokeswoman says Blagojevich’s comments are not personal but describe Madigan’s budgetary policy. The governor wants to expand the budget by billions of dollars to provide more health care and education.
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* 10:14 am - The House has just 84 of 118 members present today.
* 10:19 am - The House Speaker is calling Special Session 3 to order, almost four hours early. Gov. Blagojevich had called SS#3 for 2 pm. Rep. Jay Hoffman, the guv’s floor leader, is challenging Madigan’s move. More info here.
* 10:21 am - Madigan asked the parliamentarian to respond to Hoffman, but noted first that yesterday’s special session began over two hours late and nobody objected.
Parliamentarian: The Constitution does not give authority to the governor to require a specific date and time. Instead, the Constitution gives each chamber the authority to decide when and where to meet. As for statutes, the special session laws do not require the governor to put date and time into SS proclamations, but does require it for the two legislative chamber leaders.
Hoffman: “You guys are gonna rule the way you want.”
Hoffman (speaking to colleagues): “You may not like me for saying this, but think about sticking around.” [Hmm… Perhaps the guv will call another special today?]
Rep. Black: “It doesn’t make any difference if we meet at 2, 4, 6… These arguments and press availabilities are degenerating into a childish, schoolyard tantrum.”
Rep. Lang: “I hardly know where to begin… The letter that was sent to the Speaker creating or attempting to create a Constitutional crisis is an insult to all of us.”
* 10:53 am - The governor has issued another proclamation calling another special session. This could go on all day.
* 10:57 am - The newest special session will convene at 2:30 pm today to consider any legislation to address the Child Support Administrative Fund. Download the proclamation here.
* 11:04 am - Rep. Bost just suggested that the House should look into impeachment. I think that’s the first time the “I” word has been mentioned on the House floor in my entire career.
* 11:07 am - Gubernatorial expert won’t be made available to testify to the House on the SERS pension system (the subject of Special Session 3) until 2 o’clock. The games continue.
* 11:10 am - If you’re not listening to the House debate, what the heck are you thinking? This is pretty fun stuff. Go here.
* 11:22 am - Rep. Black is now urging his colleagues to stop the rhetoric on impeachment.
* 11:40 am - Speaker Madigan has just advised Rep. Black that the governor has no authority to use the State Police to compel attendance at special sessions. Madigan is now convening Special Session 4. If I’m following this correctly, SS#4 was supposed to meet tomorrow at 2. [UPDATE: SS#4 is the one called today for 2:30.]
* 11:47 am - Speaker Madigan has invited everyone in the chamber to join the leaders meeting scheduled for noon. Hilarious.
* 11:49 am - Special Session 4 has been adjourned until Sunday at 5.
Madigan has told the House that he’ll adjourn and reconvene tomorrow afternoon at 5. He said that if the governor continues to issue proclamations, he will convene those special sessions at the same time tomorrow.
Madigan’s parliamentarian told the members that he is not aware of any authority that allows the governor to compel attendance to special sessions. “The governor controls the State Police, but it is our position there is no authority to compel (members of) the House into a special session.”
The Speaker has offered to give members copies of the language that his parliamentarian just cited, “so you can carry it with you.” The announcement was met with raucous laughter.
I’m heading into the Statehouse, so no updates for awhile.
* 1:29 pm - The leaders meeting has been moved to the governor’s mansion. Apparently, quite a few legislators are in the ballroom right now from both chambers. Reporters are being kept on the first floor. I was just sent a text from inside the meeting informing me that Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) is giving the governor what-for.
Lang delivered an impassioned speech on the House floor earlier today and I’m trying to get it uploaded here.
* 1:34 pm - Lang’s comments in the leaders meeting a few minutes ago were about the pension bill. Lang pointed out that the House has voted down the Lottery lease bill and that it couldn’t pass out of the Senate anyway so it’s a waste of time to continue discussing it.
Senate President Jones then sharply criticized Lang for his comments earlier today.
I’m having trouble uploading Lang’s speech. Maybe later. Somebody else needs to use this computer now.
