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*** UPDATED x1 - Stand down *** No poison pills, please

Thursday, Aug 6, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From the governor’s press conference…

Reforms for the state are part of it. Rumors that bill pending to authorize federal funds that speaker may try to add legislation …

— Becky Schlikerman (@schlikerman) August 6, 2015

To pay for Cps pensions. Rauner supports the state part but calls rumor "unacceptable"

— Becky Schlikerman (@schlikerman) August 6, 2015

The governor apparently got a phone call from Mayor Emanuel last night giving him a heads up that the House Democrats were going to add $200 million for CPS pension payments to the federal funding appropriations bill.

The Rauner team then notified the Republican legislative leaders and everybody has a thumbs down on the bill.

A spokesman for the House Speaker said he wasn’t aware of any such plans. A source close to Madigan says there’s been no final decision. Madigan said yesterday that he would amend the bill, but indicated it would only include suggestions (from agencies and the governor’s office) for federal funding lines missing in the Senate’s bill.

They really need to keep that bill as clean as possible.

*** UPDATE *** Steve Brown just called and said he asked the Speaker about this rumor and Madigan said he didn’t know anything about it. “That’s news to us.”

Everybody needs to just calm the heck down and take a breath before firing at each other.

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*** UPDATED x2 - Rauner says city wants his bill *** Another u-turn

Thursday, Aug 6, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Sun-Times…

Rauner on Wednesday said he wants no more “special deals” for Chicago, a day after the Illinois Senate passed a property tax freeze bill that would also pick up $200 million in pension costs for Chicago Public Schools.

“Chicago shouldn’t be getting special deals. All communities should be treated the same,” Rauner said.

The governor said legislators should not be “cherry picking” what they want in terms of school funding.

“We should treat the people of Illinois equitably and fairly and stop giving special deals for Chicago,” he said. “Illinois should not be a dictatorship from Chicago.”

* Tribune…

Despite his strong words against giving Chicago favorable treatment, Rauner has supported efforts to do so in the past. In June, the governor backed a plan that would have allowed CPS to delay making a massive $634 million pension payment by several weeks. That plan stalled in the House, and Rauner floated an alternative idea to give CPS an upfront payment of $450 million in grant money that’s normally distributed over the course of the year.

All he was doing was attempting to “win” the day’s news cycle with a populist, base-feeding cheap shot at the city.

The campaign is over. It’s time to start governing, governor.

*** UPDATE 1 *** Doubling down in the city?…

What: Governor Holds Media Briefing Regarding Property Tax Legislation and Chicago Public Schools

Where: James R. Thompson Center – 16th Floor

100 W. Randolph, Chicago

Date: Thursday, August 6, 2015

Time: 2:00 p.m.

*** UPDATE 2 *** From the governor’s press conference…

The city has requested collective bargaining reforms and that should be acknowledged, he said.

— Becky Schlikerman (@schlikerman) August 6, 2015

So, either Claypool is lying or Rauner misunderstood?

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Thursday, Aug 6, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller

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