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Process police fails to understand process

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Illinois

But back to the Girl Scouts and window dressing. The House on Wednesday met in session for one hour. It spent that time passing a resolution honoring U.S. Sen. John McCain and introducing friends and visitors observing from the House gallery. That was it.

Yes, it’s an election year. Lawmakers and, frankly, voters are accustomed to the derelict tradition of doing nothing in an election year — nothing transformative or controversial that could pinch them at the ballot box, that is. News flash: Illinois lawmakers don’t do much transformative or controversial in a non-election year either. They tinker. That’s all you can expect.

This year, they’ve hardly met at all. The House and Senate calendars for January, February and March were mostly blank this year. Legislators weren’t even required to report to Springfield except for a handful of days.

Um, last Friday was the House’s deadline to move Senate bills out of committee. Typically, they don’t do much work on the floor during committee deadline weeks because they spend so much time in hearings.

But the Tribsters are correct that the General Assembly’s session schedule is super light during election years. So far, the House has officially met just 33 days this spring session. Everything has been back-loaded.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, May 21, 18 @ 9:29 am

Comments

The Trib editorial board understands all they need to know to make the points they want to make. What else do you want them to do?

Comment by Anonymous Monday, May 21, 18 @ 9:40 am
Those who believe more meetings and time spent holding down a chair with your tukkus are measures of productivity aren’t the types you want helping you on moving day.

It’s not the time you spend yakking about it that counts, but the willingness to engage in the heavy lifting. Otherwise, you can meet and babble all day long and accomplish nothing of importance (like some edit boards)

Comment by wordslinger Monday, May 21, 18 @ 9:48 am
This particular hit piece was done to give legitimacy to Rauner’s claim that the legislature is dragging its feet on the budget (And NOT him). Nothing more, nothing less.

Comment by PublicServant Monday, May 21, 18 @ 9:53 am
More from the editorial

“But can’t lawmakers do both? Can’t they address pension debt and unpaid bills and an unfriendly business environment — by passing sweeping changes the state desperately needs — along with a resolution recognizing “Girl Scouts Week”?

But the elephant is not just in the room. It is the room. Illinois has the worst credit rating in the country, which raises the cost of all the lawmakers’ borrowing. National headlines describe Illinois as the worst-governed state, the most dysfunctional and the most debt-ridden.

The net population loss last year of 33,703 residents was the biggest of any state in the country. That’s roughly the size of Northbrook, Elk Grove Village or St. Charles. While Gov. Bruce Rauner deals with a bill backlog creeping toward $9 billion and some $130 billion in unfunded pension liabilities, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is handing out expanded tax credits due to a larger-than-expected budget surplus.”

I am sure this will be another wasted legislative session. Where another unbalanced, take it or leave it budget no one has read passes the legislature on a party line vote at the last minute and zero fixes to Illinois government or business environment are included

Springfield is like movie Groundhog Day

Comment by Lucky Pierre Monday, May 21, 18 @ 12:33 pm
“But can’t lawmakers do both? Can’t they address pension debt and unpaid bills and an unfriendly business environment — by passing sweeping changes the state desperately needs —”

There is that pesky State Constitution clause state says No Can Do.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, May 21, 18 @ 6:00 pm