* Finke…

Illinois senators took another shot at the “grand bargain” Tuesday, approving several of the less-controversial components along with an expansion of gambling.

However, once again a pension reform bill failed to pass and the Senate postponed until Wednesday some of the stickier issues, including workers’ compensation, revamped school funding and a package of tax hikes intended to balance the budget.

Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, used a parliamentary tool to keep the pension reform bill alive for another vote, possibly yet this week. The Senate plans to vote Wednesday on other controversial components, including the tax hikes and school funding reform. The legislation is structured so that all of the dozen bills in the package have to be passed by both the Senate and House and signed by Gov. Bruce Rauner before any of them can become law.

The package was negotiated between Cullerton and Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno of Lemont. Radogno said recently that the package had to be approved by Tuesday, the final day of February, or the Senate should just cede control of the process to House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago.

After Tuesday’s votes, Radogno said there were “very few” loose ends that still needed to be resolved. She said the votes were pretty much what she expected.

He did a good job summing up the key parts, so go read the whole thing.

* Tribune…

Sen. Toi Hutchinson, an Olympia Fields Democrat who leads the revenue committee, said a permanent freeze may be too difficult to pass, noting it would hit schools and towns that rely on that money for day-to-day operations. Instead, lawmakers may pass a two-year freeze and let local voters decide whether to extend it for a few years beyond that.

Despite the fits and starts, Democrats eager for movement sought to paint the day as progress while at the same time warning that both parties will have to vote for something they don’t like if there’s ever going to be an end to the stalemate. They also note any action in the Senate is just a first step, as the House would have its say before the plan could reach the governor’s desk.

“People just have to understand this is, this is a classic compromise,” said Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago. “So you get as much as you can and you don’t overestimate how much you think you’re entitled to. So that’s what we are trying to do.”

* AP…

Democratic Senate President John Cullerton also will call for a do-over on his pension overhaul plan, years in the making, which failed Tuesday. Cullerton was unfazed despite the roll call on a plan even Republicans agree has Rauner’s backing.

“Hopefully, overnight, people can reflect on what’s at stake here,” Cullerton said. […]

The Senate’s GOP still showed reticence Tuesday to climb aboard, arguing there shouldn’t be votes on any part of the plan until it’s all worked out behind closed doors. But their fears should be tempered by knowing Cullerton has tied all the pieces together, said Assistant Republican Leader Dave Syverson of Rockford. If one fails, none of them moves forward.

“Some members thought that maybe by holding off on doing this today, it would put pressure on the leadership to get the rest of it finalized,” Syverson said. “But the fact that all the bills are tied together — everything that passed today is useless unless the rest of it passes.”

* Greg Hinz…

“If 4.99 percent sounds high, let’s look at the level if you have $20 billion in debt,” a figure the state could reach by mid-2018, said Sen. Toi Hutchinson, D-Olympia Fields, chairman of the Senate Revenue Committee.

“What disturbs me is the people who don’t feel any pressure” to do something about that, she added.

The revenue bill also would expand the state’s earned-income tax credit by half.

The pension bill was supposed to have been approved yesterday. But with Democrats not wanting to offend labor groups, and some Republicans wanting bigger changes, the measure got only 26 votes before it was placed on postponed consideration, a parliamentary maneuver that will allow a second vote later.

Sources close to Radogno and Cullerton both said they believe that’s doable.

* Raw audio of Cullerton’s media availability…