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Question of the day
Saturday, Jul 7, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
We haven’t had a Saturday QOTD in a while, so I’m not sure how many responses we’ll get, but since the GA is in session today we might as well give it a go…
What do you think Speaker Madigan’s “end game” is? In other words, what does he really hope to accomplish this session, if anything?
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Ugh
Saturday, Jul 7, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The back and forth between Gov. Blagojevich and Speaker Madigan ratcheted up a notch yesterday. This exchange happened after the House killed off the governor’s plan to lease the state Lottery…
“Our challenge is to try to convince House Democrats, Mr. Madigan, to stop being a Republican, to stop forming partnerships with conservative right-wing Republicans to pass budgets that take health care away from children, that take services away from senior citizens, that cut education,'’ Blagojevich said. “We need to get Mr. Madigan to be a Democrat again and stop being a George Bush Republican,'’ Blagojevich said.
“It demonstrates his immaturity,'’ said Madigan spokesman Steve Brown. “He rolls out a string of insults and offers no solutions about the budget impasse.”
Asked whether the comments are part of a strategy on the governor’s part to isolate Madigan, Brown said, “I don’t know. I’m not a psychiatrist.”
* But some Senate Democrats weren’t buying into the spin…
“They implied [at the Senate Democratic caucus meeting] that if you weren’t for what the governor is for that you’re not a good Democrat. That’s scary. It’s just not right,” [Sen. Mike Jacobs] said. “It reminds me a little bit of the old days when people would say they’re not a good Nazi.”
* And reporters finally cornered Blagojevich on his failure to convince either chamber to support his proposals. As I’ve been trying to point out for days, the problem isn’t just Madigan, it’s also the governor’s lack of support among Senate Democrats…
While blaming Madigan for the budget impasse, Blagojevich admitted his proposals don’t have full support from Senate Democrats. His Senate allies have not tried to pass his budget or the pension plan rejected by the House.
That paragraph was buried at the very bottom, but at least it made the story.
* Here’s a bit of info on the Lottery vote…
The governor’s plan, which would use the proceeds of the sale to prop up the state’s pension funds, was defeated on a 78-6 vote.
Opponents said it is a bad idea to sell off a state asset that brings in a large chunk of cash every year.
“You don’t mortgage your future to pay your grocery bill,” said House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago.
Blagojevich said the defeat of his plan was “predictable” in light of a similar, earlier vote in which the House overwhelmingly voted down the governor’s plan to raise taxes on businesses.
“Mr. Madigan has consistently taken solutions off the table and has not offered any alternative solutions,” said Blagojevich. “It’s part of the three-ring circus that he’s conducting there in the House as opposed to sitting down with us and negotiating in good faith.“
Um, exactly when has the governor hosted any meaningful negotiations on the budget?
* And I’m not sure I agree with this analysis…
Blagojevich has proven adept at portraying modest success as major progress.
On the day the House crushed his business-tax concept on a 107-0 vote, he managed to characterize the outcome as a positive development toward getting a budget.
“Today, I think, was basically an up,” he said then, adding, “I feel good about it.”
I don’t think that comment was “adept.” “Inept,” perhaps, “ridiculous” maybe, or even “deeply delusional,” but not adept.
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Blagojevich: Madigan action “unlawful”
Saturday, Jul 7, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
Remember yesterday when there was some confusion over whether Speaker Madigan or Gov. Blagojevich had the right to name the exact time of the special sessions? Madigan called today’s session for ten o’clock while Blagojevich called the special session for 2.
Well, the governor is insisting that Madigan is violating the law by not following his special session proclamation. This letter was sent by the governor to Madigan and all members late yesterday. Noteworthy stuff is highlighted…
July 6, 2007
The Honorable Michael J Madigan
Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives
Dear Mr Speaker
I am in receipt of your letter of July 6, 2007, in which you state that the Illinois House of Representatives intends to take the unprecedented step of convening a special session prior to the time set forth in the proclamation I issued pursuant to the Illinois Constitution and the Special Session Act. Your letter states that you intend to convene the Third Special Session at 10:00 am tomorrow morning. While I applaud your eagerness to engage in discussions that will hopefully move us towards resolving the grave problems facing the State Employees Retirement System tomorrow morning, I must remind you that the Third Special Session I have called to address this issue is to convene at 2 p.m tomorrow afternoon, as set forth in the proclamation, not at 10 am. as your letter suggests.
