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* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
For months now, Statehouse types have been talking about whether there’s a need for a fall veto session this year. The session is scheduled to run the two weeks after the November election.
As one person put it, veto sessions are for things that the governor and legislators “have to do.” But with no gubernatorial vetoes to deal with, is there anything that absolutely has to be done before the end of the year?
Senate President Don Harmon said in early summer that he was “eager to consider” Karina’s Bill, which would mandate that police remove firearms from any person who has been served with a domestic violence order of protection within a certain time frame.
But his attention has been elsewhere since then (Senate campaigns and shuttling volunteers into Wisconsin and Michigan to help the Democratic ticket, to name just two), and it’s not known if Harmon’s chamber will even be ready to take up the bill.
I’m hearing Harmon has told a small handful of people that at least part of the veto session might indeed be canceled.
“Conversations are ongoing regarding possible action items for the November session,” a Harmon spokesperson said recently.
House Speaker Chris Welch said during a September event, “I think it’s too early to know what we’re going to do in veto session, if anything.” Emphasis on “if anything.”
Welch said his working group tasked with revamping mass transit was “really just beginning their work,” so that issue, as expected, would “definitely not” be ready for November.
“Folks are being educated on the issue” of adjusting Tier 2 pension benefits to make sure they align with federal laws, Welch said. And a sports stadium deal appears absolutely nowhere on the horizon.
Indeed, the speaker said he couldn’t think of anything at all that the House could take up in November. “Anybody here talking about veto session yet?” Welch rhetorically asked during a City Club event. It got a lot of laughs.
Gov. JB Pritzker soon after told reporters that he didn’t think there was any need for a supplemental budget bill before the spring legislative session begins in January. Supplementals are often passed when the government has to deal with unforeseen problems — although supplemental appropriations during the last couple of years were needed later in the fiscal year because the state brought in way more money than it expected.
Asked if he had anything on his agenda that was pressing enough to push through during the veto session or in the January lame-duck session before the spring session begins, Pritzker said, “Nothing that comes off the top of my head.”
Asked if he had any thoughts about canceling veto session, Pritzker said, “I don’t have an opinion. I’m ready, willing and able to go to work during the veto session.” But then he added, “I don’t think that the Legislature has an agenda for the veto session.”
People like me care about this because we have to attend the two-week veto session. But people like most of y’all who are reading this should also care because this is a strong indication that Illinois is becoming, well, boring.
The state has long lurched from one crisis to another, particularly after Rod Blagojevich was elected governor and he couldn’t stop picking fights with just about everyone until he was arrested by the feds, impeached by the House and removed from office by the Senate.
The six years following Blagojevich under Gov. Pat Quinn included almost constant fiscal nightmares, a desperately needed lame-duck session income tax increase and lots more infighting.
Then came Bruce Rauner, the most destructive of them all with his failed attempt to use no state budget and no renewal of Quinn’s expired tax hike for two years to force the Democratic Party to bust unions.
And then, of course, we endured the pandemic, which wreaked most every sort of havoc imaginable on the planet.
Does Illinois still have problems? Oh, heck yes. Almost none of those problems rise to the level of an immediate systemic crisis, but our largest city is currently embroiled in a self-made political and fiscal meltdown of epic proportions.
So, along those lines, canceling or curtailing veto session would allow state legislators and the governor to avoid being dragged into that Chicago mess.
Personally, I’m against canceling veto session. Boring might be good for government, but it’s bad for the news business.
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Sep 30, 24 @ 7:49 am
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I’m a sucker for nostalgia.
Going back to the days when politics were boring is just fine by me.
Comment by Flyin'Elvis'-Utah Chapter Monday, Sep 30, 24 @ 7:53 am
I’ve yearned for boring since about 2016.
Comment by Politix Monday, Sep 30, 24 @ 8:25 am
= but our largest city is currently embroiled in a self-made political and fiscal meltdown of epic proportions.=
Welch, Harmon, and Pritzker are wise to let Chicago battle this one out amongst themselves. CPS messed up big time by using the ESSER money for new programs and expanding head count. We were warned not to do that, and yet they did. They can figure out their own mess.
