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Budget woes, economic development travails and a roundup

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Illinois

* If history is any guide, the governor will soon be riding his white horse to the rescue of the MAP grant program…

Illinois higher education officials next week likely will stop approving applicants for the state’s largest need-based college scholarship program.

The state awards money from the Monetary Award Program to students on a first-come, first-served basis until the amount of money they think they’ll have available runs out.

It could run out as early as next week, said Illinois Student Assistance Commission Executive Director Andrew Davis.

Whether Quinn rides to the rescue of this program probably depends on the attention the cuts receive…

University of Illinois Extension offices are on the move.

As part of a cost-cutting measure, 76 county offices will be reduced to 30 by April 2011. The Extension’s current budget of $65 million was reduced by $5.5 million for 2011.

Extension offices have until May 10 to submit proposed multicounty partnership plans, said Roger Larson, director of the Peoria County Extension office.

* More budget woes…

Troopers on two wheels could become a thing of the past if lawmakers approve Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget proposal for the Illinois State Police.

Along with laying off 460 troopers and closing several Illinois State Police regional headquarters, Quinn’s budget plan would idle the state’s fleet of Harley-Davidson Police Electra Glides.

Those motorcycles are extremely cool. Yes, budget problems are budget problems, but I, for one, would be sad to see them go.

* Let’s turn to economic development, or the lack thereof.

I did some research on plasma arc technology years ago and found it to be pretty darned incredible. Why the NASA-developed process is really being stalled is anybody’s guess…

A group of south suburban mayors will head to Springfield on Wednesday in hopes of resurrecting a plan that would bring a new type of municipal waste-to-energy plant to the south suburbs.

Blue Island Mayor Donald Peloquin, Alsip Mayor Patrick Kitching and state Rep. Monique Davis (D-Chicago) will be among those who will attempt to change the minds of state Rep. Robert Rita (D-Blue Island) and other opponents of a proposal to build a plasma arc gasification plant in Blue Island.

A plasma arc gasification plant uses a plasma arc like a lightning bolt to vaporize solid waste at very high temperatures. There are two byproducts, a glass-like granular slag that can be used in road paving projects and a synthetic combustible gas that can be used to fuel electric turbines and generate electricity.

The bill died last month in committee, but Rep. Davis is trying to revive it. Exelon, of course, is attempting to kill off a wind power program, so that might possibly be the case here as well. More on the technology can be found here.

* Chicago Public Radio ran a very good story today about a plan to lessen the schooling requirements for African-style hair braiders…

State law says that hair braiders like Wague must have a full cosmetology license. That could cost about $10,000 and includes 1,500 hours of training. Like many hair braiders on major streets in Chicago such as Halsted or 79th, Wague doesn’t have a license. Some observers say only 10 percent do have one. Women less as bold have shuttered their businesses.

WAGUE: We don’t feel safe operating when the government is really saying to us to close. We want to respect the law but the law is not easy to follow.

She says it’s not easy to follow because it’s too cumbersome. Hair braiders say hours of cosmetology training are unnecessary because they don’t use chemicals or do anything unrelated to braiding. Wague’s shop doesn’t even have a shampoo bowl.

She’s hoping a new law gets on the books that would require only 300 hours of training in sanitation methods to receive a hair braider’s license. Current hair braiders with experience would be able to get grandfathered in. Later they’d have to get yearly continuing education.

* Don’t count on this one passing, though…

Illinois is looking to become the 15th state to allow medical marijuana.

The measure’s chief sponsor, State Representative Lou Lang (D-Skokie), said Saturday that he is working behind the scenes to line up the needed votes, and is waiting for the right moment to call it for a vote in the Illinois House.

The bill—already passed by the state senate—would allow doctors to prescribe marijuana to chronically ill patients in lieu of narcotics like oxycontin and vicodin. Patients who receive the prescription and garner state licensing would end owning up to three plants under the proposed legislation according to WBBM.

House members are pretty timid sorts and this is an election year.

* And here’s your roundup…

* Illinois Still Behind On Its Bills

* Lawmakers Return to Springfield

* Lawmakers may let schools adopt 4-day week

* Crackdown on Debt Schemes Needs a Push

* Only one constitutional amendment moves in Senate

* Voters need say in redistricting

* Dems, time to push this through

* Illinois hospital death rates published by state

* Illinois hospital report card adds new information

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Apr 13, 10 @ 1:05 pm

Comments

Hmm playing games with MAP Grants for political purposes where have we seen this before.