The issues facing the State Employees Retirement System are critical, which is why I have set a specific date and time to convene a special session, pursuant to my constitutional and statutory authority. As you know, the Illinois Constitution and the Special Session Act confer upon the Governor the authority to convene the General Assembly in special session by a proclamation stating the purpose of the session. In fact, the Supreme Court of Illinois has explicitly recognized that the Governor “possesses the authority to convene the General Assembly in special session at any time when, in the exercise of his official discretion, he deems the occasion warrants such action ..” […]
The authority to convene a special session, at the date and time designated by the Governor, has also been acknowledged by statute in the Special Session Act, which was passed by the House, and which provides…
Nothing in this Act affects the power of the Governor under Article IV. Section 5 of the Constitution of Illinois (1970)to call a special session. The Governor, when calling a special session, shall file the proclamation calling the session with the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State shall take whatever reasonable steps necessary to notify the members of the General Assembly of the date and time of the special session,
25 ILCS 15/3 (West 2007).
Numerous Illinois Governors have, throughout the last century. convened special sessions of the General Assembly and set the date and time for special sessions by proclamation pursuant to their constitutional authority. See, e.g., Journal of the Senate of the Forty-Sixth General Assembly (Proclamation of Special Session). December 14, 1909 (Governor Charles S. Deneen issuing a proclamation for special session “to commence on the 14th day of Pccember, AD. 1909, at twelve o’clock noon …”). And previous Illinois Aorney Generals have consistently affirmed the propriety of such practice. […]
Your attempt to unilaterally change the time for the Third Special Session, set by lawful proclamation, is in contravention of this well-established law and longstanding practice. In addition to being unlawful, it will cause practical problems and confusion among the individuals testifying on this issue, as well as the members of the General Assembly, who have been formally notified to appear at 2 p.m. tomorrow afternoon to consider and debate this issue.
While it is certainly within your prerogative to convene regular session days at the time of your choosing, it is expected that you, as a State elected official, will comply with the mandates of the Illinois Constitution by convening the Third Special Session at the date and time set forth in the legal proclamation issued.
It’s a wonder that they can agree to the shape of the bargaining table.
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This just in…
Friday, Jul 6, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* 12:36 pm - The governor has called two more special sessions.
- Special Session 3 will convene Saturday at 2 pm and will “address the funding of the State Employees Retirement System.” The proclamation can be downloaded here.
- Special Session 4 will convene Sunday at 2 pm and will “address the funding of the Teachers Retirement System of Illinois.” That proclamation is here.
So much for the dream of an early Saturday session followed by a late Sunday session.
* 2:24 pm - There seems to be a disagreement about who can set the time of the special sessions. Madigan has told the House GOP that he wants to come in at 10 on Saturday and 4 on Sunday, the guv’s times notwithstanding.
* 2:54 pm - The governor has asked for a leaders meeting tomorrow at noon.
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Question of the day
Friday, Jul 6, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
As you probably know, the giant media empire behind “The Simpson’s” TV show and movie is hosting a contest to see which Springfield is most like the mythical Springfield we’ve all grown to know and love. You can vote here.
Question: Match Simpson characters, places and events to their Statehouse counterparts. Snark is heavily encouraged, of course. Have as much fun as possible.
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Further apart
Friday, Jul 6, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Sun-Times editorial board thinks that the special session is a dumb idea…
Now Gov. Blagojevich has called the lawmakers into special session, which started the new tab for taxpayers. Maybe he hopes that will put pressure on legislators to bow to his budget demands. But we expect the voters [will] blame both him and lawmakers for this costly mess.
And why have all lawmakers in Springfield anyway? We know their only role is to approve whatever Blagojevich and the top legislative leaders agree on. Let them go home until a deal is struck.
