Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

*** UPDATED x1 *** In case you’re wondering about IR and EZ…

Friday, May 23, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

*** UPDATE *** Both IR and EZ are back online, at least for now.

[ *** End Of Update *** ]

* As I write this at 12:45, Illinois Review is down and so is Eric Zorn’s blog.

Both sites use Typepad’s hosting network…

Typepad is under a DDOS attack. We're working to mitigate the situation as quickly as possible. Apologies and thanks for your patience.

— Typepad (@typepad) May 23, 2014

This is at least the second time in a week that Typepad has been down…

We're still under a large attack working as hard as we can on a sustainable solution. No ETA at this point, but all TP partners are engaged.

— Typepad (@typepad) May 19, 2014

The company endured a five-day denial of service attack last month.

Sheesh.

4 Comments

A look inside the belly of the beast

Friday, May 23, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From a blast e-mail from Rep. Jeanne Ives…

It seems that legislators are voting based on the title of a bill rather that what’s in the bill.

This week, SB 3234, a bill that passed unanimously in the Senate, received 42 NO votes in the Illinois House because the title on the electronic board said ‘Tire Fee.’

In actuality, the bill simply deleted a reference to an out of date fee, paid to the Department of Revenue, of $1 per new or used tire that is sold in the State in order to bring Statute up to date with the new fee of $2.50 per tire. That fee was changed 10 years ago and the Department of Revenue suggested the bill to clean-up inconsistency in the statute.

It was simple and necessary. A ‘No’ vote was either due to a lack of information or, perhaps, it was yet another game being played out in the People’s House on the People’s Time.

That’s actually a pretty strong insight into what appears to have happened. From the bill’s synopsis…

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Removes an obsolete reference concerning tire user fees.

Now, check out the roll call. Most politically targeted Democrats voted “No” as did most Republicans.

The Statehouse is often a Bizarro World unto itself.

…Adding… The bill’s sponsor just told me that he made it “abundantly clear” during debate that this was in no way a fee increase. Yet, HDem targets and most HGOPs still voted against it.

22 Comments

*** UPDATED x1 *** Question of the day

Friday, May 23, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Kurt Erickson…

“We do not have the votes for a doomsday budget,” said Cullerton spokeswoman Rikeesha Phelon. “To us, there has to be another alternative.”

That alternative could be what insiders are calling a “maintenance budget,” that keeps spending near current levels by extending payment cycles for state contractors and reverses gains made on paying down a massive backlog of bills.

“We would return to the days when you’re just trying to hold the budget together with bailing wire and Band-aids,” Phelon said.

It also would give lawmakers some breathing room to see who wins the race for governor in November.

In other words, they’d make the spending match revenues by using bill payment money for programmatic spending and pushing even more vendor payments off to the future.

* The Question: Your thoughts on a “maintenance budget”?

*** UPDATE *** Since this appears to be off the table (a scenario described to me by a top Madigan guy the other day), the maintenance budget may be the only option left…

Madigan disputed a report in Friday’s Capitol Fax political newsletter that the speaker raised the idea of forwarding to Quinn the $38 billion in spending bills that passed the House last week and letting him make spending cuts if the tax-extension doesn’t pass.

“We’re not moving in that direction,” the speaker said.

55 Comments

*** UPDATED x1 *** Rauner the disciplined dodger

Friday, May 23, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Some folks say it should be easy for reporters to get answers out of political candidates. But it ain’t as easy as it looks.

For example, check out how aggressive some Chicago reporters were this week with Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner over his adamant refusal to talk about any of his fiscal plans beyond platitudes.

Rauner just laughs and repeats his talking points, despite their pointed questions. He wouldn’t even name one person who sits on the advisory groups that he claims he’s put together.

Talk about disciplined…

*** UPDATE ***
The DGA provides a partial transcript, in case you can’t listen to audio files at work…

Q: The other day you referred to Democrats in Springfield as using the budget for political football. You are doing robocalls out to various districts telling people to vote no. You have not presented any kind of alternative plan and you say you are not going to do that until after the legislature is gone home. Aren’t you playing political football…Don’t you feel responsibility to say where you actually do stand so that Republicans in the General Assembly might have an idea what you actually stand for, specifically.

