* 12:53 pm - The House is now debating a proposed constitutional amendment that would double the state income tax rate for people who make more than $250,000 a year.

Read the proposal here. Listen or watch the debate here. Background here.

The proposal, if approved by both chambers and the voters, would raise $3 billion a year.

* 1:03 pm - The House Republicans demanded a “Committee of the Whole” to discuss the topic in as much depth as the governor’s Gross Receipts Tax was last year. A motion to adjourn until Monday so that a Committee of the Whole could be held was defeated on party lines.

* 1:56 pm - From the SJ-R…

Firefighters and a hazardous materials team have left the Howlett building after determining no dangerous substance was inside.

One floor of the building, at Second and Edwards streets, was evacuated about 11 a.m. today after a mailroom worker opened an envelope that smelled like gasoline and had a brown smudge on the paperwork inside.

Interesting that they only evacuated one floor.

*** 3:20 pm *** The proposed constitutional amendment failed to garner enough votes to send it to the Senate. There were 60 “No” votes. At least that’s what I think the number was. I was momentarily distracted. It did fail, however.

…Adding… The vote was 52-60

* 3:47 pm - The Tribbies have an update…

House Republican leader Tom Cross accused the Democrats of playing election-year politics and trying to distance themselves from past support of embattled Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

But Minority Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego) contended the “most troubling part” of the measure fails to break down specifics, such as which education programs would get more money and which school districts would come out ahead.

That last point would simply be a silly thing to do with a Constitutional amendment and Cross knows it. Not to say that this idea was great - it was fatally flawed on many levels - but that sort of detail should never be put into a Constitution.

* 4:05 pm - Barack Obama sat down with Chicago TV reporters after his speech in Gary. CLTV’s Carlos Hernandez Gomez has the first one posted online.

On a semi-related note… Um, dude?

* 4:29 pm - AP story on the failed con amend…

But Republicans say it’s unwise to raise taxes in a sour economy.

I don’t really buy that one, either. When the economy is strong, they say “Don’t raise taxes or you’ll kill the expansion.” When it’s weak, they say “Don’t raise taxes or you’ll make things worse.” Pick one.

Again, I’m not necessarily arguing for a tax hike here, but these circular arguments that are reported without challenge kinda bug me.

* 4:39 pm - The roll call for the con amend vote is now online. It appears that some conservative Dems, Dems with GOP opponents, and Blagojevich allies voted “No.” Two Democrats (Hamos and Washington) were absent.