* As you know, on Monday, Blagojevich’s people were saying that the House’s Committee of the Whole meeting was a fantastic idea and just what the governor wanted. By Wednesday, he was refusing to attend the hearing and claiming that Speaker Madigan was “more interested in playing games and taking solutions off the table than trying to find solutions to solve real problems.”
Curiously enough, none of the TV reporters who were granted interviews yesterday asked the governor about this abrupt switch in attitude…
‘’This is a three-ring circus. It’s not designed to solve any problems,'’ Blagojevich said in an interview with WICS-TV in Springfield.
* And he’s ramping up the vitriol against Madigan, despite the clear fact that he doesn’t have the votes to pass almost any of his legislation through the Senate, either…
Meantime he’s calling Speaker Madigan a “Right wing conservative”
“You can’t be a democrat if you pass a budget that takes healthcare away from 225 thousand kids. Even President Bush wouldn’t be for a budget like that. Mr. Madigan and the house democrats passed a budget like that.” Said Governor Rod Blagojevich, D-Illinois.
Please.
* This is worth noting…
Blagojevich and Senate President Emil Jones, D-Chicago, have proposed a budget that includes a mix of new casinos and higher business taxes to generate $5 billion for health care and education.
The problem is, the Senate has only passed the gaming component of the budget, and that bill was fatally flawed because it locked out south suburban communities that have been vying for a riverboat. The rest of the governor’s package is still stalled in the Senate, a fact that continues to be overlooked or brushed aside by the media.
* Thankfully, the Tribune took a look at opposition in the Senate to the governor’s Lottery proposal, but buried it underneath the much sexier Madigan vs. Blagojevich fight…
Sen. Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood), who chairs the Education Committee, said the administration failed to explain how it would replace the more than $600 million the lottery provides education each year if it is leased. It provides nearly 10 percent of the state’s annual contribution to schools.
Lightford lashed out at suggestions that replacement funds could be raised by closing more corporate loopholes or by exploring other revenue options.
“I can’t support a concept that does not clearly demonstrate to me how we would make up the revenue,” she said, saying the plan is “totally unacceptable.” […]
Sen. Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) said there is a “great deal of anxiety” in the Senate about a lottery lease, but he said he is prepared to call a vote Friday on the governor’s resolution.
* I told you about that resolution yesterday. At best, it’s an empty gesture - merely calling on the General Assembly to do something about the pension funding situation by the end of the session. John Patterson makes an excellent point today…
The resolution is co-sponsored by state Rep. Jay Hoffman, a Collinsville Democrat and a key Blagojevich ally.
And that leads us to May 10… Here’s what Rep. Hoffman had to say on that date when the Illinois House, by resolution, voted 107-0 to reject Blagojevich’s $8 billion business tax plan.
“We’ve never governed by resolution,” Hoffman told reporters after the vote.
“I have never in the 16 years that I’ve been here ever seen us govern by resolution. I mean the next resolution may be congratulating some football team for winning the state championship.”
Indeed, the resolution filed right after Hoffman’s congratulates a Chicago school principal on her retirement.
The bottom line here is that nothing that has been done so far this week is getting us any closer to fixing the problems. If anything, they’re further away from a resolution than they were a week ago.
* More special session stories, compiled by Paul…
* Lawmakers furious with governor over budget impasse
* Blagojevich skips Illinois House hearing on budget
* Blagojevich misses Illinois House budget hearing
* House fights lottery lease
* Lottery plan compounds animosity
* Pension costs growing sharply for IL government
* Bethany Carson: Many answers, few questions
* Lawmakers in special session without governor
* Plenty of doubt over lottery sale plan
* Lottery sale plan may get nixed
* Editorial: Simmering Mushrooms
* Cost of special session
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Can’t anybody over there play this game?
Friday, Jul 6, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Todd Stroger saga gets weirder by the day…
Cook County Board President Todd Stroger said Thursday that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer months earlier than his administration has previously disclosed. […]
Stroger revealed he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in April 2006 and decided to keep it private.
Earlier this month, Stroger’s spokeswoman said he was diagnosed only about 10 months ago after he was chosen for the ballot.
