* Gov. Rauner on the sale of the Thompson Center…

The Republican governor, embroiled in a political dispute with the Democrat-led General Assembly, said his proposal was unrelated to what he has dubbed his “Turnaround Agenda” that includes seeking pro-business, union-weakening legislation in exchange for a state budget.

OK, well, it’s good to know that he won’t hold up a budget in exchange for legislative approval of the building sale.

* But the other party is another matter. Kurt Erickson writes about HB4313, which was introduced yesterday by House GOP Leader Jim Durkin regarding the proposed sale…

Durkin’s plan would apparently bypass a lengthy public hearing process imposed by the General Assembly to keep governors from moving too quickly in shutting down state facilities.

Durkin’s proposal calls for establishing a base price for the 16-story building through an appraisal process. It would then allow officials to either auction off the building for no less than the highest appraisal price or sell it through a sealed bidding process.

In the latter case, the proposal would allow the building to be sold for less than its appraised value. […]

Steve Brown, spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, said Rauner offered few details about the sale in an announcement Tuesday, including where current workers would be moved and how other services done at the building would be affected.

“That will all have to be examined,” Brown said. “I’m not sure rushing is a good idea. Usually when you rush things, that’s when you make mistakes.”

On the bright side, using Brownie’s logic, by January of next year we ought to get one incredibly fantastic state budget.

/snark

…Adding… Mayor Emanuel, however, supports the sale, saying it could add $20 million a year to tax coffers.