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State of the State preview

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* Gov. Pat Quinn will talk about an ethics initiative during today’s State of the State address…

Quinn is pushing for a constitutional amendment that would allow citizens to propose ethical reforms and put them to binding referendum measures on the ballot. First the Illinois House and Senate would have to authorize a November referendum that would allow citizens to propose reforms in future years.

I’m pretty sure he’s mentioned this before, so it isn’t quite new, but it’s also assuredly DOA. Quinn explains…

“It should give the people at the local level, county, city, municipal and state, the power by petition and binding referendum to enact ethics standards and campaign finance standards that the people feel are appropriate,” Quinn said. “I think this is one area where an initiative is vitally needed.”

Expected…

Quinn’s staff says the governor will touch on several major themes, from sparking the economy and strengthening state government ethics to supporting veterans and preparing the state for the next decade.

* The speech comes at an awkward, but opportune moment for the governor…

But the speech comes at an unfortunate time for Quinn, who is in the midst of an election fight with primary challenger Dan Hynes. Quinn needs to ask lawmakers to raise taxes in order to help close the budget gap, but raising taxes is not a popular campaign strategy.

Quinn also has to decide whether to address the controversy over the early release of prisoners.

On the other hand, the speech gives him a chance to address the public less than three weeks before the primary election and a platform to discuss his successes, such as a campaign finance reform law and a public works program that he says will lead to perhaps thousands of jobs.

* House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie sends a message…

Currie thinks the governor should blame the state’s dire financial situation on the global recession rather than over-spending on the part of lawmakers.

Quinn has adopted Rod Blagojevich’s habit of blaming the General Assembly for his own problems, so we’ll see what happens today.

* A look beyond the address…

Q: What happens after the speech?

A: Lawmakers are at work this week, but then leave town until after the Feb. 2 primary. Quinn will offer his comments today, after which Hynes, other governor candidates and lawmakers will give their two cents on where he went right and wrong.

Look for Hynes to pounce if Quinn makes any slipups in the State of the State speech. Hynes’ campaign theme has been about how disappointing Quinn has been since taking over as governor last January, and he’ll try to emphasize any areas that show possible Quinn weakness.

We’re going to try and post videos on the blog as the day progresses, so keep checking back.

* What some want to hear…

[Democratic state Sen. John Sullivan] said he expects Quinn to reveal some dire statistics concerning the budget that will likely “shock some people.”

[Republican state Sen. Larry Bomke] said anything less than a detailed plan of attack would be a waste of time.

“(Quinn) needs to reiterate what he thinks the best way to resolve this crisis is,” Bomke said. “If it’s a tax increase, if it’s cuts, where those cuts can be made or if he will sell the lottery or state property. For the governor to give the State of the State without addressing that issue and how we will address the issue would be pretty meaningless.”

Bomke could be disappointed, though. Democratic leaders are looking to push back Quinn’s budget address to later in March, giving him the opportunity to delve into budget pain after his race for the Democratic nomination against Comptroller Dan Hynes.

* Quinn is expected to ask that the budget address be delayed, which at least one newspaper doesn’t love…

Allowing Quinn to move his budget address back a month will only serve to make the process more political and more time-constrained. Legislators facing election challenges in November will not want to spend the summer in Springfield.

Any delays increase the likelihood the state will once again arrive at a budget in name only.

They’ll put everything off until the last minute no matter when the budget address is, so it doesn’t really bother me much. Plus, the later in the session the budget unveiling is, the clearer the future can look.

* Speaking of the budget, Melissa Harris takes a look at some of the outside players…

On Tuesday, about 200 [Civic Committee of The Commercial Club of Chicago] members met privately at the Chicago Club to discuss the coming session. (In attendance, Abbott Labs CEO Miles White, Merchandise Mart Properties President Christopher Kennedy, CBOE Chairman Bill Brodsky and Allstate CEO Thomas Wilson.)

Afterward, Martin said the committee would start engaging outside groups — including the public — on the budget crisis, particularly pension reform. […]

Howard Peters Title: Senior vice president, Illinois Hospital Association

Peters expects to spend the session fighting efforts to require the state’s Medicaid recipients to receive health coverage through HMOs, which some believe would save the state money. A pilot program passed the Illinois Senate in 2007. But Peters said, “The state has had a miserable experience with HMOs not providing services.”

Go read the whole thing.

More…

Most groups agree that the driving force in the speech will the budget problems, with a likely reference to canceling the secret early-release prison program that put dozens of violent offenders out on the street within weeks of being incarcerated.

Expecting lots of talk about money is Kathy Ryg, a former state lawmaker, who is now the president of Voices for Illinois Children. She says the state desperately must change its funding structure, although she didn’t use the phrase “income tax increase.”

She does say that the state’s ailing budget picture won’t start to get better until lawmakers infuse it with more money. But she also wants reform that would keep low-income folks from shelling out more in taxes.