Stroger blamed the discrepancies on his communications team.
Either he’s not telling the truth again, or his communications team is one of the worst ever and should be cleaned out right away.
* More…
His medical condition was not grave and did not immediately threaten his life, Stroger said. Because of that, he said, it was not imperative that he inform Democratic Party officials or the public. He said he was suffering from a slow-growing cancer that could be treated without surgery, at least initially.
“What I had was something that would not truly affect me until sometime into the future if I didn’t do anything at all,” Stroger said. “It’s not like a brain tumor that grows very quickly and you don’t know what’s going on. Prostate cancer generally takes some time to develop.”
* Well, he didn’t “do anything at all” for over a year. I understand denial. We all have that problem sometimes. But most of us are private citizens and what we do impacts only ourselves and our familes. Stroger, on the other hand, is the County Board President. He has an obligation to every citizen of the county to stay as healthy as he can, or at least be up front about his situation.
This is a recurring problem with the Stroger family…
With a an election approaching, the public was initially told the elder Stroger would be fine, his recovery was routine, and he’d soon be back running county government. None of that was true, but John Stroger was re-elected. When the truth came out, an interim board president was appointed, then party bosses slated Todd Stroger to run for his dad’s position.
[Emphasis added]
* And let’s get back to this point for a moment…
Mr. Stroger said he did not intend to deceive voters or Democratic Party officials about his ability to hold office, but rather meant to keep a burden from his mother, Yonnie, who was dealing with the illness of her husband, John Stroger Jr.
Again, if he’s telling the truth, protecting one’s mother from news that could be devastating, especially when she’s already going through a crisis, can be considered noble. But, again, he was being considered at the time for an appointment to the general election ballot. He had an obligation that rose above family. If he didn’t want to tell his mom, he should’ve just taken a pass on the appointment.
* This is also worth noting…
U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, who was jockeying to replace John Stroger last summer, said he doubts an earlier disclosure of Todd Stroger’s cancer would have affected the race, as party bosses “pretty much set the pace.”
Davis is probably right. Disclosure likely wouldn’t have meant a loss to Tony Peraica, but the ballot appointment was so controversial that I can see how Stroger might have wanted to keep it a secret. That decision was wrong on all counts.
Todd Stroger is not nearly the bad guy that he’s often made out to be. But he’s his own worst enemy and he makes himself impossible to defend.
Also, I’m getting tired of the goofy nicknames in comments, particulary regarding Stroger. Please avoid them in the future or your comments could be deleted. Thanks.
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Morning Shorts
Friday, Jul 6, 2007 - Posted by Paul Richardson
* Kadner: Sen. Crotty hopes to revive bill to make secret settlements public
* Illinoize: Legislators posturing for judgeships?
* From the people to to gov, welcome to Illinois
As for Blagojevich’s name being on the signs, Claffey said, “It’s quite customary for states and cities, including the City of Chicago, to have the chief executive’s name up on a welcome sign.”
But critics have taken issue with the governor’s tendency to do this. He also had his name added to 32 signs on the Illinois tollway system. They not only cost $480,000, but touted an I-PASS project initiated by a previous administration.
* Editorial: No easy answer on older drivers
There’s little doubt that lawmakers are less motivated to restrict older drivers than teens because, in part, seniors yield political clout that adolescents lack. In fairness to legislators, though, Illinois already employs some of the nation’s most stringent laws for older drivers. It is one of only two states that requires those older than 75 to undergo a driving test every two years. At age 87, license holders must take a driving test annually.
* Some minimum wage earners not happy
* Fire Marshal to lose two weeks salary for DUI
* Ban on horse slaughter upheld
* Opinion: State should take lead in treating vets
* Bill aims to keep Great Lakes clean
* Illinoisan for President; Cox who?
* City plans to outsource hiring
* Friday Beer Blogging: Little Kings Edition
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* 11:00 am - Paul is out of town, so I won’t be able to do much live-blogging today. You can pick up the slack in comments by live-blogging the House’s Committee of the Whole at noon, if you so desire. Listen or watch here.
