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Thursday, Apr 9, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I don’t think that this is necessarily a bad idea. It could be a good idea. But the timing is horrible…

After months of indecision, the Rauner administration is lifting a freeze it put on $100 million in business tax-incentive deals that had been approved in principle by outgoing Gov. Pat Quinn but not yet executed.

The Rauner administration and business sources confirm that an internal review of such spending was conducted and a decision reached to fulfill “commitments made by the Quinn administration” to companies including eBay, CapitalOne, CDW and SAC Wireless. Some deals reportedly were finalized in the past 10 days or so, others are still in process.

But the decision to go ahead with deals under the state’s Economic Development for a Growing Economy program may be controversial — both because Rauner and others have criticized the EDGE program, and because he has suspended $26 million in social services grants and $180 million in park grants that had been approved by Quinn but not yet been disbursed.

Rauner has cited the state’s financial woes in freezing those monies. A spokeswoman said the EDGE credit will proceed “because they have no impact on the current fiscal year.”

That part about the impact on this fiscal year is probably true because it takes a while to get these things going. But, man, they nitpick $26 million for indigent burials, autism programs, etc. and then give some huge corporations EDGE credits?

Whew.

* The Question: The Rauner administration’s new slogan?

…Adding… From the IFT…

“If anyone is still unclear about Governor Rauner’s priorities, look no further,” said Aviva Bowen, IFT Director of Communications. “Giving tax breaks to big corporations while slashing millions from the services our most vulnerable citizens rely upon is beyond the pale.

“Cutting funding for autism, homelessness, parks, and after-school programs before asking the most wealthy to chip in a dime is completely out of touch with what Illinois wants or deserves.”

119 Comments

*** UPDATED x1 *** McHenry County Board approves Rauner’s “right to work” language

Thursday, Apr 9, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller

* If you saw the update below, you know that the governor’s office claims a handful of municipalities have passed Gov. Bruce Rauner’s draft “Turnaround Agenda” resolution, which includes the local “right to work zone” language…

The following towns have passed the resolution.

East Dundee
Clinton
Cambridge
Makanda
Charleston

I have the PDFs coming.

Thanks

* This morning, Rauner got his biggest win…

McHenry County Board passes resolution supporting @GovRauner "Turnaround Agenda" on 16-5 vote.

— Kevin P. Craver (@KevinCraver) April 9, 2015

The governor’s office says the resolution was the original draft, with no changes.

*** UPDATE *** From the governor’s office…

Fayetteville and Bluford have both passed resolutions.

59 Comments

*** UPDATED x1 *** “Confused and surprised”

Thursday, Apr 9, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Negative reactions to the governor’s “Good Friday Massacre” continue to reverberate…

State Rep. Dan Brady, a Bloomington funeral home director, was among a majority of Republican lawmakers who last month voted for a fix to the current state budget. […]

“I was under the impression that action would stabilize things through the end of the fiscal year,” Brady said Tuesday.

On Friday, however, Rauner froze $26 million in funding for a variety of social service programs, including about $6.9 million that pays funeral expenses for poor people.

“I was not anticipating having this type of situation. I’m confused over it,” Brady said Tuesday. “I’m confused and surprised.”

*** UPDATE *** The Rauner folks say this approp committee exchange between Rep. Frank Mautino and budget director Tim Nuding shows legislators like Brady shouldn’t have been surprised. Emphasis in the original…

Mautino: And a final question to Rich or Tim. In the course of preparing for this year, the number of accounts at the Bureau of the Budget, Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, going back to through the years.

Nuding: No problem, I’m nostalgic about it too.

Mautino: Well you have the right attitude for this year. A number of items that have been suspended and another number of accounts. In the course of passing this fix for this year, what will become the status of the suspended dollars? Cities have been notified that they maybe have a process or program in process over at DNR, EPA, that has been suspended, so those accounts are under suspended status. You may not have this handy here, but I’d like to know what the dollar value of the suspended account statewide is, and what the interaction is with the bill we’re passing today is. Will the status of those accounts be lifted? And may those project resume for those dollars.

Nuding: I would say, representative, that what we have done through the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget to try to address the FY15 problem… This bill works in concert with what we are already doing in terms of establishing reserves and looking at grants that are already out there. So that process will continue. I cannot report to you today how much we have frozen up. We are still actually working through that process with your agencies. As you know there are literally hundreds and thousands of grants out there that our agencies are evaluating, trying to figure out what needs to be frozen, what’s essential, what’s non-essential. We will continue to work through that process. Having said that, I would acknowledge that I do not that believe everything that is currently under review or frozen will ultimately be terminated. I think there will be some things that move forward. I don’t have specifics on that. Conversely, Representative, not all of them will. We need some of those savings to make that $1.6 billion hole balance in concert the bills that are in front of you today.

