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Since most eyes are on the Senate while waiting for a budget solution, not much is being heard from the House. One reason could be because not much is happening.
The House has spent little more than five hours in session during all of May. Monday, the day’s session began around 3:30 and the House adjourned about 4 pm, to head off to committees. It’s the unfortunate time card Representatives are clocking in this month.
The House took a week off this month and attacking that break is completely fair game because it’s almost unheard of and was really a foolish idea considering the times we’re in. That break didn’t make it into the story, however.
Anyway, because of that unusual recess, the House faced a narrow two-week deadline to deal with Senate bills in committee, which ended last week. Click here to see the 21-page list of bills the Senate sent to the House.
* Also, that WCIA piece was not an original story. The Illinois Policy Institute published this last Friday…
Illinois state lawmakers are taking paychecks despite not passing a budget for nearly 700 days. One might assume they’d be working around the clock to earn them.
But Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan has called the House into session for less than six hours in the entire month of May.
At least the author mentioned the committee angle…
While the full House has been in session for less than a single workday in May, members have been holding committee meetings throughout the month.
But I’m not sure if this is all that relevant…
But House appropriations committees – where lawmakers should be forging a new budget – have seen relatively little action in 2017.
The Appropriations General Services Committee has held two meetings in the last 20 days.
And with all the talk Illinoisans have heard from lawmakers about how the state funds public education, the Appropriations Elementary and Secondary Education Committee has met only twice in nearly 50 days.
There are currently no Senate appropriations bills in the House.
Beyond that, those approp committees tend to take testimony from agencies and various stakeholders, then craft proposals behind the scenes and then vote on them in public. The House Democrats are working on a budget. They invited the Republicans, but were rebuffed.
* There are plenty of reasons to criticize the House - so many that I couldn’t count them all. And while they could’ve voted on Senate bills as they trickled out of committee, that would’ve given them less time to deal with those bills in committee. So, six of one, half dozen of the other.
All that being said, this session does appear designed to keep House members scurrying around so they don’t have much time to cause trouble. Speaker Madigan freed just about every bill from Rules Committee earlier this spring, which flooded committees and kept his people pinned down in hearings and negotiations. And then came the May break, which caused more intense committee activity to deal with Senate bills.
But, hey, “Less than 6 hours!” is an easy thing to understand by a public that’s already disgusted with Springfield - even though it doesn’t really mean anything.
* Meanwhile, from a Rockford country music station…
Boy, it must be nice to get paid a lot of money by the taxpayers of Illinois, and goof around on the job. Leave it to your elected representatives.
Last time I checked, the state of Illinois did not have a budget and social service agencies and state vendors are waiting to paid. So, what was one of Rockford’s representatives to the Illinois House of Representatives doing? Working? Nope! She helping to planning a softball game on taxpayer time.
Yes, in the Illinois House, last week, representatives were caught on video wasting precious time to discuss the upcoming House vs. Senate softball game and basketball game.
Um, the offending video was from last year, not last week. Oops. That video was indeed from last week.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 3:26 pm
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Illinois needs to pay its state legislators the same as New Hampshire.
$200/elected term
New Hampshire is a well run state while Illinois is the worst in the union. We get a very bad return for the cost of government.
Comment by Ron Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 3:30 pm
It is a blistering pace, but when is passing fewer laws bad? The “plan” is in the Senate, the Governor won’t engage the House, and House republicans don’t want to negotiate with House democrats. Good for Springfield bars and restaurants.
Comment by Bill Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 3:34 pm
Bill, unless you’re back from the dead, please use a different screen name. That one is officially retired. Thanks.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 3:35 pm
The downstate House Raunerites could’ve used that time to ask the governor why he is so focused on closing their state universities… and why they have to agree to close state universities.
That would be newsworthy.
Those downstate Raunerites, all that “free time”, yet no championing the saving of their state universities.
That $71 million… more important than saving state universities I guess.
Right? Exactly right.
