Four country music stars are announcing their support for legislation that would legalize same-sex marriage in Illinois.
“Big” Kenny Alphin of the musical duo Big & Rich, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell signed an open letter released Thursday.
They say “gay or straight, when two people are lucky enough to find each other and want to commit their lives to one another, it is nothing less than a blessing to us all.”
Q: Did you have a harder time getting members to come on board as Senate President John Cullerton was working on a separate plan with union leaders?
A: “That wasn’t our experience as we worked through the roll call. It was a difficult roll call to work but not because of action in the Senate. The difficulty would relate to opposition from unions and from teachers unions and from citizens who have already retired and are drawing their pension. But none of it related to the Senate.”
Q: You vowed to do whatever you can to get the bill to Gov. Pat Quinn’s desk. What does that mean now that it’s in the Senate?
A: “Well, I’m committed to the bill. I’m committed to solving the issue. I’ve spoken to this publicly that the state’s fiscal problems are so bad that they require radical surgery, and this is the first step. We’ve taken that first step in the House. My expectation is that the Senate will approve this bill.”
Q: Have you been briefed at all on Cullerton’s negotiations with the unions?
A: “I could clearly see the fine work of Mr. Henry Bayer, who is an expert at delay. I think this is a continuation of what we experienced a year ago from Henry Bayer and the We Are One coalition where day to day they simply want delay. Delay. Delay. Because maybe the problem will go away. It’s precisely what they did on the collective bargaining. And they only came to a conclusion on the collective bargaining because they knew there would be action in the Legislature.”
Q: Will this action in the House spur unions to greater heights with the Senate?
A: “I really don’t know what they’ll do, but I don’t expect that they’ll be able to come to an agreement such that people would be prepared to back away from this bill. There’s two chambers here, and both chambers have to pass the same bill. The House has passed a bill and so whatever the Senate does, I don’t think it will achieve the cost savings that the House bill will achieve.” […]
Q: What was the tipping point in passing today’s pension reform bill?
A: “I think it was the vote that we took about two weeks ago simply on the COLA adjustment where it got 66 votes. I think that told the tale, and then we put the bill together. Today, we were four votes short of that, but it was a good roll call.” […]
Q: What are the bill’s chances in Senate?
A: “My expectation is the bill will pass the Senate.”
Q: Have you spoken to Cullerton about it?
A: “I have. On several occasions.”
Q: Cullerton hasn’t committed to working a roll call though. So what makes you so confident?
A: “Maybe it’s that 43 years around this building.”
Twenty-two House Republicans sided with Madigan’s push, with Democrats accounting for the rest of the “yes” votes. Among the Republicans backing the plan was House Minority Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego), who signed on to Madigan’s legislation as a co-sponsor.
* Public Pensions’ Fate Rests Largely With Divided Democratic Leaders: CULLERTON: “The fact that the president of the Senate and the unions are putting their full weight behind something means something too. So if we’re able to get our caucus to support a position the unions are for, that would be significant as well.”
* Madigan’s Pension Bill Passes A Full House Vote: The We Are One Coalition has released the following statement in response to the House’s passage of the bill: Senate Bill 1 is unfair to the active and retired teachers, nurses, police, and other employees who paid out of every paycheck to fund their pensions, even as the state shorted its share. On top of that, it is blatantly unconstitutional and thus saves nothing. It simply exacerbates Illinois’ fiscal problems. In contrast, our coalition had a productive meeting today with President John Cullerton, and we hope to be able to continue the dialogue.
* House passes comprehensive pension changes: Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno said she expects Republicans to support SB 1 if it is called for a vote in the Senate.
Apr 26 2013 Application (12A1053) to extend the time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari from May 23, 2013 to June 24, 2013, submitted to Justice Kagan.
May 2 2013 Application (12A1053) granted by Justice Kagan extending the time to file until June 24, 2013.
More in a bit.
* Illinois State Rifle Association Executive Director Richard Pearson recently had this to say about Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s request…
I have had several calls and emails asking what I think the result of Lisa Madigan’s request for an extension of the deadline to appeal the Seventh Circuit’s decision to the United States Supreme court will be. In my opinion it does nothing. The clock is ticking toward the June 9th deadline.
* 10:29 am - Response from AG Madigan’s office…
The extension allows for additional time to prepare a draft petition to allow the Attorney General to make a final decision on whether to seek cert, as the legislature continues to work toward the June 9 deadline set by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
The 180-day clock does not stop as a result of this extension.
It also doesn’t delay or impact when the case might be considered by the U.S. Supreme Court, if the Attorney General ultimately decides to seek cert.
