Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

*** UPDATED x6 - Bradley: Vaccines needed now - Kentucky intervenes with Illinois - Rep. Bradley: Sue Missouri - Quinn talks about Missouri suit - Tilley apology video - Tilley apologizes *** Missouri House Speaker to Cairo: Drop dead

Thursday, Apr 28, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Missouri’s House Speaker Steve Tilley was asked this week whether he’d rather see Missouri farmland flooded or see Cairo under water. As you already know by now, the Army Corps of Engineers is planning to blow up a “fuseplug” levee in Missouri to relieve flooding pressure on Cairo.

“Cairo,” Tilley replied without hesitation as reporters laughed. “I’ve been there. Trust me. Cairo.”

“Have you been to Cairo?” Tilley asked a reporter, who said he had. “OK, then you know what I’m saying then.”

Watch…

Cairo is mostly poor and black. Apparently, there are a few nice (white owned) homes in that federal floodway zone. I’ve tried to give Missouri the benefit of the doubt here, but Speaker Tilley pretty much showed what this is all about.

* State Sen. Gary Forby is not amused. From a press release…

“During a time when people are being asked to evacuate their homes and leave behind their belongings, it absolutely blows my mind that that type of dialogue is being thrown around by the Missouri Speaker. Not only is it in poor taste, but it absolutely disgusting that Speaker Tilley would joke about putting the lives of Cairo residents at risk by choosing farmland over a community.”

*** UPDATE 1 *** Tilley has apologized. From an e-mailed press release…

In a recent interview I was asked about a proposal that would blow-up a dam in Missouri and impact on Mississippi County and Cairo Illinois. As the Speaker of the Missouri House I came to the defense of Missouri, but in doing so I said some inappropriate and hurtful comments about the community of Cairo. I first want to apologize for my insensitive remark and personally apologize to anyone that I offended.

My commitment to the residents and farmers of southeast Missouri should not have led me to insult another community and for that I am sincerely regretful.

That’s actually a pretty decent apology for a politician.

…Adding… Maybe the reporters who laughed so hard at Tilley’s jokes should apologize themselves. Sheesh, what a mess.

*** UPDATE 2 *** Apology video…

*** UPDATE 3 *** My former intern Barton Lorimor went to Gov. Quinn’s press conference in southern Illinois today. Here is the Q&A from that event, including the governor speaking about Missouri’s lawsuit to try and stop the Corps of Engineers from blowing the fuseplug levee. Watch…

*** UPDATE 4 *** Rep. John Bradley told reporters today “We need to consider suing Missouri for putting Illinois lives at stake.” Watch…

*** UPDATE 5 *** The hearing on Missouri’s lawsuit to stop the levee being blown is still ongoing as of 3:40 this afternoon. However, we do have some new news. Kentucky has filed a motion to intervene in the case. Kentucky is standing with Illinois and against Missouri. From the motion…

Moreover, residents of and property in Hickman, Kentucky and Fulton County, Kentucky, (which sits on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River) will be at substantial risk of harm if the Corps’ Operations Plan is not implemented.

*** UPDATE 6 *** I just got off the phone with Rep. John Bradley. I asked him if anything was lacking so far in the state’s response. He said tons of people from all walks of life are helping sandbag throughout southern Illinois and they’re often working in septic water. Injuries happen, he said, so the state needs to quickly make sure these volunteers get tetanus shots.

Rep. Bradley, by the way, said that the Big Muddy river rose four feet overnight and he’s heading home as quickly as he can. At the end of the conversation, however, he said the road was closed because of the flooding and wasn’t sure he would make it. Best of luck to him - and to everybody down there.

[ *** End Of Updates *** ]

* Also, in case you missed the update below, here are Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s court filings from today.

* AG Madigan press release

* Madigan’s response to motion for restraining order and injunction

* Memorandum in support of motion to intervene with affidavits

You can also find a good history of this floodway by clicking here.

…Adding… Just in case you’d like to contact Speaker Tilley and politely express your opinion…

Phone: 573-751-1488
E-Mail: Steven.Tilley@house.mo.gov

…Adding more… Gov. Pat Quinn calls up more National Guard troops…

Governor Pat Quinn today activated an additional 200 Illinois National Guard troops, bringing the total to more than 320 Guard personnel engaged in the state’s efforts to protect citizens and critical facilities from rapidly-rising flood waters. Governor Quinn also commended private companies for donating needed supplies to the flood response.

