By Jamey Dunn
Two legislative efforts to get proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot failed today.
The push for a constitutional amendment that would allow a graduated income tax fell flat today. To meet the deadline to get the amendment on the November ballot, the Senate would have had to have approved it today. Democratic Sen. Don Harmon, who is the sponsor of Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 40, said he had the votes in his chamber. But Harmon of Oak Park said he did not want to call upon his colleagues to take a tough vote if it seemed that the measure had no chance of passing in the House. “I have said from the get-go, I want to make sure the reception in the House is a warm one, and we want to make sure we have the votes lined up in the House,” Harmon said today.
Opponents of the amendment dub it a tax increase because graduated rates, which are in a separate bill, proposed by Harmon and other backers, assume that the temporary income tax rates would become permanent. The amendment itself would not affect rates but would only allow for a graduated income tax. Currently, the state’s Constitution calls for a flat tax.
Supporters of the plan filled the capital rotunda today, chanting, “We want a fair tax.” Harmon lobbied House members and called on the Senate not to adjourn when it broke for committees in the afternoon, giving him more time to try to round up the votes needed. But in the end, it was not enough and the Senate adjourned this evening without taking a vote on the amendment.
The proposal faced an uphill climb in the House from the beginning of session. Republicans have been outspokenly opposed to the plan and it would have needed support from every Democrat in the chamber to pass. Marengo Democratic Sen. Jack Franks signed on to a resolution opposing a graduated income tax, and House Speaker Michael Madigan told reporters recently that the amendment was far from having the support it needed to pass in the chamber.
Meanwhile, a proposal from Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno to impose term limits on constitutional officers failed to get the support needed to make it out of committee today. Radogno said that her position on term limits has “evolved” over time as she has become frustrated with conditions in Illinois. “The public is clamoring for change. They want new ideas. They want new faces,” she said. Democrats on the committee chided Radogno for introducing the proposal so close to the deadline to get amendments on the ballot. Radogno filed her resolution last week. Additional session days would have to have been scheduled to meet the necessary timeline if the amendment had moved forward. But Radogno said that if Democrats were interested in passing it, there was still enough time left.
Republican candidate for governor Bruce Rauner is backing a push to put a constitutional amendment for legislative term limits on the ballot through a citizen initiative. The Committee for Legislative Reform and Term Limits, which has Rauner as its chairman, plans to turn its signed petitions in tomorrow. Yes for Independent Maps, a group spearheading a citizen initiative campaign for an amendment that would change the way legislative districts are drawn in the state, plans to turn in its petitions on Thursday. If the signatures are approved by the State Board of Elections, both proposed amendments would likely face court challenges before they would reach the ballot.
Showing posts with label Christine Radogno. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christine Radogno. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Quinn calls for making temporary income tax increase permanent
By Jamey Dunn with Caitlin Rydinsky contributing
Gov. Pat Quinn called on lawmakers to make the temporary income tax increase permanent during his budget speech today.
“The truth is, while we've taken some difficult steps to balance the budget, the issue of expiring revenue this year is a real challenge that will require another hard choice,” Quinn said in his speech to lawmakers today. Quinn presented a budget that he says reflects the severity of cuts that would be needed if the current income tax rates, which are 5 percent for individuals and 7 percent for corporations, were allowed to step down in 2015. Under current law, the rates would go to 3.75 for individuals and 5.25 for corporations half way through next fiscal year. The reduction would take more than $1.5 billion in revenues with it. Quinn also presented an alternative budget that would include revenue from extending the tax rates, and it is this second plan that the governor advocates for. “Our plan is specific, concrete and responsible. It balances the budget and doesn't shirk our responsibility to our veterans, to our children, to our working families and to our most vulnerable citizens,” he said.
Quinn offered property tax relief and an incremental doubling of the Earned Income Tax Credit as potential sweetener that might help the income tax proposal go down with voters. Homeowners would lose their current property tax credit and it would be replaced with a flat $500 refund for each owner occupied property. Quinn’s budget office estimates that such tax relief would cost $1.3 billion annually. The current credit costs about $600 million. While some homeowners currently get a tax credit that is larger than $500, Quinn’s staff said that 92 percent homeowners would be better off under his proposal. Quinn’s plan would also increase the EITC from 10 percent of the federal credit to 20 percent at a rate of 2.5 percentage points per year. The increase would cost more than $200 million annually once it reaches 20 percent. Quinn and his staff are packaging his pitch to make the tax increase permanent as a reform of the state’s tax system. His proposal also included a five-year budget “blueprint” that calls for spending caps, a rainy day fund and cutting the state’s bill payment cycle down to 30 days.
