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Quinn: “You ain’t seen nothing yet”

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Illinois

* Gov. Pat Quinn issued an amendatory veto this week without any sort of fanfare. The AV creates sweeping new provisions to allow binding referenda on new municipal ethics ordinances…

The Democratic governor and longtime fan of citizen initiatives put the issue on the legislature’s fall veto session agenda by using his authority to rewrite a bill lawmakers sent him. He has asked lawmakers to go along with his changes, but it may be a long shot when they meet in Springfield in mid-October.

“I’ve said many a time that we need to have an ethics initiative in Illinois that allows the taxpayers, the voters, to step in whether it be at the statewide level or local level,” Quinn said Tuesday. Asked to detail his strategy, Quinn instead said, “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

“You ain’t seen nothing yet.” Where have I heard that before? Oh, yeah.

From Quinn’s amendatory veto language…

The electors of any unit of local government may pass, by initiative petition and referendum in the manner prescribed by this Article, a binding ordinance relating to ethical standards that the corporate authorities of their unit of local government are empowered to pass.

As I told subscribers this morning, you won’t find any definition of what a “binding ordinance relating to ethical standards” actually is. That’s quite a loophole.

The state Constitution gives the governor a whole lot of leeway on amendatory vetoes, a fact that Rod Blagojevich took advantage of time and time again…

The Governor may return a bill together with specific recommendations for change to the house in which it originated.

Comments

Heard he is also issuing an amendatory veto to reduce the number of signatures required for towns put the video gaming issue on the ballot. Using a horse racing related bill. Don’t know why he just didn’t AV the original bill if he wants that.

Comment by Been There Wednesday, Aug 26, 09 @ 10:03 am
Quinn has moved on from Blago lite to become Blago Stout.

I wonder what Hynes will say about this conduct. it seems like a bad idea to push new legislation in this fashion without even remotely trying to engage the legislative process to pass law. not sure if this will make Quinn more of a hero or an enemy to the people. But Quinn needs to back away from conduct that links him to blago while he is gearing up for a re-election bid.

Comment by Ghost Wednesday, Aug 26, 09 @ 10:21 am
I always thought Quinn slept through most of his time as Rod’s running mate and Lt. Gov.. It looks like he was actually watching and learning a lot about the Blagojevichian school of governance and management. He is now putting his new found knowledge to use between funerals. What’s next? How long before he starts proclaiming that the best is yet to come, bring it on, and Madigan is a republican?
Maybe he could find a Rod wig to wear during campaign stops.

Comment by Bill Wednesday, Aug 26, 09 @ 10:39 am
I am so ready for Governor Quinn to “rock the system.”

He needs to fumigate. Same budget staff. Same AV approach. This guy is looking more like Blago every day.

Comment by siriusly Wednesday, Aug 26, 09 @ 10:40 am
The next Quinn pronouncement:

“I am going to change business as usual in Springfield. The legislature has to stop spending like drunken sailors.”

Ah, the good old days!

Comment by Bill Wednesday, Aug 26, 09 @ 10:53 am
It wasn’t just Blago who did the AV stuff, was it?

Didn’t Ogilvie AV bills by changing “will” to “may,” stuff like that? I also seem to recall Madigan haulding Big Jim into the Supreme Court a couple of times for AV shenanigans.

It’s quite a hammer.

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Aug 26, 09 @ 10:58 am
I am disgusted with this amendatory veto.
The mechanics of how this concept would work are counterintuitive. A group of citizens can rally together to draft an ethics ordinance (with God knows what kind of provisions), place the ordinance on the ballot and if adopted by the voters has the binding effect of an ordinance for four years or longer. So now we are ceding legislative powers directly over to the electorate. Funny that he does not provide for a mechanism to do this Statewide.

Electors should not be drafting ordinances. This is a municipal function that is regulated by changes to the Municipal Code.

This is nothing but an overreaching and underthought populist gesture that he knows will likely fail. If it doesn’t, expect there to be constitutional challenges ahead.

Comment by Jake from Elwood Wednesday, Aug 26, 09 @ 11:13 am
This is a good political kerfuffle. And it has all the lasting effect of one! Let Quinn have his kerfuffles people! It comes with the job!

Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Aug 26, 09 @ 11:43 am
“You ain’t seen nothin’ yet” is exactly the problem, gov.

We were promised things, and you’re backtracking all over the place. Just asking for a little consistency and that you think it over deeply first, whatever the issue is, THEN commit and stick to your guns.

Comment by Gregor Wednesday, Aug 26, 09 @ 1:13 pm