The Governor made the announcements after he and Lt. Governor Sheila Simon attended a situational briefing at the state’s Unified Area Command in Marion.

“We’re dealing with very serious flooding throughout southern Illinois,” said Governor Quinn. “I’ve committed all available state resources to help protect threatened communities and will continue to provide personnel and other assets until the threat has passed.”

The additional 200 Illinois Guardsmen from southern Illinois National Guard companies will perform route reconnaissance, levee surveillance and maintenance and evacuation support in Gallatin and Alexander counties. More than 120 troops were deployed earlier this week to support the flood effort.

83 Comments

State owes businesses $850M in tax refunds

Thursday, Apr 28, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller

* There’s more to making Illinois business friendly than handing out tax subsidies or even reforming things like the workers’ compensation system. For instance…

Thousands of Illinois businesses are waiting for the state to pay long-overdue tax refunds, and there’s no sign the wait will end anytime soon.

The state owes money to roughly 36,000 businesses that overpaid their income taxes, going back to 2008. The backlog totals about $850 million, Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka said Wednesday. […]

At Peters Machine Inc. in Decatur, President Jerry Nelson said he continues to wait for about $15,000 dating to the 2008 tax year.

“I’ve tried to get answers, but no one seems to be in a position to let me know what’s going to happen,” Nelson told Lee Enterprises newspapers.

Getting businesses the money they’re legally owed can only help the economy as a whole. Whether they get this done by borrowing or cuts or whatever, the General Assembly and the governor shouldn’t stop until they figure out how to pay what we owe.

* Meanwhile, Greg Baise of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association says Gov. Pat Quinn needs to be much more involved with passing workers’ comp reform…

The key is Gov. Pat Quinn, who has been somewhat involved but needs to step it up if a deal is to be reached, Mr. Baise continued.

Mr. Baise conceded that some business leaders are insisting on a stronger deal than he might agree to. But they, too, listen to Caterpillar, he said, referring to the stir the Peoria-based manufacturer raised a few weeks ago when it seemed to suggest it would move out of Illinois unless the state improved its business climate.

As a matter of practical politics, a bill needs to pass in the next couple of weeks, before the Legislature turns to the volatile subjects of remap and the budget, Mr. Baise said.

“If the governor moves forward at all on causation, we can say Illinois is changing its pattern,” he said. Given Caterpillar, the weak economy and other pressures to act, “If we can’t get this one done now, I don’t see how we ever get it done.”

* Back to the budget…

Illinois’ recent income tax increase cannot be temporary, as is currently written in the law, if the state wants to avoid deep cuts to social services, according to one budget expert.

“I think it’s disingenuous for [lawmakers] to have claimed that this is a four-year tax increase that is set to expire. They did the right thing by raising revenue. They did the wrong thing by making it temporary,” said Ralph Martire, director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, a think tank focused on budget policy. “I think one of the most disingenuous pieces of public policy that has been perpetuated on voters and taxpayers for decades now is that they can have public services and never have to pay for them. At some point, you need adequate sustainable revenue raised in a responsible way.”

The governor has said that he wants to ensure the tax hike is temporary, and you won’t find many others who think it should be made permanent. The problem is that nobody in power is willing to do what it takes to make this happen. We’re in for another big budget crisis down the line if incredibly tough decisions aren’t made now.

* Video of Martire’s comments…

[Thanks to BlueRoomStream.com for the video.]

* Budget and business roundup…

* Cross says state budget plan could be ready in two or three weeks: So far, Republicans say the two parties have worked surprisingly well together, and Cross says he trusts House Speaker Michael Madigan’s word to hold spending under an agreed-to amount.

* Topinka: State will be $8 billion in hole: Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration agreed with Topinka’s calculation. Quinn’s budget office issued a statement, saying Illinois continues to face “serious fiscal challenges due to many years of budget mismanagement.” But the administration firmly stated that borrowing money at low-interest rates to help pay down a mounting backlog of overdue bills is “paramount to stabilizing the budget.”

