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Illinois

* The setup, from WSIL TV…

With just a week before the new budget year begins, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn is calling on the state Senate to “complete their work.”

Senators left Springfield almost a month ago without making a decision about to how cover a $4 billion payment to the state pension fund. […]

Quinn is already faced with having to cut billions of dollars from the budget.

“I think [senators] have a responsibility to return to Springfield and get the job done. If they don’t, I think they’re hurting education, they’re hurting public safety, they’re hurting health care and I don’t think that’s right,” Quinn said.

* The Question: The pension borrowing bill is currently short of passage by anywhere between one to three votes. Should Gov. Quinn call a special session to try and force the Senate to pass the pension borrowing legislation? Explain.

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 10:17 am

Comments

No, not until he lines up the votes. Otherwise, it’s a waste of time and money.

Comment by wordslinger Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 10:21 am
Yes he should call a special session (it wont pass). Then he excoriate those who voted against it.

Comment by Ghost Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 10:27 am
Yes he should, but only after he does what he’s supposed to do and get his votes lined up. He can get the votes, but he has to work it.

Comment by Ahoy Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 10:29 am
Maybe the senators think the job is done. Maybe they are more than happy having Quinn cut the budget and make the pension payments with what has already been appropriated.

Comment by Reality Is Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 10:30 am
Normally I would say that is just posturing and a waste of time, especially post-Blago. In this case, the budget isn’t even remotely balanced, as the Speaker has publicly acknowledged. I think calling them back to pass a balanced budget before the start of the fiscal year is pretty reasonable under the circumstances.

Plus it allows him to shift the political focus back to the legislature, but as Rich has pointed out before, Quinn doesn’t seem to get that the budget blame rests on his shoulders at the moment.

Comment by Don't Worry, Be Happy Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 10:32 am
One way to keep Brady tied down this summer would be for Quinn to not only call a special session on the pension borrowing bill, but to veto the budget too.

Quinn can still travel about this summer cutting ribbons and pointing the finger at Brady and his party over the unbalanced budget. Brady won’t be able to keep ducking the fact that he hasn’t put any budget specifics down on paper, and this is the way to get him to spell out his answers while keeping him tied down in Springfield, away from the Chicago area.

Yes, it would be a very Blagojevichian thing to do, and would cause headaches for a lot of Dems too. But given how bad the budget is for Quinn, this is an alternative he should consider. It puts him in a decent position relative to where he is now: on the receiving end.

Comment by 47th Ward Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 10:38 am
If the fiscal consequences of doing nothing are as serious and as imminent as reported — yes, he should, ASAP, and start hustling for those needed votes yesterday.

Comment by Secret Square Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 10:41 am
Quinn would be right to call for a special session. The GA has been waffling on pension borrowing (and the budget in general) the entire year, and calling another session would give them nowhere to hide. If the bill passes, it’s a win for Quinn. If the bill fails, Quinn could then say “I pressed the GA to pass pension borrowing and these individuals tried to block a bill that would have improved our state’s fiscal stability.” Win-win

Comment by jonbtuba Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 10:46 am
What Quinn has never understood is that the way to get the legislature to act responsibly is to actually implement the budget it gave him.

Comment by Upstate Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 10:49 am
Quinn should just give up on the pension bill.

But he should make sure that the resulting cuts hurt those who oppose him the most.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 10:52 am
Yep, even if the votes aren’t lined up I think he should. If the state misses the pension payment the headlines about Quinn idly watching it happen are going to write themselves. And saying “Well, the votes just weren’t there” isn’t going to sit well with the public. Much better to be able to say he tried.

Comment by Small Town Liberal Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 10:59 am
No.
You don’t put your political campaign into the hands of the General Assembly over a bill falling short in votes.

Unless he has enough votes committed to him for passage, he should not take a stand because there are too many in the GA who would be willing to knife him.