Comment by fed up Tuesday, Apr 13, 10 @ 1:10 pm
PQ taking plays from RB’s playbook. Illinois is on the march to greatness!

Comment by dupage dan Tuesday, Apr 13, 10 @ 1:17 pm
Gasifying trash in a plasma arc system sounds costly and inefficient. I’d like to see more emphasis focused on reducing, recycling and composting municipal waste instead of technologies that will perpetuate our society’s wasteful practices. I think recycling will ultimately produce more jobs than landfilling or zapping waste. And less energy and air pollution is generated when recycled materials are used as feedstock in manufacturing processes.

Comment by Going nuclear Tuesday, Apr 13, 10 @ 1:48 pm
the new hospital report card database is cool.

And sorry, but this is not Pat Quinn “playing games” or channeling Rod.

The state is broke, and Republicans feel content to sit on the sidelines while collecting their paychecks.

Republicans have often argued that we need to take state spending back to pre-Blagojevich levels. Well guess what? In 2002, MAP grants covered 100% of the average tuition and fees. Now, they cover 25%.

Oh yeah, 48% of grant recipients come from families earning less than $20K a year. They’ve worked hard to achieve the American dream, but Republicans want to slam the door in their face.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Tuesday, Apr 13, 10 @ 1:53 pm
Perhaps the state should sell the electraglides. They’d get a lot for them. Or sell them to the troopers.

Comment by Greg B. Tuesday, Apr 13, 10 @ 2:16 pm
When those bikes were first deployed, I pulled up alongside a female trooper and asked how she liked the ride. She replied: “I can’t believe I get paid to do this!”

lol They are great looking scooters, man.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Apr 13, 10 @ 2:18 pm
YDD,

You are nothing if not predictable - once again we hear that it’s the fault of the GOP that the state is in such trouble given that the gov office and the GA has been in the hands of the dems for nearly a decade. Tired rhetoric - boring.

With the VAT coming, do you think that Il citizens will be overjoyed at the prospect of bigger bites into their paychecks by the state? That, according to your guy PQ, is the only way to keep the state gov’t going.

Where does it stop?

Comment by dupage dan Tuesday, Apr 13, 10 @ 2:43 pm
well, it may not pass, but bless Lou Lang for trying. this week’s episode of Nurse Jackie involved a bit about a patient very ill with lymphoma helped by Jackie with pot. it’s legal for prescription in 14 other states. come on Illinois Legislators. think of people in pain and give them relief!

Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Apr 13, 10 @ 2:44 pm
for the record, I just got my EOB (explanation of benefits) from the state dental plan that said that a check was just issued to my dentist for services provided in June of 2009. this is a 10 month delay. What are landlords that rent to the state experiencing?

Comment by really? Tuesday, Apr 13, 10 @ 3:00 pm
fed up , there is nothing political about ISAC announcing that the Governors proposed Monetary Award Program (MAP) appropriation is about to be overwhelmed by the applications from eligable college bound students. The fact is that the MAP award is well supported by The Governor and both Chambers and Parties of the General Assembly. Due to the troubled economic times, and other factors, the demand for this program has sky rocketed not withstanding that Illinois has continued to make funding for MAP a priority.
This year, for the first time ever, more students will be eligable for grants but denied for lack of funding, than will be eligable and funded. This will also be a record year for funding the program.
Unfortunately given the current funding model, the need for the program is at its’ historic peak at the same time the state is least able to fund expansion. I am aware of no one, elected official or otherwise, that is pleased by this situation.

Comment by Andrew Davis Tuesday, Apr 13, 10 @ 3:06 pm
The state is somewhere between $11 and 13 billion in the hole on a $25-30 billion budget. The annual hole is somewhere in the $5-7 billion range. We’re looking at a 20-25% annual deficit. Everyone says cuts must be made.

Yet, when the Governor suggests any specific cuts, he’s immediately attacked for politicizing the issue, playing games, pulling a play from Rod, etc. While he has been pretty ham-handed about the whole thing, many things will have to be cut in very painful ways in order to make ends meet. Highlighting what some of those cuts will be is exactly what the Governor should be doing. For too long, we have received vague commitments to cut waste, and a slow, steady cutting of agencies throughout the state have been made. The list of understaffed departments and deferred maintenance is long and those off-the-radar cuts have taken their toll. It’s time to stop criticizing the Gov. when he proposes specific cuts and start asking the criticizers to explain what, exactly & specifically, they would cut instead.

