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* The Republicans pitched this to me and I added it to yesterday’s subscriber edition. This, however is from Politico…
HOW THE GOP SAVED THE BUDGET
Republicans say you can thank GOP state Sen. Jason Barickman for steering the Democrats’ $42.3 billion state budget to the governor’s desk.
That unusual legislative twist came about after a 3 a.m. battle on the Senate floor that had Barickman, the Senate GOP’s floor leader, debating a surprise, out-of-the-blue amendment to a Democratic redistricting bill that shifted the circuit courts in St. Clair County and Lake County — the latter of which Minority Leader Dan McConchie represents.
Sources said Republicans hadn’t received any notice about the late-night amendment and were angry they couldn’t get answers from Democrats.
Later in the morning, GOP members were looking at the amendment online when they noticed a separate action: Harmon’s brick on the just-approved budget.
Putting a hold on the budget would have allowed Harmon to gain leverage on Pritzker in negotiating the controversial energy bill — not, as we mentioned yesterday, leverage with the House.
Republican senators realized they could force Harmon to release the budget by challenging his motion to hold it. That would have prompted an immediate vote. Harmon’s caucus would have to choose to either override his hold or send it back to the floor for another vote. Talk about a wild scenario given both Harmon and Pritzker support the budget — and Barickman doesn’t.
Before that occurred, Harmon approached Republicans.
Barickman repeated to Playbook what he told the Senate president: “I was just trying to free the budget from the political game by which it was being held hostage.”
Harmon then pulled the brick, and most members were none the wiser.
And it goes on.
* John Patterson…
“There was never any question that the budget was headed to the governor’s desk. We’re happy to have Senator Barickman’s belated support and will try to make sure the record reflects his intent.”
* This whole thing is weird. The Senate Democrats originally claimed that Harmon put a parliamentary hold on the budget to keep anyone else from doing it. But the Senate Democrats changed their own rules so that nobody but the sponsor and chief co-sponsors can make a motion to reconsider a vote after a bill passes. So, either they forgot what their own rules were in the middle of the night or something else was going on.
Either way, the rules also allow anyone in the last three days of a spring session to file a motion to force an immediate vote on a motion to reconsider. That’s what Barickman told Harmon he was going to do.
The Senate Dems played more than their share of games this spring. Maybe just play it straight from now on and save everybody the effort?
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 1:15 pm
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Does this mean the budget is now a “bipartisan accomplishment”?
Comment by Asteroid of Caution Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 1:19 pm
Too smart by half.
Comment by PublicServant Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 1:21 pm
Bipartisan indeed…if weren’t for games this would verrrrry boribg
Comment by Annonin' Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 1:26 pm
There was an awful lot of confusion and flurrying around for several long minutes by the presiding speaker and parliamentarian when Barickman did this. I recall that Harmon’s signed and dated memo lifting the brick was posted by someone and showed up on Scribble. The thing I don’t think was on that was a time stamp… just a date. That made me go, Hmmm, at the time;)
Comment by Anon221 Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 1:31 pm
Decades of MJM playing last-minute games for no reason other than messing with everyone may have just led leaders in both chambers to assume that was just the default way of doing things?
Comment by NIU Grad Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 1:44 pm
This kind of stuff could be exhibit A in why the GP doesn’t trust the GA. Playing parlor games with peoples lives and livelihoods ain’t a good look.
Comment by Captain Obvious Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 1:56 pm
- Captain Obvious - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 1:56 pm:
If the average person on the street can explain a parliamentary procedure that the people who wrote the rules don’t even understand, I highly doubt any member of the general public cares. If they do, I’ve got quite a few bridges to sell you. Quite a few.
Comment by Shield Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 1:57 pm
“Playing parlor games with peoples lives and livelihoods ain’t a good look.”
Narrator: The budget passed. To call this “playing parlor games with peoples lives” what would you call the Rauner years when literally no budget passed and real people actually felt it unlike this “parlor game”. As Shield points out why would the average Joe or Jane care about a parliamentary procedure delaying passage of a budget by less than one day. Joe and Jane went to bed May 31 went to work June 1 watched the 10 pm news and learned that the budget passed.
Comment by 1st Ward Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 2:12 pm
What happened to the Illinois Senate? It used to be the ‘upper chamber’. Not so much now that we have seen Don Harmon in action.
Comment by Predecessorage Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 2:13 pm
= HOW THE GOP SAVED THE BUDGET =
Sounds like The Onion.
Comment by JoanP Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 2:14 pm
Harmon tried playing a ‘game’ but got played by Barickman. As senate Prez, this looked unprofessional, calculating, and quite disrespectful especially to gov’s staff and senate gop.
Add the mysterious how his Cos Butcher played in a role w the energy bill.
Not a win-win for Harmon with his session.
Comment by Pizza Man Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 2:15 pm
“What we’re going to be faced with is very significantly increased taxes, perhaps the biggest tax increases on businesses in Illinois history, coming down the road over the next three years,” Leader Dan McConchie. So the GOP is responsible for this now?
Comment by Bigtwich Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 2:28 pm
====Republican senators realized they could force Harmon to release the budget by challenging his motion to hold it====
I am going by memory here and the Senate rules may be different now. But when Cullerton held onto the first gaming bill that passed under Quinn there were numerous attempts to get him to remove the motion and the repubs (and probably some dems) wanted a vote on the motion. Cullerton just ignored them and said their request was out of order. He even held onto that bill until after another gaming bill passed and Quinn vetoed it. So Cullerton decided to remove the brick and send the first bill over so Quinn would have to veto another gaming bill.
But maybe the situation has changed.
Comment by Been There Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 3:06 pm
3am? Sounds more like a hazing ritual.
Comment by jimme Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 3:15 pm
===3am?===
Hence this tweet
Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 3:19 pm
===the Senate rules may be different now===
As I explained above, the Senate changed its rules. Try to read the post before commenting, please.
Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 3:20 pm