The governor's Republican opponents say he is going back on the promise of a temporary tax increase. “Pat Quinn first promised the working people of Illinois he wouldn’t raise taxes by 67 percent. He broke that promise, taking away nearly a week's worth of pay for Illinois families. Then he promised his tax hike would be temporary. Today he broke that promise too and is doubling down on his failed policies,” Republican candidate for governor Bruce Rauner said in a prepared statement. “After five years of Pat Quinn’s failed leadership, we have record tax hikes, outrageously high unemployment, massive cuts in education and there’s still a giant budget mess in Springfield. It’s now or never to save Illinois. We can balance the budget without more tax increases, if we create a growth economy, and restructure and reform our broken government. That’s what I’ll do as governor.”
They claim that Quinn and other Democrats are trying to make the fiscal situation look worse than it truly is to justify keeping the current tax rates. So what people need to remember at the end of the day [is], it’s still a tax increase. Your income tax is going to go up from where it should have been come January 1,” Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno said. She said that Quinn’s property tax relief plan is not all it's cracked up to be because it would eliminate the current property tax credit that homeowners already receive. So they would not get $500 in addition to their current break, but in place of it.
House Minority Leader Jim Durkin said after Quinn’s speech, “the Democrats who run this building do not tell the truth about taxes and spending.” He said that spending has increased in recent years. Quinn’s staff is quick to point out that the governor never made any promises about whether he would seek an extension of the tax increase. They say that Quinn has signed budgets with billions of dollars of cuts to discretionary spending, but overall spending totals have increased some years because fixed costs, such as the required payments into the pension systems, have gone up. His campaign issued a statement this morning claiming that Rauner’s “budget plan” would result in devastating cuts to education. Rauner has yet to give details on his vision for the budget, other than saying he wants to the tax increase to roll back and that he is not prepared to take the possibility of taxing retirement income off the table. Quinn said today that he would not support taxing retirement income or charging a sales tax on many “basic” services, such as haircuts.
In his speech, the governor tried to walk a fine line between highlighting the improvements he says have happened during his time in office and making the case that the budget situation is still unstable enough to justify hanging on to the current tax rates. “Illinoia is in stronger financial position now then we were five years ago because of the hard choices we have made,” Quinn said today. Time will tell if this strategy will resonate with voters. Not surprisingly, a recent poll from the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois Carbondale found that 60 percent of voters oppose making the tax rates permanent. However, the majority of respondents liked major state services and were opposed to cutting them. Voters were also opposed to taxing retirement income or increasing sales taxes. The only new revenue source that more than half of those polled supported was expanding gambling.
Democratic lawmakers said today that they do not think voters are really aware of the progress that has been made in terms of the state's budget. “I think voters do not grasp how much progress has been made. It’s unfortunate to me that one budget address will not necessarily emblazon that in people’s minds,” said Northbrook Democratic Rep. Elaine Nekritz, who was one of the key players on recently passed changes to the state’s pensions systems. But she said that while voters may not be as aware of some of the things, such as pension reform and cuts to Medicaid costs, that have been done to help the state climb out of its budget hole, the bond rating agencies that determine the state’s credit rating do seem to have taken notice. “We are getting there. It took us a long time to get in, and I always said it’s going to take us a long time to get out.” Nekritz noted that the property tax relief in Quinn’s plan has the potential to be very popular with voters. “The number one thing I hear from constituents back home is (complaints about) their property taxes.”
The chairmen of House budgeting committees, which are considering deep cuts for their areas of the budget, said they were glad Quinn came out strongly for more revenue. “I have always not shied away from the revenue conversation so I am encourage that the governor wants to look at ways to bring new revenue or additional revenue to the state,” said Lewistown Democratic Rep. William Davis, who is chairman of the House education budgeting committee. He said that K-12 education is currently facing a $900 million cut. Davis said he supports the concept of coupling tax relief for low-income workers and homeowners with a call for new revenue.
Marion Democratic Rep. John Bradley, who is chairman of the House revenue committee, said that he does not think that an extension of the tax rates has enough support to pass in his chamber at this point. “That’s going to be a difficult issue. That was a tough vote before. So I think a lot of people will keep an open mind to it but that’s a long way from happening right now.” He said that lawmakers should be open-minded about Quinn’s ideas. “He threw it out there, and I give him credit for putting ideas out there. So now the legislature will move forward.”
