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* The governor stuck to his guns yesterday regarding his proclaimed reasoning behind his ethics bill amendatory veto…
The governor also was unapologetic about his ethics bill re-write, which already has been overridden by the Illinois House. State Comptroller Dan Hynes, Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn — all potential rivals to Blagojevich during the 2010 Democratic primary — joined a bi-partisan group of Illinois senators and good-government activists in calling on the Senate to do the same.
Blagojevich said he rewrote the ethics bill to strengthen it, but lawmakers questioned his motives during a Thompson Center press conference.
“The governor amendatorily vetoed this bill in an attempt, I believe, to scuttle the legislation and undermine three years of hard work,” said Hynes, who organized the event about the ethics bill, which runs the risk of dying if Blagojevich’s ally, Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago), doesn’t call his chamber back into session by month’s end for an override vote.
Madigan, the state’s chief law enforcement officer, said Jones’ refusal to bring the Senate back before Nov. 12 imperils the legislation.
“There is a real chance that a lawsuit will be filed that potentially will further delay this very important legislation. There is a clear way to avoid any risk, to avoid a lawsuit … and that is for President Jones to call the Senate back into session and to vote on the override,” she said.
* I asked Obama’s Senate office to comment on recent calls for our freshman US Senator to intervene in this mess and pressure Senate President Jones to call the Senate back into session, but I’m still waiting on a response. I don’t ever expect one, either.
* Gov. Blagojevich had kind of a busy day yesterday. First, he toured flooded areas in the Chicago region. The governor was asked whether the state could have done anything more to help. Here’s his priceless response…
“I can’t imagine - nothing short of pass a joint resolution by two chambers praying to God that it doesn’t rain.”
* He also met with a group of ministers and Sen. James Meeks on school funding reform…
The meeting came after pressure from State Sen. James Meeks to talk about education funding, improvements and accountability. Meeks recently staged a two-day walkout of Chicago Public Schools to protest a school funding formula that relies on property taxes and gives the money advantage to well-to-do districts.
Ministers and the governor are expected to meet again in a couple of weeks to further discuss education funding.
But how to fix the school funding formula is likely to be a prickly issue. Blagojevich has been resistant to raising the income tax to do it, something Meeks said the General Assembly might want to do anyway.
“If the governor doesn’t put any other ideas on the table that can fix this problem without raising the income taxes, then the General Assembly will have to go to raising the income taxes,” Meeks said.
* More…
But the two Chicago Democrats seemed to reach at least a temporary political truce after Monday’s meeting with dozens of ministers, even if they didn’t agree on what to do next.
Blagojevich said they talked about ways to fund Meeks’ proposal to test a comprehensive approach for fixing underperforming schools. More discussions are needed, Blagojevich said, before deciding “if this is the sort of thing we can all get behind.”
Meeks said he will continue to seek legislative support for his plan in coming weeks while also pushing for long-elusive changes to how the state funds education. He sidestepped his past comments about challenging the governor.
* More…
MEEKS: It’s our community that’s bearing the scars. It’s our community that’s that’s paying the price. It’s our community that for 25 to 30 years now has waited on broken promises from Springfield and we can’t wait anymore.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Sep 16, 08 @ 10:20 am
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Rich, did the Governor support the ethics legislation as it was sent to him, or had he always maintained he was going to re-write the bill to his liking no matter what state the bill arrived on his desk?
Comment by BandCamp Tuesday, Sep 16, 08 @ 10:25 am
School Funding only works if the schools have participation and backing from the Parents. What needs to change is the deplorable conditions of some of the schools not only in Chicago but in ALL of Illinois.
Comment by He Makes Ryan Look Like a Saint Tuesday, Sep 16, 08 @ 10:32 am
“I can’t imagine - nothing short of pass a joint resolution by two chambers praying to God that it doesn’t rain.”
And when God hears the prayer and agrees to stop the rain will Blago veto him or just try to improve him.
Comment by Phineas J. Whoopee Tuesday, Sep 16, 08 @ 10:33 am
Hmmm, Meeks get ready for broken promises.
Comment by Levois Tuesday, Sep 16, 08 @ 10:41 am
Blago would probably AV the divine intervention into a Camelot-like edict that “July and August cannot be too hot, and there’s a legal limit to the snow here…”
Seriously, however, the Illinois Constitution uses the word “shall” in reference to the actions that occur when a bill is AV’d and one house overrides it. The measure “shall” be delivered to the other house and acted upon within 15 “calendar days.”