Comment by VanillaMan Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 11:00 am
Call the session and insist on a balanced budget or he will sign the budget the GA gave him. Before the screaming starts, he needs to keep reminding people this is the budget he was given, this is not his choice. Explain in graphic terms exactly what is going to happen and why. The GA needs to do its job and not kick that stupid excuse can again.

Comment by zatoichi Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 11:01 am
There is really two answers to this
Politically:

Yes, he needs to call the legislature down and make them come to a final on that one way or the other and start making his case how the legislature is shirking its responsibility. I think at some level he is going to have to run against the legislature.

Practically:
No sense getting everyone down in Springfield to do nothing on this and the budget, had plenty of that already.

Comment by OneMan Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 11:10 am
Oneman I agree with your political assement butnot your practical. The practical approach requires action. Even if that action is to identfy trying anbd failing at a solution. But doing nothing for fear of failing is not practicable. The failure can trigger public to bring pressure on elected officials and show h is trying to fix the problem.

The practical and political ads right themselves, every Dem canidate can put up all the GOP no votes, and then show how the No votes cost the state 20 Billion over the next few years etc.

Let the GOP stand together, and tie them to the real world impact o that decision…. but putting off the decision just allows them to hide behind rhetoric.

Comment by Ghost Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 11:20 am
Ghost is right on it.

Take action, you will capture the attention needed to force the votes. This sounds like Dan Walker all over again.

Fear makes cowards of them all.

99

Comment by Agent 99 Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 11:33 am
I agree that he should call a special session just to make the issue visible again…

Comment by erstwhilesteve Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 11:34 am
47th has it exactly backwards. Quinn can’t call a special and leave town. He has to be in meetings with leaders trying to get a solution. On the other hand, Brady only has to wait to vote on the solution. Special sesson is advantage Brady.

Comment by Fill Rock Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 11:35 am
Can’t the pension obligation be re-negotiated? Why do the unions not have to re-negotiate terms? Can’t the state just say, there is no money, we can no longer borrow? Outta luck. Do the Dems think there’s public support for more borrowing?

Comment by Peggy SO-IL Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 11:40 am
It is my opinion that the majority of legislators in the GA have already made their own individual practical and political calculations as to what this vote will mean to them–one way or the other.
Therefore, I don’t think Quinn calling a special session right now makes any sense.

Comment by Responsa Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 11:44 am
Peggy the pension debt was from a prior gop scheme to short the contribution and pay it back over 50 years with payments ramping up.

Comment by ghost Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 11:53 am
Small Town Liberal:

The state cannot actually miss a pension payment. Pensions get paid as they fall into a catagory called a continuing appropriation. Now the alternative is to pass legislation to end the continuing appropriation. That in essence is a vote to not pay the pension payment. Not a good option this year especially. That bill have passed the senate and sits waiting in the House. So, the Governor could call the House back and have them pass that bill. Only takes 60 votes.

Comment by pension guy Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 12:15 pm
Yes. He also should, as many have pointed out, try his best to wrangle the votes ahead of time. But even if he isn’t sure if it will pass, he might as well try, as it is the fiscally more responsible path to make the payment. Plus, politically, he can look like the adult in the room while the legislature looks like the children incapable of passing the responsible option.

Comment by Robert Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 12:21 pm
Nah, that would be too much like being a governor. Quinn has more important Lt. Governor and candidate stuff to do. Quinn shirks his responsibilities just as badly as the legislature does. Instead of “uniting” Illinoisans at hockey games and making appearances at D.Q. he could have been doing his job and lining up those votes he is short on. Quinn is not getting the job done. But, unfortunately he still thinks he is. That is Dairy Quinn for ya — Frosty the snow man.

Comment by Vole Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 12:21 pm
As a future (I still can hope, can’t I) receiver of a state pension, I am mortified that this situation exists. Why should regular Jane’s and Joe’s care? They should because to short the pension now carries with it far costlier penalities than even borrowing now does. Quinn can’t get that message thru, I think, because there is so much economy/budget/financial crises everywhere that it is tough to differentiate between one horror and another. So the problem will just fester. PQ shouldn’t bring ‘em back to Springfield unless he has the votes. To do otherwise will likely make him appear even weaker than he does now, if that is possible.