Quinn’s proposal has the backing of the legislative leaders in his party. “I would commend the governor for his political courage and honesty,” House Speaker Michael Madigan told Illinois Public Television’s Jak Tichenor, host of Illinois Lawmakers. Madigan said that he “demanded” property tax relief be included in a proposal to make the tax rates permanent. “I plan to support the governor’s position on the extension of the income tax increase,” said Madigan. “If we wish to continue to provide the level of services which we’ve become accustomed to for education and other purposes, then the income tax increase should be extended.” However, Madigan said he still supports his own “tax on millionaires” to fund education. The proposal is a constitutional amendment that would place a 3 percent surcharge on any income over $1 million. Madigan said he expects that the tax issue will be “resolved” before the spring legislative session ends.
Bradley said that his committee plans to move ahead with Madigan’s millionaire tax proposal “right away.”
“I think the governor made a really bold stand basically saying ‘we’re going to keep the taxes the way they are, but we’re going to give back a whole bunch of money in property tax relief,’” Senate President John Cullerton told Tichenor. He said the proposal takes the state’s high property tax rates into consideration while also deferring “draconian cuts.” Cullerton said he did not expect Republican support, which he called “unfortunate.”
Judging from the reaction to Quinn's speech from across the aisle, Cullerton’s prediction seems dead on. “The governor is more interested in making the argument that if there is not another massive tax increase that school children would be thrown into mobile homes and would be dying in the streets. That’s the governor’s arguments here. It’s an argument of hysteria. I think the governor, his first job is not to run for governor and create a campaign based on class envy, it’s to govern,” said Sen. Dale Righter, a Republican from Mattoon. He said that Quinn should do a line-by-line review of the budget to find savings. “I think he is going to discover in his own budget there are a lot of areas that he could save money and in then the words he speaks on lower income and middle income Illinoisans can actually come to prevision. Because he will find out he doesn’t have to take more money from families.”
Gov. Pat Quinn called on lawmakers to make the temporary income tax increase permanent during his budget speech today.
“The truth is, while we've taken some difficult steps to balance the budget, the issue of expiring revenue this year is a real challenge that will require another hard choice,” Quinn said in his speech to lawmakers today. Quinn presented a budget that he says reflects the severity of cuts that would be needed if the current income tax rates, which are 5 percent for individuals and 7 percent for corporations, were allowed to step down in 2015. Under current law, the rates would go to 3.75 for individuals and 5.25 for corporations half way through next fiscal year. The reduction would take more than $1.5 billion in revenues with it. Quinn also presented an alternative budget that would include revenue from extending the tax rates, and it is this second plan that the governor advocates for. “Our plan is specific, concrete and responsible. It balances the budget and doesn't shirk our responsibility to our veterans, to our children, to our working families and to our most vulnerable citizens,” he said.
Quinn offered property tax relief and an incremental doubling of the Earned Income Tax Credit as potential sweetener that might help the income tax proposal go down with voters. Homeowners would lose their current property tax credit and it would be replaced with a flat $500 refund for each owner occupied property. Quinn’s budget office estimates that such tax relief would cost $1.3 billion annually. The current credit costs about $600 million. While some homeowners currently get a tax credit that is larger than $500, Quinn’s staff said that 92 percent homeowners would be better off under his proposal. Quinn’s plan would also increase the EITC from 10 percent of the federal credit to 20 percent at a rate of 2.5 percentage points per year. The increase would cost more than $200 million annually once it reaches 20 percent. Quinn and his staff are packaging his pitch to make the tax increase permanent as a reform of the state’s tax system. His proposal also included a five-year budget “blueprint” that calls for spending caps, a rainy day fund and cutting the state’s bill payment cycle down to 30 days.
The governor's Republican opponents say he is going back on the promise of a temporary tax increase. “Pat Quinn first promised the working people of Illinois he wouldn’t raise taxes by 67 percent. He broke that promise, taking away nearly a week's worth of pay for Illinois families. Then he promised his tax hike would be temporary. Today he broke that promise too and is doubling down on his failed policies,” Republican candidate for governor Bruce Rauner said in a prepared statement. “After five years of Pat Quinn’s failed leadership, we have record tax hikes, outrageously high unemployment, massive cuts in education and there’s still a giant budget mess in Springfield. It’s now or never to save Illinois. We can balance the budget without more tax increases, if we create a growth economy, and restructure and reform our broken government. That’s what I’ll do as governor.”