In any legal document — statute, administrative rule, whatever — “shall” indicates an action that is mandatory, not optional. If there is any wiggle room in that provision, I don’t see it. Nor do I see any wiggle room in the definition of “calendar days.” Not session days, not business days — just 15 periods of 24 hours.
Jones and Blago are trying to destroy this bill in order to save it.
Comment by Secret Square Tuesday, Sep 16, 08 @ 10:42 am
Blagoof may be smarter then we all think. I see signs of a man building an insanity plea when the indictments finally come. Crazy like a fox!
Comment by Dan S. a Voter and Cubs Fan Tuesday, Sep 16, 08 @ 10:43 am
Rod’s smart to ride Jones until the end. There’s a new sheriff in town next year.
Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Sep 16, 08 @ 10:55 am
Of course there is a small possibility that the new sheriff in town might not be much different than the old retiring sheriff.
Comment by Levois Tuesday, Sep 16, 08 @ 12:18 pm
RevSen Meeks got fleeced again. The Blago spin machine took control of the press and message on that meeting yesterday. It was so bad, this was the story I saw on ABC7 10pm news:
Rev. Meeks and Governor Blago met today regarding a plan to provide new funding for special needs schools. Then they flashed Blago’s bullet points about the idea and ran a quote of Blago saying this “We will find the money for this program. We can find the money. The hard part will be getting the legislature to actually pass it.”
LOL - what a Freaking joke! I can’t believe this story has gone from fair funding for schools / Blago’s lying to Meeks in 2006 and now it’s become a story about Blago blaming the legislature for inaction again. Maybe Andy Shaw took the night off - but he really needs to get a hold of his news director and demand some higher standards of journalism over there. I was annoyed and shocked.
PS ABC - I’m a somewhat loyal 7 viewer - but run a few more press release style stories like that and I’ll be flipping to Ch 32. Ask some questions - don’t just run what the Governor gives you !!!
Comment by siriusly Tuesday, Sep 16, 08 @ 12:28 pm
I’m of the mindset, previously floated by a few bloggers over the past couple of days, that Emil Jones is providing the Blagojevich with an opportunity to call a special session of the senate in order to appear as though he’s willing to compromise with the GA and is truly interested in ethics legislation.
We’re all waiting, governor.
Comment by The Doc Tuesday, Sep 16, 08 @ 12:30 pm
The Constitution makes express provision for instances when the governor vetos a bill, and the house of origin is recessed or adjourned. It says the governor is to deliver the vetoed bill to the Secretary of State, who is to promptly deliver it to the house of origin upon its next meeting. That house is supposed to enter the governor’s objections in its journal “immediately,” and then act within 15 calendar days. If it overrides the veto, it is to deliver the bill to the other house “immediately,” which then has 15 calendar days from delivery to act. These provisions apply to amendatory vetos as well as “normal” vetos.
There is no provision for delaying delivery to the other house after the house of origin has acted, or any requirement for any journal entry or other action by that other house to “receive” the bill. The house of origin must act within 15 days and deliver the bill immediately once it’s done.
I read that as meaning that, if the House doesn’t deliver the bill to the Senate within 15 days of entering it in its journal, the bill dies. If it does deliver the bill within that 15 days, the Senate then must act within 15 days or the bill is dead. So, if Jones is right and the Senate must be there or do something to affect “delivery,” then the House will have failed to deliver the bill “immediately” and it is dead.
Comment by Anon Tuesday, Sep 16, 08 @ 2:47 pm
Does Blago exercise a magic mind meld over Meeks? Meeks starts making noise, talks with the Gov., thinks he’s getting somewhere, and is quiet afterward. Then he realizes he got nowhere and starts making noise again. I imagine Meeks will resurface during the 2010 election season only to have Rod mind meld him again.
Comment by Independent Tuesday, Sep 16, 08 @ 4:31 pm
Of course the state can alleviate the flood risk!
Update the flood hazard maps and insist they are respected in ALL zoning plans. Move affected people out of harms way and turn the floodways into long parks. Build more retention ponds and better sewerage. Remove or modify structures (like raised highways) that obstruct the floodway.
Give any geologist with a knowledge of rivers and flooding a call! Let’s see now, that State Geological Survey Rod keeps trying to cut might have some folks who could help.
Comment by Illinois Geologist Tuesday, Sep 16, 08 @ 4:50 pm
FYI to Rod’s people: I don’t work for the ISGS, so please don’t take your ire out on them.
Comment by Illinois Geologist Tuesday, Sep 16, 08 @ 4:52 pm