Since I won’t be voting democratic this year it would seem better for my side if he does appear weaker. But, there it is.

Comment by dupage dan Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 12:28 pm
Yes, he absolutely should. The consequences of either defaulting on payments to the pension system, or of making those payments out of this year’s operating budget, are so horrendous that the Governor and everybody else involved should all put political considerations aside and push for this.

Comment by jake Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 12:41 pm
- Since I won’t be voting democratic this year it would seem better for my side if he does appear weaker. -

I find it pretty amusing that you’re up in arms about the failure of the Senate to act, but you’re still planning on voting for Brady who is one of those refusing to make the right choice.

Comment by Small Town Liberal Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 12:49 pm
STL,

Didn’t say I was voting for Brady, did I?

All sarcasm aside, this is one horrific mess with many parents - on both sides. I just wish we had some true leadership in the wings. I certainly don’t see any, do you?

Comment by dupage dan Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 12:58 pm
- I certainly don’t see any, do you? -

Well, Quinn loudly called for a tax increase and has tried to work with lawmakers to pass a pension borrowing bill, Brady has done nothing. I don’t know if that makes Quinn a better leader, but I’ll take it over nothing.

Comment by Small Town Liberal Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 1:03 pm
It’s hard to say because most citizens like me, not experts in government budgeting in Illinois or anywhere else, don’t know what the true options are.For example, could he pay part of the pension payment by increasing fund sweeps beyond what was previously recommended. How much is really available to be swept. Other alternatives for partial payment at least might well exist, but Quinn, Stermer and Vaught, desperate for an income tax increase on the middle class, are unlikely to tell us.

The real problem with Quinn and the Dems this decade (and all Illinois pols) is that they are supremely lacking in credibility. So even if they claim that there are no other options to borrowing the full amount and paying it right now,
it’s hard to believe them. Hard to believe the guv, hard to believe legislators, most of whom are driven primarily by extreme self interest.

Anyway, there is no way they have time to come in and do anything before next Thursday, July 1, the beginning of the fiscal year. Doomsday will not fall on that date, however. As to an August session–that’s awfully close to the election. And the closer you get the more rigid folks’ positions are likely to be. Not sure I see the point. Quinn will have to make some tough decisions. If he can.

Comment by cassandra Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 1:12 pm
STL,

The problem with PQ is that he was begged to couple any tax increases with structural changes in how the state conducts its’ affairs. There were many opportunities for PQ to signal to the citizens that he was serious about true change. Instead, he went with the rope a dope and his populist ramblings and wishy washy back and forth decision making. It looks like we may get to see what Brady is if he wins. Time will tell.

Given your nickname, would you ever vote GOP?

Just askin

Comment by dupage dan Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 1:15 pm
No he should not call a Special Session. Last year the GA passed pension borrowing but Quinn did not actually sell bonds until like December. The continuing appropriation kicked in and pension payments were made and the bonds paid back GRF (something like $850 million). They could do this again but will have some further cash flow problems as pensions are paid first. He does have the emergency budget act so he could CHOOSE to pay the pension payment if he likes. He wanted that authority so break out that horse and take her for a ride.

Comment by Pension Guy Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 1:43 pm
Depends….Rich when is your vacation planned?

He and the leader should get together and do what they were elected to do. Run the STATE!

Comment by He Makes Ryan Look Like a Saint Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 3:51 pm
I would invite Pat Quinn to frame the issue as totally destructive to the next four years of the Governor’s Office, and propose that he and Bill Brady spell out their solutions to the problem of the pensions if not the entire state budget mess.

Call the Senate back, and have Sen. President first recognize Bill Brady for his recommended solution, and then present the Quinn alternative. And then have the Senate vote on each.

Comment by Capitol View Friday, Jun 25, 10 @ 7:30 pm