Every cut has political ramifications. I am glad the Governor is willing to force us to confront reality. I am disappointed that he will most likely bow to the pressure and return to vague explanations of what will be cut and band-aid solutions to assuage those threatened by deceased funding.

Comment by Pot calling kettle Tuesday, Apr 13, 10 @ 3:13 pm
@Andrew Davis,

What funding model would you propose that would insure that the MAP fund, or any other gov’t benefit program for that matter, be flush with funds when the economy tanks? It can be assumed that the gov’t will be confronted by increased demand when the economy is weak as folk try to manage with reduced resources. Unless the state can generate funds during good times that can be put away for tough times - has that ever happened on the scale necessary to tide people over? Could the gov and GA keep their hands off such a fund brimming with cash just ripe for the taking? Governments are not good at resolving significant economic problems - not on a long term macro-economic level anyway.

Comment by dupage dan Tuesday, Apr 13, 10 @ 3:44 pm
Yeah, the motorcycles are cool-wish I could get paid to ride one on sunny days, but aren’t the troopers riding them also assigned a car? If so, while the motorcycles have a place in police work (as do horses, for that matter), they become a luxury in this economic climate. There are cuts being made in the number of troopers-aren’t they more important than motorcycles?

Comment by Downstate Commissioner Tuesday, Apr 13, 10 @ 3:50 pm
@dupage dan

I’m not a liberal, I’m a mathematician.

Cost of enabling 140,000 students to attend college for four years: $1.76 billion

Additional state income taxes they’ll pay over their lifetime: $4.2 billion

Throw in the increase in sales taxes for spending by a college grad v. high school grad, decreased unemployment and Medicaid costs, etc. and it becomes clear that making sure qualified students have the opportunity to succeed is a no-brainer moneymaker.

Not to mention the fact of how the heck do you expect to attract good-paying jobs to Illinois if we’re not producing a high quality workforce?

We can’t ALL flip burgers at McDonald’s or sweep floors at Wal-Mart.

As for blaming Republicans: damn right I do, and so should you.

Republican lawmakers have been collecting their paychecks for the last eight years…what have they done to solve the problem? What are they doing today? If they don’t like Quinn’s proposal, what is their plan if they win in November? Nada, zip and nothing.

“Just say No” didn’t win the war on drugs, didn’t stop teen pregnancy, and its not going to solve our budget problems.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Tuesday, Apr 13, 10 @ 4:22 pm
Cutting the extension offices show how so far removed we are from our bread and butter, which is our significant natural resources.

Do we really want to throw out of work the folks who tell us how to make the most of our most prized resource?

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Apr 13, 10 @ 4:25 pm
YDD,

You sell these young people short when you assume they can’t ever get a college degree w/out some sort of gov’t handout. Your premise is flawed, therefore your conclusion is flawed, as well. Those individuals may very well rise to the occasion and secure a college degree without the taxpayer having to foot the bill. There would then be an even higher net gain in revenues if the state doesn’t pay the tab.

Comment by dupage dan Tuesday, Apr 13, 10 @ 4:57 pm
YDD,

BTW - I do blame the GOP, just not for the same reasons you do. Yours is the “when it’s your fault blame the other guy” ie: a good defense is a strong offense - fallacious logic.

Mine is the GOP should have stayed true to their conservative roots and keep gov’t small and not wallow in the mud like the dems do with the fiscal and political gamesmanship.

Comment by dupage dan Tuesday, Apr 13, 10 @ 5:00 pm
The Harleys are leased. Last time I checked was $1000 a year, per bike. They turn them in every year. The dealer then turns around and sells them as “police motorcycles” for a nice sum. It’s the only reason there is a motor unit. There would not be any ISP motorcycles if the state had to pay for them.

Comment by MS Tuesday, Apr 13, 10 @ 5:33 pm
After 7 years of blagoquinn and both houses controlled by dems this state cannot afford to pay for lunch much less send kids to college. Maybe if blagoquinn didn’t just keep spending and spending we wouldn’t be in such shape.

Comment by Fed up Tuesday, Apr 13, 10 @ 5:52 pm
The Dems are looking for liberal base issues that have no fiscal impact. Perhaps medical MJ has a better chance in this no money year…

Comment by Capitol View Tuesday, Apr 13, 10 @ 11:19 pm