* 11:26 am - Despite taking much heat for doing a TV ad for Barack Obama and being too bipartisan, Sen. Kirk Dillard recently sent a red-meat campaign fundraising letter into his Senate district that bashes the Democrats for attempting to raise taxes, supporting a “massive” gaming expansion, dissing electric utility consumers, ignoring high gas prices and trying to cut job-creation incentives.
Trouble is, it’s a political fundraising letter and Dillard starts it off by saying he’s “at my desk on the Senate floor,” and includes his state telephone number at the bottom.
You can download the entire letter here [pdf file].
* 11:53 am - Steve Schnorf, a veteran commenter here and a former budget director, had this excellent point in comments today…
Did anyone besides me wonder how the Committee of the Whole went from being just the sort of dialogue we were looking for on Monday to a game that speaks for itself on Wednesday?
* 11:57 am - From Dick Durbin’s campaign…
Preliminary #s for Sen. Durbin’s second quarter fundraising show more than $6 million on hand and more than $2.4 million raised. The amount raised is expected to be higher than all other Senate Democratic incumbents up in ‘08.
The amount on hand is also expected to be to be higher than all other Senate Democratic incumbents up in ‘08, with the exception of Sen. Kerry, who has funds remaining from his Presidential campaign. The official FEC report will be available on July 16.
* 12:08 pm - At least one teachers union is turning thumbs down on the governor’s lottery lease scheme for now. From Dave Comerford at the Illinois Federation of Teachers…
We can’t support the lottery plan at this time. Right now, there is no plan to replace the funding that the lottery provides for general state aid. Also, we want to make sure there are no problems with the unions that represent the employees there.
We support the bond issue concept, but there has to be a plan for the future and we have to make sure that normal cost is taken care of also.
* 12:18 pm - Unbeknownst to myself and most others, the governor’s office did, indeed, write out a Lottery lease proposal back in April and presented it to Speaker Madigan’s staff in legislative draft form. The guv’s office reminded the Speaker of this in a memo it sent to him today.
I’m told Madigan is seriously considering putting the draft into bill form and giving it an up or down vote in the House. Stay tuned. [UPDATE: Scroll down to the 2:01 pm entry for more.]
Meanwhile, the governor’s office also presented Madigan with a proposed House resolution on the pension fund problem that includes no details of the governor’s Lottery or bond scheme proposals. The resolution simply supports coming up with a solution to the pension system by the end of the session.
The governor’s people were reportedly calling around the past few days asking House Democrats to vote “Present” on any Madigan-proposed resolution about the Lottery lease idea. Apparently failing to secure enough pledges, they’ve switched gears and asked that their feel-good resolution be presented instead.
The resolution and the cover letter about the governor’s original draft language can both be downloaded here.
* 12:32 pm - The House has begun. Rep. Jack Franks has been appointed chairman of the Committee of the Whole. 97 out of 118 members are present. Listen or watch here.
* 12:48 pm - Blink and you’ll miss it. The Senate has adjourned for the day. They’ll reconvene tomorrow at ten. The chamber did nothing today. The real “work” will be done at today’s hearing of the Senate Revenue Committee, which will hear testimony on leasing the state Lottery.
* 12:57 pm - As I’ve told you before, my father is a big Barack Obama fan and has decorated his 1963 Cadillac with huge “Obama ‘08″ stickers. The AP ran a photo today of Obama leaning up against Dad’s car…
And the Politico had this item at the end of a story on Obama’s speech to some transcendental meditation types…
Behind him, a man driving a red, white and blue 1963 Cadillac convertible with the word “Obamalac” and “The Time Is Now” carefully stenciled across it was being gently chided by a wiry, smiling meditator.
“The time is now,” the driver said, as he headed out of town.
“But the time is always now,” the local man said.
Oy.
And I hope he doesn’t get himself on the wrong side of the Secret Service while he’s out there tooling around. A photo here of the Obamalac has this caption…
At one point the owner of this car pulled up in front of Obama’s ride, and the secret service told him to move on.
Oy, again.