They claim that Quinn and other Democrats are trying to make the fiscal situation look worse than it truly is to justify keeping the current tax rates. So what people need to remember at the end of the day [is], it’s still a tax increase. Your income tax is going to go up from where it should have been come January 1,” Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno said. She said that Quinn’s property tax relief plan is not all it's cracked up to be because it would eliminate the current property tax credit that homeowners already receive. So they would not get $500 in addition to their current break, but in place of it.
House Minority Leader Jim Durkin said after Quinn’s speech, “the Democrats who run this building do not tell the truth about taxes and spending.” He said that spending has increased in recent years. Quinn’s staff is quick to point out that the governor never made any promises about whether he would seek an extension of the tax increase. They say that Quinn has signed budgets with billions of dollars of cuts to discretionary spending, but overall spending totals have increased some years because fixed costs, such as the required payments into the pension systems, have gone up. His campaign issued a statement this morning claiming that Rauner’s “budget plan” would result in devastating cuts to education. Rauner has yet to give details on his vision for the budget, other than saying he wants to the tax increase to roll back and that he is not prepared to take the possibility of taxing retirement income off the table. Quinn said today that he would not support taxing retirement income or charging a sales tax on many “basic” services, such as haircuts.
In his speech, the governor tried to walk a fine line between highlighting the improvements he says have happened during his time in office and making the case that the budget situation is still unstable enough to justify hanging on to the current tax rates. “Illinoia is in stronger financial position now then we were five years ago because of the hard choices we have made,” Quinn said today. Time will tell if this strategy will resonate with voters. Not surprisingly, a recent poll from the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois Carbondale found that 60 percent of voters oppose making the tax rates permanent. However, the majority of respondents liked major state services and were opposed to cutting them. Voters were also opposed to taxing retirement income or increasing sales taxes. The only new revenue source that more than half of those polled supported was expanding gambling.
Democratic lawmakers said today that they do not think voters are really aware of the progress that has been made in terms of the state's budget. “I think voters do not grasp how much progress has been made. It’s unfortunate to me that one budget address will not necessarily emblazon that in people’s minds,” said Northbrook Democratic Rep. Elaine Nekritz, who was one of the key players on recently passed changes to the state’s pensions systems. But she said that while voters may not be as aware of some of the things, such as pension reform and cuts to Medicaid costs, that have been done to help the state climb out of its budget hole, the bond rating agencies that determine the state’s credit rating do seem to have taken notice. “We are getting there. It took us a long time to get in, and I always said it’s going to take us a long time to get out.” Nekritz noted that the property tax relief in Quinn’s plan has the potential to be very popular with voters. “The number one thing I hear from constituents back home is (complaints about) their property taxes.”
The chairmen of House budgeting committees, which are considering deep cuts for their areas of the budget, said they were glad Quinn came out strongly for more revenue. “I have always not shied away from the revenue conversation so I am encourage that the governor wants to look at ways to bring new revenue or additional revenue to the state,” said Lewistown Democratic Rep. William Davis, who is chairman of the House education budgeting committee. He said that K-12 education is currently facing a $900 million cut. Davis said he supports the concept of coupling tax relief for low-income workers and homeowners with a call for new revenue.
Marion Democratic Rep. John Bradley, who is chairman of the House revenue committee, said that he does not think that an extension of the tax rates has enough support to pass in his chamber at this point. “That’s going to be a difficult issue. That was a tough vote before. So I think a lot of people will keep an open mind to it but that’s a long way from happening right now.” He said that lawmakers should be open-minded about Quinn’s ideas. “He threw it out there, and I give him credit for putting ideas out there. So now the legislature will move forward.”
Quinn’s proposal has the backing of the legislative leaders in his party. “I would commend the governor for his political courage and honesty,” House Speaker Michael Madigan told Illinois Public Television’s Jak Tichenor, host of Illinois Lawmakers. Madigan said that he “demanded” property tax relief be included in a proposal to make the tax rates permanent. “I plan to support the governor’s position on the extension of the income tax increase,” said Madigan. “If we wish to continue to provide the level of services which we’ve become accustomed to for education and other purposes, then the income tax increase should be extended.” However, Madigan said he still supports his own “tax on millionaires” to fund education. The proposal is a constitutional amendment that would place a 3 percent surcharge on any income over $1 million. Madigan said he expects that the tax issue will be “resolved” before the spring legislative session ends.
Bradley said that his committee plans to move ahead with Madigan’s millionaire tax proposal “right away.”
