Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Thursday, May 26, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Outlines of a budget deal are beginning to emerge. I had my own story for subscribers today, but here are a couple of other reports. SJ-R…

Illinois Senate Democrats will accept House revenue projections and craft a 2011-12 budget that cuts nearly $1 billion from the Senate’s earlier spending plan.

Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, said Wednesday he’s been in talks with House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, and the focus will be to reach a compromise based on the significantly lower revenue estimates for the next budget year put out by the House.

“That’s what the goal is,” Cullerton said Wednesday. “I think we can do that. That’s what we are going to be negotiating.” […]

The House placed the revenue estimate next year at about $33.3 billion while the Senate determined it would be about $34.3 billion. The Senate said its number was based on estimates produced by the General Assembly’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability.

That all depends on how you define “revenue projections.”

* Daily Herald…

[Rep. Fred Crespo] says the House might cut even further parts of its general services budget - stuff like the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity or the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

That stuff, by comparison, is politically easier to cut. Then, that money they save on general services could go to human services - stuff like care for the disabled, poor and elderly.

That stuff, by comparison, is politically tough to cut.

* Meanwhile, this objection to long-term borrowing to pay off old bills needs to be flagged…

“My problem with this is, if we borrow again, it’s going to get better?” asked Sen. David Luechtefeld, R-Okawville, during a meeting of the Senate Executive Committee. “How long will it take for those bills to go back up?”

As I’ve tried to explain time and time again, the income tax increase wiped out most of the state’s structural deficit. But there wasn’t enough money in that tax hike to also meet the one-time cost of paying off the past-due bills which were created by that deficit. Ergo, the borrowing, payments for which were actually built into the income tax law.

* Whatever the case, this latest borrowing plan is going nowhere. Republican votes are needed, and none are willing to support it…

Republicans said the state should instead slash spending and pay off bills with those savings. They attempted to amend Sullivan’s bills to place tighter spending caps on the state budget, which they said would allow the state to pay off its bills in cash in roughly 18 months. That effort failed.

“Have you laid out a budget that actually identifies where those cuts are going to come?” Sullivan asked state Sen. Matt Murphy, R-Palatine, who introduced the spending caps.

“We put out a plan that has specific cuts in it and a piece of legislation which has a cap,” Murphy responded.

“File the amendments. We’d love to see it,” Sullivan said.

* The Sun-Times is kinda unclear on the concept…

The Illinois Legislature wouldn’t be thrilled if Congress suddenly decided to seize a chunk of state revenues on the grounds that Washington needs the money more than Springfield does.

But that’s what Springfield is talking about doing to municipalities and counties across the state. To close the state’s gaping budget gap, legislators are discussing siphoning off tax revenues that traditionally have gone to local government.

The state has, indeed, lost a ton of federal money since the stimulus expired, and it is about to lose even more.

* Related…

* Mautino: ‘Mark will be fine’: The relocation of Hartney to Mark was of great benefit to the village. Records show that before 2003, Mark only received about $10,000 a year in sales tax revenue. After Hartney came to town, the village’s total sales tax receipts climbed, and in 2007, Hartney paid more than $3 million in sales tax receipts.

* Illinois Capitol police short-handed due to budget, attrition

* VIDEO: John Cullerton on the budget

* VIDEO: Borrowing Q&A

* Your share: $42,000

* VIDEO: Kelly Kraft on borrowing plans and budget deadline

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Republicans “leaning against” filing their own remap proposal as Dem map tweaked for Latinos and congressional map release date still uncertain

Thursday, May 26, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The Democrats plan to file a new remap proposal today, but the Republicans have taken a pass…

Republicans, who were shut out of the process since Democrats hold a majority in the House and Senate, had considered offering their own proposed changes to the map but were leaning against it. With a Democratic governor and legislature, Republicans instead were looking for grounds in federal court to mount a legal challenge to block a new map.

Each legislative caucus was given $750,000 for remap work. Republicans have spent most of their cash on attorneys.

