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Budget analysis

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* As you may know, AFSCME and SEIU held a rally yesterday demanding that the Senate override the governor’s budget vetoes. AFSMCE claims over a thousand people signed in as participants, with several more attending and not signing. SEIU had over 200 people at the Statehouse rally and lobby day…

At least a dozen Senate Democrats attended the rally, including Sullivan, Jacobs, Dave Koehler of Peoria, and Deanna Demuzio of Carlinville.

There was reportedly a lot of pressure on some Democrats not to attend, but they went anyway, which the unions considered a victory. [The downstaters listed above weren’t pressured, but there were plenty of others at that rally.]

* Meanwhile, the AP is just one of the outlets backing off its original assertion from yesterday that Senate President Emil Jones was completely against a budget override…

The case is closed. Or is it?

All eyes are now on the Illinois Senate and President Emil Jones as they decide what happens with more than $460 million in state budget cuts made by Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The House voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to restore most of the cuts, and the Senate will decide their ultimate fate.

Jones has some wiggle room.

He originally said “case closed” when Blagojevich announced the budget vetoes, vowing to block any effort to override them. But lately he’s been more coy.

“I may change my mind,” Jones said Tuesday.

* Pantagraph…

When asked again Wednesday if budget veto overrides would ever come for a Senate vote, Jones offered a cryptic response.

“Keep hope alive,” he said.

* GateHouse, which went against the press room trend yesterday that claimed Jones was still opposing an override, follows up today with this…

If Jones is rethinking his position, Watson said, it is because of pressure from Jones’ fellow Democrats.

“I think a lot of it has to do with his members, the fact that the Democrat members have gone to him . . . and said ‘look, these issues are important to constituents in my district’,” Watson said.

* And then there’s the BIMP mess…

As Gov. Rod Blagojevich and lawmakers continue the budget battle they began last spring, school districts across Illinois face receiving fewer state dollars. […]

Lawmakers might consider the matter this week. A bill that would rectify the problem by increasing the state’s foundation level, the minimum that a school must spend on each pupil, is pending before the House.

But until lawmakers approve the bill, ISBE says it will withhold $617 million in general state aid, spending authorized by the budget Gov. Rod Blagojevich approved. […]

State officials say they hope to resolve the matter by the end of October and are optimistic that schools will see their funding hikes. Lawmakers were supposed to complete the budget by May 31 so schools knew how much state funding they would get before the school year began. […]

The bill pending in the House, known as a budget implementation bill, would raise the foundation level to $5,734, an increase of $400 per pupil. Until that bill passes, the state board says it can only spend last year’s per-pupil amount, $5,334, even though the new budget authorizes the state to spend the additional money.

There are some other problems with the BIMP bills as well, including a Senate GOP addition that imposes a Medicaid managed care trial in Will County that advocates believe will, in reality, impose managed care statewide. [Clarifying note: The above story is about a different BIMP bill, but the two were sent over at the same time. I was trying to get the post done too quickly to fully explain this, I suppose.]

* More budget stuff, compiled by Paul…

* ICPR: Legislation, not personality conflict, is the reason for the sessions

* Chicago Daily Observer: Blue chip firms retained by state to defend Blago

* Blagojevich: Presidential veto ‘wiped out’ kids health care

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Oct 4, 07 @ 9:41 am

Comments

“As you may know, AFSCME and SEIU held a rally yesterday demanding that the Senate override the governor’s budget vetoes.”

Begging and demanding that incumbent legislators support their platform is a reactive and ineffective solution. AFSCME and SEIU need to get proactive and start endorsing candidates that actually support their platform at election time, regardless of the political party to which those candidates may belong. If they stick to a ridiculous and arbitrary “electability” standard for endorsements, they will only reinforce the status quo; and they’ll be begging and demanding like this forever.

Comment by Squideshi Thursday, Oct 4, 07 @ 10:31 am
Jones is just holding out the way Blago has been. They have learned to never agree or cooperate unless you think you can get something bigger in return.

Comment by PJ Thursday, Oct 4, 07 @ 11:23 am
Suprising to see SEIU do or say anything against Blago.

Comment by Sick Of It! Thursday, Oct 4, 07 @ 12:36 pm
Squid,
Yeah, but that is a lot cheaper than backing fringe candidates who have absolutely no chance of ever winning.

Comment by Bill Thursday, Oct 4, 07 @ 12:52 pm
To be clear, SEIU had nothing to do with yesterday’s rally to override the vetoes. They had small group of home care workers at the capitol demanding more money.

AFSCME, on the other hand, spearheaded a huge rally in the rotunda with over 1,000 members present and the dozen Dem and dozen Repub senators. AFSCME folks and many other groups spoke to demand overrides, as all the news coverage attests.

Comment by Fact-checkin' cuz Thursday, Oct 4, 07 @ 1:43 pm
Bill: It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. No support and few votes because someone from a third party “can’t win.” It would be interesting to see what would happen if percetions changed. The same goes for running on the wrong ticket in a “safe” district. No money or effort is spent, no candidates recruited, etc. The 11th CD is a good example, it goes from safe to “in play” when the right candidate is recruited. (Weller had vulnerabilities, there was never a well-coordinated effort to exploit them.)

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Oct 4, 07 @ 1:57 pm
I want the vetoes overriden as much as anyone else, but I can’t help but find it a little funny that AFSCME is having such a difficult time with the Flying Elvis. During his 1st run for guv, they beat on every door singing his praises. Last yr. AFSCME didn’t have the guts to endorse JBT so they didn’t endorse either one.
Don’t get me wrong, I think this admin. is very bad news…I hate the direction this state is headed & has been headed for the last few years.
But, I think this situation with AFSCME is, well, just a little amusing after they ran hither & yon for him in 2002.

Comment by Southern Illinois Voter Thursday, Oct 4, 07 @ 5:52 pm
I recall that AFSCME donated almost $400,000 to Blagojevich in 2002, over $10 per member. There is a moral to this story but nothing constructive emerges.

Comment by North of I-80 Thursday, Oct 4, 07 @ 6:37 pm
North of I-80 - ain’t it the truth? They never learn, sad to say.

Comment by Southern Illinois Voter Thursday, Oct 4, 07 @ 7:05 pm
Bill said, “Yeah, but that is a lot cheaper than backing fringe candidates who have absolutely no chance of ever winning.”

That is a Catch-22. The chances of a candidate winning substantially improves with endorsements. In other words, their very refusal to endorse anyone other than Democratic and Republican candidates is one thing that makes it more difficult for these other candidates to win.

They would be killing two birds with one stone–endorsing someone who actually supports their platform AND helping make it easier, and more likely, that person would win.

Comment by Squideshi Thursday, Oct 4, 07 @ 11:35 pm