* 2:01 pm - With a hat tip to a commenter, the House has just moved two amendments out of Rules Committee.
House Amendment 1 to HB 2055 has the governor’s Lottery lease language. House Amendment 1 to HB 3755 has the guv’s pension bond language.
So, it looks like we’re gonna get a floor vote.
* 2:10 pm - Rep. Kurt Granberg and Rep. Jay Hoffman are carrying the governor’s proposed House Resolution on resolving the pension fund crisis by the end of the session. HR 575 can be found here.
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Question of the day
Thursday, Jul 5, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Have two of central Illinois’ congressmen gone a bit batty? Check out this Ray LaHood story…
Sources familiar with Bradley University’s presidential search said committee members will be interviewing finalists very soon, and U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood is not one of them.
LaHood, meanwhile, said Tuesday he still hasn’t decided whether to apply for the position, even though he said a month ago that he was interested and suspended his congressional fundraising while he weighed his options.
“I’m still considering the decision,” said LaHood, a Peoria Republican.
Asked how that could be, given that the search committee has selected its finalists to be interviewed shortly at an out-of-town location, LaHood responded, “I just told you where I’m at with it.”
The congressman also declined to confirm that he was not one of the people being interviewed.
* And now, John Shimkus…
“When I taught government and history,” Shimkus added, “by definition, what is the best form of government, the most simple, is a compassionate monarchy - a monarchy that loves and respects its citizens and … is able to make easy decisions without the weight of a bureaucracy we’d have to fund.”
One applies for a job telepathically, and the other believes that relying on the good graces of a single monarch is the “best form of government.” What’s up with these two? Has being in the minority caused them to flip their lids? Discuss.
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[Bumped up for discussion purposes and updated.]
In an angry letter to House Speaker Michael Madigan, Gov. Rod Blagojevich has declined to appear before tomorrow’s Committee of the Whole.
The governor claims he won’t attend the meeting because Madigan is “more interested in playing games and taking solutions off the table than trying to find solutions to solve real problems,” which he specifically pointed to as causing the overtime session in the first place. Instead, the governor will be sending staff to the meeting.
Blagojevich called a special session for tomorrow to discuss pension funding reform. Madigan, in turn, called a Committee of the Whole and invited the governor to attend.
It’s not clear from the letter whether the governor has finally put his pension “solutions” into actual bill form. The governor proposed a lottery lease and a pension bond deal months ago, but has never had any legislation drafted. Madigan wanted him to do so before tomorrow’s meeting.
Blagojevich demanded that Madigan come up with his own pension alternative if the House votes down Blagojevich’s still unspecified plans. “Rejecting one option without providing an alternative solution is both irresponsible and counterproductive,” the governor wrote.
Noteworthy items are highlighted…
ROD R. BLAGOJEVICH
GOVERNOR
July 4, 2007
The Honorable Michael Madigan
Speaker of the House of Representatives
Dear Mr. Speaker:
I called the legislature into Special Session this week to address the State’s under-funded pension liability. This is one of the most important budget issues we face. It is my intention to have members of my administration and financial experts available to testify at the Committee of the Whole on the nature of the pension problem and potential solutions.
If the purpose of your Committee of the Whole is to inform and educate members about how the pension debt threatens both the short and long-term fiscal health of the state, then it is a laudable purpose. But if the purpose is simply to vote down my proposed solution, then it is just more games. It is this type of gamesmanship that has brought us into overtime and has left me no choice but to call the members into Special Session. I must confess that I believe you are more interested in playing games and taking solutions off the table than trying to find solutions to solve real problems. So I will not be attending your Committee.
Instead, I would respectfully suggest that you appear in front of the Committee of the Whole and explain to the Members how the pensions became underfunded. After all, you are the only one who has been in leadership for each of the past 24 years making the decision to underfund or outright skip pension payments.