RAUNER: We will be coming out with our plans and our recommendations long, long before the election and the voters will have a clear choice.

Q: What’s taking so long? Because you’ve been running for 15 months. You know what the problems were. You knew that the tax is going to expire in 2015 as scheduled as you propose. What is taking so long? Who are these experts by name that you are working with?

RAUNER: We will be coming out with our plan in due time, long before the General Election.

Q: What is due time?
RAUNER: At the right time…

Q: What’s the right time? You’ve said this for months?
RAUNER: (Laughs) OK, I understand, next question.

Q: When are you going to tell us what you’re for instead of against?
RAUNER: (Laughs) Soon.

Q What is soon? Seriously? This is what everybody’s saying. You’re ducking the question. What tax rate would you agree to?
RAUNER: As I’ve been clear throughout, we will come out with a plan, both on tax policy and tax plan as well as a spending plan.

Q: What they’re going to do in the next two week, you’re going to have to live with next year if you win the election. So don’t you have a responsibility to weigh in, to explain to voters and to politicians what you think you want them to do?
RAUNER: I’ve been clear. I want them not to extend this temporary income tax.

Q: What you want them to do, not what you don’t want them to do?
RAUNER: (Laughs) To be clear, we’re going to be coming out with a plan on taxes and in spending in due time, at the right time, and long before the election.

Q: Will that come with your pension plan, too, that you’ve promised?
RAUNER: (Laughs) We’ll have a pension plan, an education plan, a transportation plan.

Q: Why should anyone believe this after hearing it month after month? Aren’t you shortchanging the voters?
RAUNER: (No response)

68 Comments

*** UPDATED x2 *** Tax hike expiration budget to get House vote today

Friday, May 23, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

*** UPDATE 1 *** To streamline the debate, the House only allowed one proponent and one opponent to speak.

The House voted against the budget proposal, 5-107.

So, just five people say they want these cuts. But not nearly enough favor the tax hike extension.

On to the next turn in the road.

*** UPDATE 2 *** Targets were all “No” votes…

Crespo was joined by Madigan; Rep. Toni Berrios, D-Chicago; Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion; and Rep. Ken Dunkin, D-Chicago [were the only “Yes” votes].

So, the targets mostly voted against the tax hike budget, and they voted against the tax cut budget.

[ *** End Of Updates *** ]

* SJ-R…

The Illinois House could begin voting as early as today on a revised budget plan that would slash more than $3 billion from a budget proposal they approved just a week ago.

Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, chairman of the House Human Services Appropriations Committee, said the votes could come as early as Friday, while another veteran House Democrat said the vote was definitely on. […]

Rep. Fred Crespo, D-Hoffman Estates, is chairman of the House General Services Appropriations Committee.

“I want to make sure that when we take those votes, people understand it’s not just cutting jobs. There’s going to be repercussions. People will feel the impact,” Crespo said.

Except Crespo has said he’s leaning against voting for the tax hike.

* Meanwhile, Madigan more than just hinted at the tax hike’s fate yesterday…

Asked about the Republican advisory amendment plan by Rep. Ed Sullivan, R-Mundelein, Madigan signaled the tax question was off the table because only 34 House Democrats Wednesday showed a willingness to back the tax extension. Sixty votes are needed to get the plan backed by Gov. Pat Quinn out of the House.

“I think as a result of yesterday, that’s pretty much moot,” Madigan told Sullivan.

Later, however, Madigan gave a conflicting answer when pressed by Rep. David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, if the tax-extension is dead for the spring legislative session, which is scheduled to end May 31.

“Mr. McSweeney, I don’t want to be quoted as the one who killed the governor’s proposal,” Madigan said.

That’s not really a conflicting answer.

Watch the live blog for the debate.

46 Comments

*** LIVE SESSION COVERAGE ***

Friday, May 23, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Saturday, Sunday sessions have been canceled…

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