* VIDEO: Comptroller Topinka on unpaid bills

* Judge blocks Quinn from slashing regional superintendents’ pay

* The “Backdoor Political Game” Of The Illinois Health Coverage Exchange

* Illinois debt impacts Rockford area social service agencies

* IDS Drug Assistance Program cuts draw fire: Agreeing with advocates’ criticism of cuts in the state’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program announced by the Illinois Department of Public Health, an influential state lawmaker said April 22 she’ll find “excesses” in other parts of the IDPH budget to reverse the cuts.

* Insurance switch could cost Illinois, opponent says

* Tiny, localized state agency could be dissolved

* Statehouse beer battle threatens new Springfield brewery

* Legislators look at local governments

* Durbin calls for national standard for online sales tax collection

* Online sales tax could go national

* Exelon CEO Rowe to exit after Constellation deal closes

* Allstate sees Q1 profit triple

* Oprah closing up her store after show ends

* 588-2300: Elmer Lynn Hauldren, Empire Carpet Man, Dead At 89

* Ordinance to ease up on shared kitchens operators

* Consolidations Final Act of Daley’s School Board

* Emanuel team retreats on comments about property taxes for nonprofits

* Evanston Considers Plastic Bag Tax

* District 87 considers how state core changes will affect local classrooms

16 Comments

*** UPDATED x1 *** AG Madigan preparing to intervene today in Cairo flood fight

Thursday, Apr 28, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller

*** UPDATE *** OK, here are the documents I promised you earlier…

* AG Madigan press release

* Madigan’s response to motion for restraining order and injunction

* Memorandum in support of motion to intervene with affidavits

You can also find a good history of this floodway by clicking here.

[ *** End Of Update *** ]

* I received this e-mail from the attorney general’s office late yesterday afternoon and was out of the office and didn’t see it until last night. Madigan will intervene today in a lawsuit brought by the Missouri attorney general to stop the Army Corps of Engineers from blowing a Missouri “fuse plug” levee and flooding some farmland in that state in order to save the town of Cairo. The levee was specifically designed to be blown in case other areas needed to be saved…

Hey Rich, here’s the latest:

We will seek tomorrow to intervene in the Missouri governor’s lawsuit to ensure that the people of Illinois are represented in court. Attorney General Madigan intends to do anything she can to defeat Missouri’s motion so as to allow the Army Corps to do whatever possible to protect the people in Illinois who’re in the path of this potential disaster.

I followed up last night and asked for more details…

We’re intervening in the suit on the side of the Army Corps, asking the court not to stop the Army Corps from proceeding with its plans to deal with the rising water and arguing that:

(1) The relief that Missouri wants, if granted, threatens to injure Illinois residents and property.

(2) We will provide detailed information on the extent of the threat to Illinois residents so that the court hears directly from us and has the information to consider.

(3) And, more specifically, we’re arguing that any delay in the Army Corps implementing its operations plan to alleviate flooding conditions will immediately put the health and safety of the nearly 3000 residents of Cairo at serious risk.

I’ll post Madigan’s filing as soon as I receive it, which will be mid-morning or so.

* State Rep. Brandon Phelps represents Cairo and issued a press release yesterday…

“What is most important here is the issue of farmland versus lives, and I find it very troubling that the Missouri governor believes Missouri farmland is more valuable than the lives of Illinois residents. The farmland in question is also designated by the United States federal government for exactly this purpose, and it is up to them to make the decision, not the governor of Missouri.”

He also held a press conference…

Rush Limbaugh’s cousin, US District Court judge Steve Limbaugh will preside over today’s hearing, which is scheduled for 1:30. Rep. Phelps joked that if he was a betting man he’d wager that Limbaugh probably won’t rule in Illinois’ favor.

* Gov. Pat Quinn will be in Marion today at 12:30 to discuss the situation. It’s a certainty that he’ll be asked about the Missouri lawsuit, so I’ll post audio or video as soon as I get it.

* This comment from a Missouri state Representative doesn’t make a whole lot of sense…

Missouri State Rep. Steve Hodges, D-East Prairie, who represents farmers in the flood plain… said there may be just a few farms there, but those farms would be wiped out.