You can explain to the Members that it wasn’t always like this. In 1983, the unfunded liability was $6.5 billion. By 1995, it had grown to over $19 billion and it now stands at over $40 billion. Though our hands were tied by the fiscal condition of the state when I came into office, we have invested more than $13 billion into the pensions. That’s more than any administration in Illinois history. We’ve reduced the unfunded liability, but in spite of the progress we’ve made, this problem is getting worse, not better. Paying the interest on more than $40 billion in pension debt leads to less money for our priorities. If we solve this problem, instead of wasting money on interest, the citizens of Illinois will have higher quality schools, improved access to healthcare and better transportation networks.
There are three options that have been discussed for fixing the current pension crisis:
1. The option I support infuses the pension system with $26 billion and saves taxpayers some $60 billion over the next several decades.
2. The second option is the one supported by the business community that would reduce pension benefits for workers.
3. The final option others have discussed is identifying an alternative revenue source that could be used to pay down the unfunded liability.
Rejecting one option without providing an alternative solution is both irresponsible and counterproductive. If you do that, you will only serve to prolong this overtime session needed to get a state budget.
Ignoring and putting off a solution must not be an option. I hope at the end of your hearing, your members will be prepared to vote on solutions to this problem. As I’ve said before, I have put forth my solution, but I am remain flexible as to the means to get there. The end goal is what is important. I look forward to working with you and your members on a long-term solution to our pension funding problem.
Respectfully,
Rod R. Blagojevich
Governor
*** UPDATE *** From the SJ-R…
Rebecca Rausch, a spokeswoman for Blagojevich, said Wednesday that the governor will be in his office at the Capitol today. Asked why Blagojevich had decided not to attend the House hearing, she said, “The letter pretty much speaks for itself.” […]
Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said the hearing will continue as scheduled, despite the governor’s refusal to attend.
“I don’t know what the governor is afraid of,” Brown said. “He’s the one advocating bringing these members to these show-and-tell meetings,” referring to Blagojevich’s promise to call special legislative sessions on various budget issues every day until an agreement is reached.
“What would be a game? The governor wanted to bring the members and the media into the process,” he said, calling Blagojevich’s decision “baffling.”
Hearings on budget issues are “all part of the legal process,” Brown said. “This shows how little he understands how state government works.”
* More special session and budget updates, compiled by Paul…
* Marin: Michael Madigan also to blame for state’s disorder
* Miller: What are they fighting over? Ego, political advantage
* Special session to cost thousands a day
* Taxpayers tab is $42,000 a day
* Governor snubs Madigan; won’t appear before House
* Governor gears up for special budget session
* Governor will stay in Springfield for session
* Illinois budget showdown appears to be looming
* Editorial: Early special session unlikely to spark deal
* Bethany Carson: On special session duel
* Editorial: One-month extension enough; pass a full year budget
* Lawmakers weigh in on lottery
* Rep. Fritchey: Responding to the governor; more here and here
* Phil Kadner: State’s leaders use children as human shields
* Opinion: Expand Medicare to every Illinois resident
* Chuck Sweeny: Get serious and pass a capital plan
* Opinion: Time for state to do its part for schools
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I’m not sure I believe this yet, but…
Thursday, Jul 5, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
Maybe now we know why Mrs. Blagojevich was checking into swimming lessons in Springfield…
Gov. Rod Blagojevich will stay in Springfield for the duration of the special session he has called to try to break the impasse over a multibillion-dollar budget, a spokeswoman said Wednesday. […]
Blagojevich had been making daily round trip flights from Chicago to Springfield - costing taxpayers about $5,800 a day. However, he plans to stay in Springfield for the entire special session, spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff said Wednesday.
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Morning Shorts
Thursday, Jul 5, 2007 - Posted by Paul Richardson
* Cut People’s Gas rate-hike request in half: ICC staff
* Bernie Schoenburg: Governor’s mansion use
* State budget delay causes problems for schools
* Editorial: Hoosier officials come to senses over electronic tolls
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels eventually saw the light and urged the board that operates the Indiana toll roads to give the discount to the Illinois drivers. “It is fair and right that we reciprocate with a gesture of friendship and neighborliness,” he said.
* Illinois state fire marshal pleads guilty to DUI; more here
* Excerpts from recent Illinois editorials
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