However, legislators I’ve talked to said they’d made it clear that those programs shouldn’t be cut. They also fully funded things like the autism program for a reason.

58 Comments

*** UPDATED x1 *** Local “right to work” push not showing much success… yet

Thursday, Apr 9, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Union members and allies packed a Woodstock City Council hearing earlier this week to the point where it had to be moved to a much larger venue. The turnout worked, at least for now…

Woodstock City Council members balked on Gov. Bruce Rauner’s “Turnaround Agenda” resolution aimed at organized labor, after a large contingent of labor unions addressed the council and criticized the measure.

Rauner has asked cities and villages throughout the state to join his push against unions and pass the resolution. It urges state lawmakers to grant local governments and voters the choice to create right-to-work zones and details changes to prevailing wage and workers’ compensation laws.

On Tuesday, hundreds of area union members came to Woodstock to address the council before members were set to discuss and vote on Rauner’s resolution. The large turnout forced city officials to relocate the meeting to the larger Woodstock High School.

The council ultimately voted 5-2 to table the resolution – a request initiated by Mayor Brian Sager.

* More from Woodstock…

“I’m a part of Woodstock. If you vote for this resolution, this is what it does. You then give permission to Gov. Rauner to go around the state of Illinois and say Woodstock wants this,” Acosta said. “Well you know what? I’m a part of Woodstock and I don’t want this.”

But not everyone who addressed the council was part of a union.

“I’m a millionaire,” Woodstock’s Craig Hallenstein told the council. “I’m part of the 1 percent. I’m not a member of a union, and I agree with every comment made here. The biggest problem with this country is the declining middle class.”

* The governor’s idea didn’t go anywhere in Mt. Zion, either…

A resolution to support several policies proposed by Gov. Bruce Rauner did not gain much traction with the Mount Zion Board of Trustees on Monday.

The board was presented with a resolution encompassing Rauner’s “Turnaround Agenda,” which ranges from changes to prevailing wage and workers compensation laws to the establishment of what are commonly called right to work zones, in which voters could decide if workers should be required to join labor unions.

* More…

Shelby County Board Chairman Dave Cruitt said Monday that the proposal backing right-to-work won’t be voted on when board members meet Wednesday.

“Too many of our board members don’t know enough about it,” Cruitt said. “We’re not going to act on it.” […]

[Iroquois] County Board Chairman Kyle Anderson said he hopes to bring the matter before a board committee Thursday with the goal of getting it on the full board’s agenda next week.

He said despite all members of the board being Republicans like Rauner, he’s unsure whether the resolution will be approved.

Moultrie County Board Chairman Dave McCabe said the issue has been put on hold until at least next month.

Iroquois County’s committee meeting on the issue earlier this week was also flooded with anti-resolution folks. I grew up in Iroquois County. A liberal bastion it ain’t.

* And…

GovRauner's "turnaround agenda" voted down 7-0 in Pingree Grove #twill #workers4il

— IUOE Local 150 (@Local150) April 7, 2015

* But…

At Gov. Bruce Rauner’s behest, the Kane County Board will approve a resolution supporting at least some parts of Rauner’s reform agenda. Deciding which parts may involve a discussion about the future ability of county employees to unionize.

Rauner met with county officials Tuesday to ask for the endorsement. County board Chairman Chris Lauzen said Rauner was explicit in saying the county should customize the endorsement to reflect only aspects where county officials agreed with the governor.

In a written statement, Lauzen indicated support of Rauner’s views about public employee unions. That view involves passing legislation giving local governments, such as Kane County, the ability to exclude several topics from union negotiations, such as wage negotiations, use of paid work time to conduct union negotiations, and the use of third-party contractors.

However…

The debate on what to include in the resolution will begin in the board’s Legislative Committee, headed up by Aurora Democrat Brian Pollock. Pollock said the full board will debate the possible elements of the resolution and come to a consensus on what to say about unions.

“The chairman has said it’s up to the board to set the policy,” Pollock said. “And we’re looking forward to that discussion.”

So, it doesn’t look like the anti-union stuff has much of a chance there.

*** UPDATE *** From the governor’s office…

The following towns have passed the resolution.

East Dundee
Clinton
Cambridge
Makanda
Charleston

I have the PDFs coming.

Thanks,

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