Also funny to me is how CTU and the mayor’s office have found their scapegoat in the CPS CEO. Talk about a (banned word) sandwich and Martinez is stuck in the middle.
Comment by JS Mill Monday, Sep 30, 24 @ 8:27 am
I am old and now I like boring. Maybe you could cover Dolton for a few weeks
Comment by DuPage Saint Monday, Sep 30, 24 @ 8:33 am
This is good.
When someone is doing their job correctly, you won’t even know they are doing it at all.
We had something similar happen to a nearby small town. For years there were constant missteps and lawsuits, which ended up in the news, which because of the fragile egos involved caused even more missteps and more news stories. This went on for the better part of a decade.
Finally, about 4 years ago the adults finally were put into office. There were a few trailing off months of tantrum throwing by those who thought they should have won, but eventually that withered away as well.
Today, that town is doing better than it has ever done and almost all sides can agree things are moving in the correct direction - except for the two or three people who are still upset they lost their office.
Boring should be the goal for government. It’s a great yardstick to measure success.
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Monday, Sep 30, 24 @ 8:39 am
I just had a bad flashback of trying to stop the override of Rod’s veto of Jesse White’s budget during a veto session. Good times, Ha.
Comment by Give Me A Break Monday, Sep 30, 24 @ 8:53 am
I’m good with the state passing a two year budget and meeting every other year, legalities aside.
Comment by Two Left Feet Monday, Sep 30, 24 @ 8:55 am
The Gov’s legislative liaisons have gotten steadily better every year, such that serious differences are identified earlier in the process.
Still, budget pressures will be significantly greater next session, which will drive real problems all over the place.
Comment by Walker Monday, Sep 30, 24 @ 8:59 am
Part of the reasons things are boring is JBP’s refusal to take on the more intractable problems.
Gun violence? Well, it was a priority but now…
DCFS and other department staffing issues? Well, no one can do anything about that…
Stagnant population growth? Well…
Comment by SWSider Monday, Sep 30, 24 @ 9:28 am
==Part of the reasons things are boring is JBP’s refusal to take on the more intractable problems.==
Lol. Yeah. He hasn’t dealt with any significant problems. State finances? Meh. No big deal. Please.
Comment by Demoralized Monday, Sep 30, 24 @ 9:59 am
Well I can acknowledge that if there is no crisis unlike in previous administrations aside from the pandemic that we’re being governed very well for the moment. I’ll take that, yeah we have some problems hopefully if we’re governed well they’ll be solved.
Comment by Levois Monday, Sep 30, 24 @ 10:07 am
==State finances?==
You mean the terribly regressive tax code that’s holding us back?
Comment by SWSider Monday, Sep 30, 24 @ 10:12 am
=You mean the terribly regressive tax code that’s holding us back?=
Bruce? That you?
Illinois is doing pretty well.
Comment by JS Mill Monday, Sep 30, 24 @ 10:17 am
- You mean the terribly regressive tax code that’s holding us back? -
Are you a child? It takes a constitutional amendment to fix that, and JB put a lot of effort into getting one passed.
It failed, and they’ve had to move on. That fight will come again, but to act like Pritzker could snap his fingers and implement a graduated income tax is juvenile.
Comment by Excitable Boy Monday, Sep 30, 24 @ 10:17 am
“Gun violence? Well, it was a priority but now…”
Where’d you get that idea? Gun violence is always a priority. The approach to ending gun violence is multi-layered. For one, millions in state funding are supporting organizations that provide local street intervention and gun violence prevention programs across Illinois. The Pritzker administration is the first to empower historically under-resourced communities to address local needs in this manner.
Comment by Politix Monday, Sep 30, 24 @ 10:19 am
@SWSider - Or just the mundane like IT systems improvement, realistic planning for the directional universities (why not consolidate admin functions across universities like SUNY or Cal State systems?), and stronger ethics reform (especially since the bad SCOTUS gratuity decision).