* Subscribers knew about this push earlier in the week…

Sources familiar with the map making process but not authorized to speak about it said the new plan would boost districts with Latino voting age majorities up from 50 percent and above to 60 percent in three areas on the North Side and five on the Southwest Side.

One of those 60 percent Latino districts would be that of House Speaker Michael Madigan, the 40-year Southwest Side lawmaker who also is the state’s longest serving speaker and is state Democratic chairman.

* The original objection which led to the changes…

MALDEF officials said the Democrats’ map “does not create a sufficient number of Latino opportunity districts” to meet the federal Voting Rights Act.

And former Sen. Miguel del Valle of Chicago said the proposed map “worries me quite a bit” because the presumed Hispanic districts include many undocumented residents who cannot vote.

“Given that the Hispanic community has a large number of individuals who are not eligible to register to vote — they are voting age but because they are permanent residents or they are undocumented they are not eligible to vote, and so while they are counted in the census the fact of the matter is that they cannot participate — I ask you to take the next few days to amend this proposal and improve the percentages in these districts,” he said.

* Others are far from happy…

Political maps for the state House and state Senate released this past week dilutes the black vote in Illinois, some minority interest groups say.

Under the proposed map, the House draws eight seats and the Senate five seats in areas where blacks make up at least 55 percent of the population. Compared to the current map, that means 10 fewer House seats and three fewer Senate seats, according to the United Congress of Community and Religious Organizations or United Congress, a grassroots organization that represents about 50 groups advocating for more representation for minority communities in the new legislative maps.

For districts with populations of more than 50 percent black, the total majority-minority districts get bumped up to 16 House seats and seven Senate seats. But Josina Morita, executive coordinator for United Congress, said that’s not enough to get a minority-backed candidate elected.

“Take into account the percentage of turnout in African-American communities; 50 percent alone doesn’t mean that you’ll be the majority of those who actually vote,” Morita said.

As I’ve explained before, the massive population loss recorded by the Census Bureau was mainly centered in black legislative districts. The Black Caucus decided they’d rather keep the same number of African-American seats than drawing a bunch of districts with super-majority black populations. Also, Chicago black voter turnout is usually quite high, so I have to disagree with Morita there.

* A Lake County blogger wonders aloud why Rep. Ed Sullivan got such a sweet new map…

[The new district] features a swath of Ed Sullivan’s District 51 Democrats (all of downtown Mundelein) herded into a narrow peninsula and given to next-door Rep. Carol Sente in District 59. The loss of those Democrats makes it almost impossible for Rep. Ed Sullivan to ever lose his seat, except in a primary to a fellow Republican or when he retires 75 years from now.

Hmmm. We wonder what Eddie Sullivan did to earn such a wet, sloppy kiss from King Madigan. Luck o’ the Irish?

Nope. The reality is, unless they have to move, many Republicans love this remap (as minority party members often do) because they lost Democratic turf to bolster a neighboring Dem and gained that neighbor’s Republican turf. Sullivan didn’t have to do anything for this “favor.” It’s just the way the big dogs always draw maps.

* From the Senate Democrats’ website…

CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING PROPOSAL COMING SOON…

Cullerton said the congressional map could be unveiled after the state remap work is completed…

* Related…

* MAPS: Minority Voting Age Population

* Harmon’s growing influence doesn’t protect political turf

* New plans have more state politicians grabbing for a piece of Chicago’s center

* Census shows more empty homes in south suburbs

* Schneider announces bid for 10th CD: A second resident announced campaign plans to run against Republican Robert Dold in the 10th Congressional District.

* Gardner officials displeased with remaps

* Editorial: Remap fallout

* VIDEO: Rep. Marlow Colvin on redistricting

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“Labor peace agreement” stalls gaming bill as McPier refuses temporary site - Plus: A Statehouse roundup

Thursday, May 26, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller

* This was not unexpected…

A House panel Wednesday dumped an 11th-hour bid to expand gambling in Illinois.

The measure, which would have added five casinos and allowed horse racing tracks to offer slot machines, failed to receive enough votes to emerge from the House Executive Committee.

