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*** UPDATED x1 - Rauner react *** AG Madigan seeks dismissal of Rauner’s fair share suit

Monday, Mar 9, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From a press release…

Attorney General Lisa Madigan today filed a motion to intervene in Governor Bruce Rauner’s federal lawsuit that challenges the constitutionality of “fair share” fees as allowed under the Illinois Public Labor Relations Act. Madigan issued the following statement outlining her role in this litigation:

“Last month, Governor Rauner issued an Executive Order seeking to stop the payment of ‘fair share’ fees used to support non-political union activities such as contract administration and collective bargaining. On the same day, he also sued over two dozen unions in federal court in anticipation of a legal challenge to his Executive Order in state court.

Last week, the unions filed suit in state court seeking to prohibit Governor Rauner from implementing his Executive Order and breaching their contracts and to restore the ‘fair share’ fee payments.

Today, I filed a motion to intervene in the federal lawsuit to defend the constitutionality of Illinois’ law. Along with the motion to intervene, I have submitted a motion to dismiss the case, arguing that the Governor does not have the legal authority to sue to challenge the law in federal court.

As Attorney General, it is my job to represent the state and defend our laws when their constitutionality is challenged in court. Because the Governor’s case questions the validity of the Illinois Public Labor Relations Act, I moved to intervene to provide the court with arguments regarding the law’s constitutionality.”

The motion is here. The accompanying memorandum is here.

*** UPDATE *** Lance Trover…

“As expected, the Attorney General filed a motion in federal court to defend so-called ‘fair share’ union dues in state government, which is why the Governor pro-actively asked the Attorney General’s office to allow the Governor’s office to use pro bono outside counsel. The Attorney General’s actions will have no impact on the Governor’s efforts to protect taxpayers and state employees who don’t want to pay forced union dues.”

…Adding… From AG Madigan’s memorandum…

[Madigan’s] motion emphasizes the following points. First, the Governor may not use this suit as a preemptive strike against an anticipated state court law suit against him for violating state law in which he could assert federal law only as a defense to the state-law claims. Second, the Governor is not complaining of any violation of his own First Amendment rights, but instead has claimed the ability to vindicate the First Amendment rights of other persons who are not before this Court. Third, the Governor is inappropriately asking a federal court to declare the scope of his authority to issue executive orders under state law.
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*** UPDATED x4 - Rauner response *** Cullerton: Rauner budget “unworkable” and “unconscionable”

Monday, Mar 9, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller

* AP…

The Democratic leader of the Illinois Senate says Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposed budget is “as unworkable as it is unconscionable.”

Senate President John Cullerton spoke Monday in Chicago. He says the new Republican governor’s spending plan would hurt the middle class by cutting programs such as public transportation, higher education and substance abuse treatment.

I’ll post more when it becomes available.

*** UPDATE 1 *** The Senate Democrats posted some background info and some videos here.

*** UPDATE 2 *** From Lance Trover…

President Cullerton has met with the Governor repeatedly and has had every opportunity to discuss any issue he wants, including the ongoing negotiations between his office and the Governor’s Office over the $1.6 billion budget hole Governor Rauner inherited. It’s unclear why President Cullerton seems intent on undermining a bipartisan agreement to clean up the fiscal mess that Senate Democrats created.

*** UPDATE 3 *** Sun-Times…

“His budget hurts middle-class families. Gov. Rauner sees the budget as merely a math problem. I see the people behind those numbers, people struggling to get ahead,” Cullerton, who leads the Democrat-controlled Senate, said as he one-by-one ran through Rauner’s proposed slashes to health and human services, foster care, higher education and transportation programs.

“I probably could have saved a lot of time and simply told you who’s not hurt in this budget. There’s the wealthy. And then there’s the corporations. The only cuts they received were to their tax rates. This budget is not the shared sacrifice he promised in his inauguration speech,” Cullerton said. […]

“To be fair, there were some bright spots in the governor’s budget. For instance, Gov. Rauner fully embraces President Obama’s Affordable Care Act. It’s a bold move given that so many of his GOP counterparts are talking about repealing Obamacare should they end up in the White House,” Cullerton said. “And I applaud the governor for making early childhood, elementary and high-school education a priority. He proposed a nearly $500 million increase in education funding. He didn’t tell you how he pays for it.”

*** UPDATE 4 *** Even though he said it before the Rauner response, this is basically a response to the governor…

“We haven’t actually sat down and had a meeting where the leaders and the governor talk about our (2015) budget,” Cullerton told reporters after making remarks to the City Club of Chicago. “We’ve had our staff people do it. So maybe that’s what they do in Washington or the private sector, but … we haven’t had an actual negotiation.” […]

The way Cullerton describes the situation, Democrats are just waiting for an invitation from Rauner.

“He hasn’t scheduled one, and he’s the governor,” Cullerton said.

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*** UPDATED x1 - No longer chastened *** “Chastened” Schock hit with yet another taxpayer-funded travel scandal

Monday, Mar 9, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Schock and ten staffers at Manhattan’s Palace Hotel on the goverment’s dime. How delightful…

Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Ill., took at least 10 of his House staffers on a $10,053 taxpayer-funded trip to New York last September, where most of them had few official duties, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.

Schock was in New York for events on Sept. 27 and 28 connected to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the U.S. — and given the latitude House members have with their taxpayer allowances – not at issue is whether Schock personally conducted official business.

But a Sun-Times examination has revealed that most of the Schock staffers — who worked in Peoria or Washington — did almost no government work during their taxpayer-funded weekend in New York. […]

He did attend two events where Modi spoke, so some staff assistance is justifiable. Of the three other Illinois lawmakers who also traveled to New York to hear Modi speak, none brought staff with them for that speech.

Sheesh.

Go read the whole thing. There’s an interesting Caterpillar angle as well.

* Meanwhile…

A chastened U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock said Friday that he had fallen short on how his office handled record-keeping, and personally on the “out of touch” perceptions he’s created of his travel, as he moved to try to contain a burgeoning scandal into his travel and expenses now in its second month.

At a hastily called outdoor news conference at his campaign office in Central Peoria, the fourth-term lawmaker announced he would be hiring third-party firms to handle his official congressional office spending records and campaign records moving forward. He also said he has hired an East Peoria-based CPA firm to review his office procedures to find other areas that might be falling short. […]

“I know that when I take a trip, and I post photos online, it can create the misimpression of being out of touch, or an image that is not worthy of my constituents,” he said. “I have tried to balance being a young congressman and doing things differently and more open with maintaining a level of seriousness on the issues of the day. I know some days I have failed at this.”

“I get the optics,” he said. “I get the fact that for a lot of people that seems out of touch and unnecessary. So without a doubt I’ll be thinking twice about using that [private charter flights] mode of transportation, and the result will be we’ll have to schedule accordingly and continue to do my best to get to as many places as possible.”

*** UPDATE *** Well, he’s no longer chastened…

The Chicago Sun-Times reports Schock made the September trip for events connected to a U.S. visit by the Indian prime minister. But the newspaper says most Schock staffers did almost no government work there.

Schock told reporters Monday it was a “very legitimate trip” and that he was “honored” his staff could be there.

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