Another suggestion comes from the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, which is lobbying for a re-write of the Telecommunication Act, which is set to expire in a year. Chamber Vice President of government affairs Todd Maisch says reducing regulation would encourage jobs in a market that’s ripe.

* Quinn loves to talk about the capital bill. He was in Pekin yesterday cutting the ribbon on a local project. The Illiana Expressway is supposedly one of his “legacy” projects, so we can probably expect some talk about that as well.

You can find live video and audio at the GA’s website and at numerous other TV and radio stations in case that feed goes down.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Jan 13, 10 @ 9:13 am

Comments

Currie thinks the governor should blame the state’s dire financial situation on the global recession rather than over-spending on the part of lawmakers.

Right Barb, the global recession started in, what, 2005?

Blaming our state’s budget misery on the 2008 global recession is like claiming an 800 pound man is fat because of last night’s dinner.

Is that the best you can do for excuses?

Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Jan 13, 10 @ 9:25 am
Currie thinks the governor should blame the state’s dire financial situation on the global recession rather than over-spending on the part of lawmakers.

“Quinn has adopted Rod Blagojevich’s habit of blaming the General Assembly for his own problems, so we’ll see what happens today.”

These problems existed long before Quinn became Governor and they weren’t all Blagojevich’s fault. The budget was unbalanced by $2B BEFORE the recession. No state was less prepared for the recession other than Michigan. Not because of Pat Quinn as I’m sure Rich would like to argue, but rather because the legislature hasn’t made a tough choice for 20 years. What a joke.

Comment by Little Lebowski Urban Achiever Wednesday, Jan 13, 10 @ 9:29 am
Vintage Quinn: a constitutional amendment for citizen-initiated binding referendums on ethics. Blah, blah, blah.

Dude, you’re not a bomb-thrower anymore. You’re the head of a major, going-concern called the State of Illinois that is in desperate need of some hands-on leadership.

What are the ethics, by the way, of delaying the issuance of capital bill bonds that would put people back to work so you can spend the summer cutting ribbons for maximum personal political gain?

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Jan 13, 10 @ 9:40 am
===Not because of Pat Quinn as I’m sure Rich would like to argue===

I didn’t say he was to blame for all the budget problems. I said he liked to blame the GA for his own mistakes, like the early release debacle.

So, bite me.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Jan 13, 10 @ 9:42 am
Rich, is this the first “bite me” of 2010? Have missed for while. Glad to see its return:)

Comment by wizard Wednesday, Jan 13, 10 @ 9:58 am
I thought Quinn blamed someone in the executive branch for the early release debacle.

Comment by lake county democrat Wednesday, Jan 13, 10 @ 10:00 am
Not that it wasn’t an embarrassing (to Quinn) ducking of responsibility.

Comment by lake county democrat Wednesday, Jan 13, 10 @ 10:00 am
This gadfly is so yesterday. Had his chance to make a spash and blew it. Many had high hopes that PQ would make some bold changes based on his past bomb throwing while others worried that he was all bark. And the winner is…all bark. At least he can put on his tombstone that he was gov for a bit. He and Burris have something in common. Elevated into high office w/out a single vote. Bye bye Pat.

Comment by dupage dan Wednesday, Jan 13, 10 @ 10:07 am
I hope Quinn uses this state of the State to address any remaining issues regarding inmate early release. He needs to emphasize how broke the state is and who is responsible for breaking it.

He needs to hammer home reform initiatives and let the citizens know why he is where he is in politics. It is because he is honest and on their side, unlike Hynes, who is running to keep the same gravy train running into the same deep pocket contractors that have been bilking the taxpayers for decades.

He needs to address the needed reforms that have to take place at McPier and pledge to finally fix the inbred corruption that have governed the place since it’s inception.

I hope he uses the power of incumbency well today.

Comment by Phineas J. Whoopee Wednesday, Jan 13, 10 @ 10:23 am
==I hope he uses the power of incumbency well today.==
If he does it will be the first time since he got lucky and ascended. He is a total failure as governor. He has accomplished nothing, solved no problems and has generally made a fool of himself. Typical burned out goo-goo. Let’s have a referendum on that.

Comment by Bill Wednesday, Jan 13, 10 @ 10:49 am
Dupage Dan is sadly right: Quinn had the rare opportunity to make history. From the moment he downtalked a special election for what would end up as Burris’ senate seat to the day he threw his own reform commission under the bus, the man betrayed the maverick image he had spent a lifetime building up. He could have accomplished a lot, though it likely would have meant he’d be voted out, only to be appreciated in the years to come.

Comment by lake county democrat Wednesday, Jan 13, 10 @ 11:03 am
the State of the State is supposed to inspire. Before the speech was given, the General Assembly canceled its Thursday session. So nothing was expected that would be a call to action. Or no one on the third floor was anxious for any policy leadership coming from the second…

It’s good to be retired.

Comment by Capitol View Wednesday, Jan 13, 10 @ 7:43 pm