Comment by Chicagonk Monday, Sep 30, 24 @ 10:19 am
==Where’d you get that idea?==
From Rich’s article. Re: Karina’s bill, “..attention has been elsewhere since then..”
==Bruce? That you?==
That was Bruce Rauner, all right. Always talking abut the need to raise revenue so we can stop Illinois from losing another Congressional seat again.
Comment by SWSider Monday, Sep 30, 24 @ 10:24 am
- so we can stop Illinois from losing another Congressional seat again.-
Prospects look good for losing one seat after 2030. Even two seats isn’t beyond imagination .
Comment by Steve Monday, Sep 30, 24 @ 10:29 am
Wanna bet they find a way to gather in SPI for 2 weeks after the election….called get em out of the house fest.
Comment by Annonin' Monday, Sep 30, 24 @ 10:47 am
==Are you a child?==
Given their arguments I would say, yes, they are.
Comment by Demoralized Monday, Sep 30, 24 @ 10:53 am
Sorry about the lower business for politics, but it’s good to see Illinois improve. The state has had enough drama, especially under the last governor and his deliberate damage.
“You mean the terribly regressive tax code that’s holding us back?”
Yeah, the one Pritzker and only Democrats in the GA tried but failed to fix, when voters rejected it. Or Mayor Johnson’s homeless tax that voters rejected. If it’s that easy, get 71+36+1 votes in Springfield, and even more importantly, get a super-majority of voters to change the state tax code. Show how easy it is if only willpower is missing.
Comment by Grandson of Man Monday, Sep 30, 24 @ 10:55 am
We are not “boring” now. We are just normal. Talk to a lobbyist that works multiple states and they will confirm this. Bills going to the right committee and if supported going to the floor for a vote and not arbitrarily going to the Rules Committee? WOW! We were abnormal for a while and the period between Blago and Rauner was like an injection of steroids into the process. Sit back and enjoy it folks. Also, no one else dealt with the tax structure issues either and we even weathered a pandemic.
Comment by levivotedforjudy Monday, Sep 30, 24 @ 11:03 am
@SWSider: Are you suggesting Karina’s bill is the only way to prevent gun violence? Don’t be so obtuse.
Comment by Politix Monday, Sep 30, 24 @ 11:21 am
==You mean the terribly regressive tax code that’s holding us back?==
Did you see there was a referendum for a progressive income tax that lost in 2020, in a blue state and during a Presidential election year or did you miss that?
Comment by low level Monday, Sep 30, 24 @ 11:22 am
Perhaps during the Veto Session the legislature could take up the Dignity in Pay Act, which passed the House on a bipartisan vote in May. This legislation would ensure persons with disabilities would at least earn minimum wage for work performed.
I think that could be done during Veto!
Comment by Josh Evans Monday, Sep 30, 24 @ 11:24 am
I’ve got one more word that has made things boring: Madigan
With him out of the picture, there is not a constant feeling of tension. That man kept everyone on their toes… foe and friend alike.
Comment by Lurker Monday, Sep 30, 24 @ 11:33 am
Another reason for boring government is that we have one party rule in Illinois. There is no effective opposition currently. That is not to say the Dems have done a lousy job, they haven’t. But they have not done a great job either. Some issues such as school funding is merely out of balance. Others are a longer term travesty, the inability of persons with Developmental Disabilities to receive needed services after high school in a timely manner. While I don’t track with the Democrats it’s clear they have avoided major issues that the majority of the voters don’t support. We’ll see how long they can continue this level of reasonableness.
Comment by Center Drift Monday, Sep 30, 24 @ 11:46 am
In addition to the progressive income tax, the real estate transfer tax increase was defeated this past March. Mayor Johnson and UWF worked very hard to get it passed but it still came up short.
“Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job.”
Comment by low level Monday, Sep 30, 24 @ 11:47 am
Perhaps the Governor’s critics could take a moment and tell us how much better things would be under a Darren Bailey administration.
Comment by don the legend Monday, Sep 30, 24 @ 12:31 pm
It’s a sure-fire way to keep the lame ducks from voting.
Comment by Dirty Red Monday, Sep 30, 24 @ 3:48 pm