The loss came just days after Gov. Pat Quinn said he didn’t support a massive expansion of gambling, despite the lure of as much as $1.5 billion in added revenue for the cash-strapped state.

The plan would have used the proceeds to pay down the state’s lengthy list of unpaid bills.

* Here’s why it was not unexpected…

Lang blamed the downfall on a provision requiring tracks to reach peace agreements with organized labor. Republicans on the panel all voted against it.

The labor provision was opposed by Arlington Park Racecourse, which is attempting to reach a compromise with food-service workers over representation of additional workers that would be required for turning the racetrack into a “racino.” Arlington had long sought the OK to bring slot machines to the racetrack, but said it would oppose the bill mandating such agreements.

Lang said labor peace agreements had already been worked out among the rest of the state’s horse racing tracks. He said he would either work to encourage a labor settlement or seek other changes in the bill to allow it to advance before the legislature’s scheduled adjournment at month’s end.

What’s a labor peace agreement? From the bill…

A “labor peace agreement” is an agreement in which the labor organization waives the rights of itself and its members to strike, picket, or otherwise boycott the operation for at least 3 years.

Anyway, that language will likely be pulled from the legislation today and reintroduced. Expect Mayor Emanuel to become more involved if and/or when this bill advances to the floor…

“Mayor Emanuel has been upfront about his support for gaming,” Lang said. “I think he’s prepared to convince some fence-sitting legislators it’s the right thing to do.”

* What the bill contains…

The measure would have allowed casinos in Chicago, Danville, Rockford, Park City in Lake County and a yet-undetermined location in the southern suburbs.

It also would have permitted slot machines at racetracks, including a new track and slot machines at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield.

Slot machine gambling would not be allowed year-round in Springfield, Lang said. It was to be legal only during the three to nine months of the year when horse racing would have taken place.

Slots at Chicago airports behind the security perimeters are also in the bill.

* Meanwhile, McPier has shot down a suggestion that it temporarily host a new Chicago casino in its McCormick Place East Building…

“Lakeside Center is definitely not the place for a casino,” MPEA Trustee Jim Reilly said in a statement. “Our trade show customers do not want their attendees leaving the show floor during show hours.”

* Statehouse roundup…

* IL lawmakers OK tougher oversight of group homes

* Supporters, utilities try again with smart grid: Ameren and ComEd customers will pay about $3 more per month for the Smart Grid upgrades. Pramaggiore said ComEd customers would see a flat $36 per year increase. Ameren customers would see their bills rise quite a bit more. The monthly $3.40 charge would double each year, so that at the end of the 10-year Smart Grid program, Ameren customers would be paying $34 a month more.

* ComEd smart grid plan adds consumer protections: But Attorney General Lisa Madigan said the changes still allow ComEd to take advantage of customers. “Today, their legion of lobbyists continue to push legislation that will require consumers to fund billions more in guaranteed profits,” Madigan said. “This new proposal is just more of the same: a plan that hits consumers where it hurts the most — their wallets.”

* VIDEO: Dave Kolata of CUB on Smart Grid

* VIDEO: Kevin McCarthy on Smart Grid

* Measure would dismantle workers compensation system in Illinois

* State House committee wants to abolish workers’ comp: “Sometimes it’s easier to start from scratch than to try to fix something that’s so broken,” Bradley said. “We are continuing to work. There could be an announcement in the next matter of days, you know, or hours. But in the meantime, until we feel confident and comfortable doing that, we’re going to continue to move this into place.”

* Senate addresses acid attacks, murder registry, background checks

* Bill addressing safety of hotel patrons passes in general assembly

* Harrah’s Casino plans to re-open Friday

* Showing Support for a Rockford Casino

* Local leaders sign letter in support of bringing casino to Rockford: But Rep. Joe Sosnowski, R-Rockford, does not support a gaming expansion or a Rockford casino, saying the benefits are overstated. A casino may be an immediate benefit to the city, he said, but he doubts that there would be much benefit to the region.

* Broadcast museum moves offices into new building

* VIDEO: Rep. Lang on why gaming expansion failed in committee

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