“I think the governor made a really bold stand basically saying ‘we’re going to keep the taxes the way they are, but we’re going to give back a whole bunch of money in property tax relief,’” Senate President John Cullerton told Tichenor. He said the proposal takes the state’s high property tax rates into consideration while also deferring “draconian cuts.” Cullerton said he did not expect Republican support, which he called “unfortunate.”
Judging from the reaction to Quinn's speech from across the aisle, Cullerton’s prediction seems dead on. “The governor is more interested in making the argument that if there is not another massive tax increase that school children would be thrown into mobile homes and would be dying in the streets. That’s the governor’s arguments here. It’s an argument of hysteria. I think the governor, his first job is not to run for governor and create a campaign based on class envy, it’s to govern,” said Sen. Dale Righter, a Republican from Mattoon. He said that Quinn should do a line-by-line review of the budget to find savings. “I think he is going to discover in his own budget there are a lot of areas that he could save money and in then the words he speaks on lower income and middle income Illinoisans can actually come to prevision. Because he will find out he doesn’t have to take more money from families.”
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Republicans put conditions on budget negotiations
By Jamey Dunn
On Monday, Illinois Senate President John Cullerton called on Republicans to help address a looming budget deficit as lawmakers craft the state budget for next fiscal year. Today, Republicans shot back with a list of demands.
Cullerton said at a Chicago news conference earlier this week that Illinois faces a nearly $3 billion shortfall for Fiscal Year 2015. He said several factors are coming together to create the shortfall. The temporary income tax increase will begin to step down in the second half of the fiscal year, taking an estimated $1.6 billion in revenue with it. Expenses such as Medicaid, the state’s annual pension payments and personnel costs are expected to increase. Cullerton asked Republicans to present ideas to address the shortfall.
“We want to work with the Democrats, but they seem to view bipartisanship as a one-way street, and its not,” said Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno. “We have offered — we as Republicans — offered numerous solutions that have been disregarded, buried in subcommittee and frankly, at times, even mocked.”
Republicans say the state’s budget problems happened while Democrats were in power, and now they are being asked to help clean up the mess. They say their suggestions have been ignored in the past, and now they have a number of conditions for working with Democrats on the budget.
The Republicans want:
Radogno said Republicans plan to “insist that bipartisanship includes their votes on our ideas and not just the other way around.” She said lawmakers must do more than just produce a budget for this year. She says they must address long-term budget issues and make policy changes to improve the state’s economy. “There’s no budget that can succeed unless we fix the underlying economy in this state because we may have a one-year budget document that may take care of the next few months, but then we’re going to be right back in that crisis mode because we’re losing employers and we’re losing families.”
While the two caucuses held dueling news conferences this week, exchanges at a Senate budget hearing remained relatively subdued today. Some Republican members called Cullerton’s math into question, saying that the governor’s own projections do not predict such a large deficit. “Try was we might sometimes, saying a figure doesn’t make a figure factual,” said Mattoon Republican Sen. Dale Righter.
However, Chicago Democratic Sen. Heather Steans, said the figure is based on newer information than the governor’s budget office used for its projections. “I do think it’s clear we’re going to have budget challenges.” Steans, who is the chair of one of the Senate’s budgeting committees, said cuts would be necessary but that new revenue should also be on the table.
“I think we’re going to have a real interesting year,” said Sen. Mike Jacobs, a Democrat from East Moline. “We may have disagreement on how we got here, but it behooves us all to try to work toward a solution.”
On Monday, Illinois Senate President John Cullerton called on Republicans to help address a looming budget deficit as lawmakers craft the state budget for next fiscal year. Today, Republicans shot back with a list of demands.
Cullerton said at a Chicago news conference earlier this week that Illinois faces a nearly $3 billion shortfall for Fiscal Year 2015. He said several factors are coming together to create the shortfall. The temporary income tax increase will begin to step down in the second half of the fiscal year, taking an estimated $1.6 billion in revenue with it. Expenses such as Medicaid, the state’s annual pension payments and personnel costs are expected to increase. Cullerton asked Republicans to present ideas to address the shortfall.
“We want to work with the Democrats, but they seem to view bipartisanship as a one-way street, and its not,” said Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno. “We have offered — we as Republicans — offered numerous solutions that have been disregarded, buried in subcommittee and frankly, at times, even mocked.”
Republicans say the state’s budget problems happened while Democrats were in power, and now they are being asked to help clean up the mess. They say their suggestions have been ignored in the past, and now they have a number of conditions for working with Democrats on the budget.
The Republicans want:
- The temporary income tax increase to be allowed to phase out, as is called for under current law.