“People down there can’t get flood insurance because they’re in the flood plain,” he said. “They don’t allow people to build new homes down there; you can put up farm equipment but you can’t build inside the spillway. If the explosion takes place, they’re going to lose expensive homes that they’re going to have to bite the bullet (on) … It would be catastrophic.”

So, they built houses even though they weren’t supposed to, and even though it’s impossible to get flood insurance because those structures are within a legally designated federal flood-control spillway - and now they complain? The area is officially known as the “Birds Point-New Madrid Floodway.” What part of that was so difficult to understand? As mentioned above, the levee was specifically designed to be blown up…

The plan required modification to the frontline levee which includes raising 12,500 feet of the upper fuseplug and 7,500 feet of the lower fuseplug and installing horizontal polyethylene pipe in three crevasse locations. These crevasse locations are designated as Inflow, Inflow/Outflow No. 1 and Inflow/Outflow No. 2. In addition to the modifications to the frontline levee, all materials, including the blasting agent which will be pumped into the pipes in the levee, and equipment necessary to place the floodway into operation have been acquired by the Memphis District.

* Missouri’s congressional delegation has also weighed in…

But the corps has encountered a tidal wave of opposition from Missouri lawmakers — including U.S. Sens. Roy Blunt, a Republican, and Claire McCaskill, a Democrat — who joined U.S. Rep. JoAnn Emerson, R-Cape Girardeau, in urging President Barack Obama to direct the corps to consider alternatives to the levee-busting plan.

* Illinois’ delegation has been more muted…

While Missouri lawmakers were up in arms about a possible Birds Point detonation, their llinois counterparts were more circumspect — saying that they would rely on the expertise and judgment of corps officials in making the call.

“I am in regular contact with Corps of Engineers officials as they assess all pertinent information regarding the best course of action to deal with flood conditions in Cairo,” said U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Belleville, whose congressional district extends to Cairo. […]

“My thoughts are with all affected families and individuals, particularly those in Cairo, Brookport and Grand Tower who are being asked to evacuate their homes,” said [US Sen. Dick Durbin] in a statement. “I will continue to work closely with federal, state and local officials to ensure that every resource is made available to communities along the Ohio, Illinois and Mississippi Rivers and other affected areas.” […]

Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill, said he wanted to make sure that flooded communities get the help they need. “My staff and I are following the flood situation closely and will continue to work with other state and federal agencies to ensure affected communities get the support and relief they need throughout this rainy season,” Kirk said in a statement to the Beacon.

* You have to read way down to get to it, but the Tribune finally came to its point near the end of today’s editorial…

We hope any judge who hears Missouri’s case pays far more attention to engineers than to lawyers or politicians. Any decision on whether to breach the levee or leave it intact will invite the possibility of widespread suffering, either in Illinois or in Missouri.

* A mandatory evacuation has been ordered for the potentially flooded area in Missouri.

* More impact…

Farther south, the mayor of Metropolis said flooding along the Ohio had forced a dozen families to move to a church shelter and closed down a casino that employs 600 people. With Harrah’s Casino closed since Monday, city revenue would be affected, Mayor Billy McDaniel said.

* And reports yesterday morning that the Army Corps of Engineers would wait until the weekend to decide what to do aren’t complete accurate, according to this story…

Reached at noon on Wednesday, Jim Pogue, the Corps’ Public Affairs Specialist for the Memphis District, said the wait-until-the-weekend claim “is not really correct. Let me tell you where we are.

“The equipment barges are headed north.

“The next decision point will take place this afternoon. That decision point is: do we continue to wait and watch or do we go ahead and prepare the levee for possible detonation? It will be this afternoon before any more decisions are made.

“Right now, we’re moving forward prudently and cautiously and making sure we’re in the right place on this fluid timeline. (That way) if we have to take the next steps, we’re ready to do it.”

When will the barges (which contain equipment and explosives that will be needed if the levee is blown) reach the target area?

“They’ll be pushing up to this general area. The intention is to pre-position in the area and wait – that should be sometime tonight.”

* It’s looking likely that the levee is gonna be blown…

As of Wednesday afternoon, it was becoming increasingly likely the corps would have to “operate the plan,” another way of saying detonating explosives at the fuse plugs of the system to relieve the swollen river

15 Comments

« NEWER POSTS