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 3:36 pm
Good old Bill. I kicked the stuff out of him every day for years and the goof still gave me Cubs tickets. For free. With a smile on his face.
Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 3:48 pm
Ron:
Making your state legislators volunteers (or the equivalent) just turns the Governor into the CEO. That may be fine in a small homogeneous state like New Hampshire, but it’s a really bad idea here.
Not to mention the function state reps perform with constituent services.
Comment by PJ Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 3:53 pm
How so? The powers are the same.
LOL@constituent service. Does that allowing me to pay the highest taxes in the nation?
Comment by Ron Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 4:02 pm
As I view the video, there is a reference to Wednesday, May 17, 2017 and a recap of the Saluki 2017 baseball season.
Perhaps I am missing something, but the video appears to be from this year, rather than last year, 2016.
Is the part of the video including Rep. Wallace from last year, while the earlier sections do the video from this year.
Thank you very much for any clarification.
Comment by central guy Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 4:05 pm
As I view the video, there is a reference to Wednesday, May 17, 2017 and a recap of the Saluki 2017 baseball season.
Perhaps I am missing something, but the video appears to be from this year, rather than last year, 2016.
Is the part of the video including Rep. Wallace from last year, while the earlier sections do the video from this year.
Thank you very much for any clarification.
Comment by central guy Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 4:05 pm
Ron, if you don’t understand how having volunteer legislators versus full time legislators shifts all the power to the governor, I’m not really sure we can continue this dialogue.
You don’t pay the highest taxes in the nation, either.
Comment by PJ Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 4:23 pm
+++ wordslinger - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 3:48 pm:
Good old Bill. I kicked the stuff out of him every day for years and the goof still gave me Cubs tickets. For free. With a smile on his face.+++
LOL, Despite my extremely low regard for Cubs tickets, that was very gracious of him to do this when he enjoyed the same kind of relationship that you have with so many people.
Maybe I’ll score you some AAA tix for the Cougars. It’s more fun. And Wholesome. Might be good for you. lol.
Comment by A guy Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 4:32 pm
A constitutional power is there regardless if one is paid to use it. Make the governor paid the same. Saves more money.
Comment by Ron Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 4:33 pm
Actually the Cougars aren’t AAA anymore. Needless to say that works even better!
Comment by A guy Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 4:33 pm
Illinois has the highest or one of the highest state and local tax burdens in the nation depending on which study you look at.
we get corruption and terrible services for high tax burden
Comment by Ron Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 4:34 pm
Gov. Gaslight and the Senate Raunerites have been stringing the Democrats along since January on the Grand Bargain. Since January. But somehow it’s the House’s fault? Please.
Comment by Nick Name Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 4:36 pm
–Actually the Cougars aren’t AAA anymore. Needless to say that works even better!–
Huh?
Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 4:44 pm
== That may be fine in a small homogeneous state like New Hampshire, but it’s a really bad idea here.==
Yet no one seems concerned with homogeneity when comparing Illinois to Minnesota.
Comment by City Zen Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 4:44 pm
–Yet no one seems concerned with homogeneity when comparing Illinois to Minnesota.–
It’s shocking the lack of concern from everyone regarding homogeneity when it comes to the hot topic of comparing Illinois and Minnesota.
Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 4:49 pm
===Good old Bill. I kicked the stuff out of him every day for years and the goof still gave me Cubs tickets. For free. With a smile on his face.===
Still the funniest line ever written on this blog after the Blago arrest and it was only one word.
“Oops”
Comment by Been There Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 5:00 pm
New Hampshire has 400 house members or 3300 people per district.
Illinois has 118 house members or 108,000 people per district.
Comparing the two is apples and oranges.
Comment by train111 Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 5:09 pm
“Yes, in the Illinois House, last week, representatives were caught on video wasting precious time to discuss the upcoming House vs. Senate softball game and basketball game.”
Rauner wasted virtually his entire term campaignin’ and holdin’ out for policies he could never get enacted–and apparently by design, too.
Comment by Grandson of Man Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 5:31 pm