- A proposal to amend the state’s Constitution to allow for a graduated income tax to be taken off the table.
- The approval of a workers' compensation reform bill that includes a requirement that employees prove they were hurt on the job.
- A prohibition on new programs and the expansion of existing programs in the FY 15 budget.
- Attorney General Lisa Madigan to request that the Illinois Supreme Court speed up its ruling on the pension changes that were recently passed into law.
- More aggressive implementation of the cost-saving Medicaid reforms approved in 2012.
Radogno said Republicans plan to “insist that bipartisanship includes their votes on our ideas and not just the other way around.” She said lawmakers must do more than just produce a budget for this year. She says they must address long-term budget issues and make policy changes to improve the state’s economy. “There’s no budget that can succeed unless we fix the underlying economy in this state because we may have a one-year budget document that may take care of the next few months, but then we’re going to be right back in that crisis mode because we’re losing employers and we’re losing families.”
While the two caucuses held dueling news conferences this week, exchanges at a Senate budget hearing remained relatively subdued today. Some Republican members called Cullerton’s math into question, saying that the governor’s own projections do not predict such a large deficit. “Try was we might sometimes, saying a figure doesn’t make a figure factual,” said Mattoon Republican Sen. Dale Righter.
However, Chicago Democratic Sen. Heather Steans, said the figure is based on newer information than the governor’s budget office used for its projections. “I do think it’s clear we’re going to have budget challenges.” Steans, who is the chair of one of the Senate’s budgeting committees, said cuts would be necessary but that new revenue should also be on the table.
“I think we’re going to have a real interesting year,” said Sen. Mike Jacobs, a Democrat from East Moline. “We may have disagreement on how we got here, but it behooves us all to try to work toward a solution.”
Thursday, December 05, 2013
Quinn quietly signs pension legislation
By Jamey Dunn
Gov. Pat Quinn today signed sweeping public pension changes passed by lawmakers earlier this week.
Hard-fought bipartisan compromises of this nature are usually signed with fanfare and speeches from lawmakers who helped make it happen. That was not the case today with Senate Bill 1. Quinn signed the legislation during a private ceremony in Chicago this afternoon.
SB 1 will reduce annual cost-of-living adjustments for retirees and base them on a formula that is tied to inflation. It will also require workers younger than 46 to work longer for full benefits. Some annual COLAs would be deferred for current employees upon retirement. The number of years an employee must skip the COLA is contingent on years of service. The plan caps pensionable salary at $109,971, but that number would increase annually based on inflation. The provision would not apply to employees who already earn more than the cap. Workers will contribute one percentage point less of their salaries toward retirement benefits. The law also allows pension systems to sue if lawmakers opt to skip out on the annual payment. (For a more detailed rundown on what the law does, see this post.) The proposal is projected to save $160 billion and fully fund the systems by 2043.
Quinn, who once said he was put on Earth to address the woefully underfunded pensions systems, issued a short statement thanking the legislative leaders, all the members of the pension conference committee and other legislative supporters of the bill. “Illinois is moving forward,” Quinn said in a written statement. “This is a serious solution to address the most dire fiscal challenge of our time.”
While there were no public speeches, some legislative leaders took their victory laps in their statements, which were included in the governor’s news release. “The bill would not have passed without me. I was convinced that standing fast for substantial savings, clear intent and an end to unaffordable annual raises would result in a sound plan that will meet all constitutional challenges," House Speaker Michael Madigan said. “With today’s bill signing we have staved off a greater crisis,” Minority Leader Jim Durkin said. “I am proud many of the significant components are Republican ideas generated by the conference committee, and my predecessor through Senate Bill 1.” Former House Minority Leader Tom Cross had been a key player in pension negotiations over the years. However, he voted against SB 1. Cross left his leadership role in the legislature to run for state treasurer.
Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno applauded the bipartisan efforts that produced the final compromise. “This is a major step forward in putting Illinois on the path to financial recovery,” Radogno said. “It is the result of bipartisan, bicameral negotiations, after a great deal of debate and discussions. It will demonstrate to the credit rating agencies and job creators that we are serious about turning Illinois around.
Senate President John Cullerton gave some credit to Quinn. “I applaud the governor for prioritizing this issue,” he said. “I look forward to working with him and all legislative leaders to ensure that we continue on this path of fiscal leadership and bipartisan cooperation.”
The measure will go into effect in June of 2014, but the next stop for the law will likely be the state’s court system. Pension benefits are protected by Illinois’ Constitution, and union leaders say the law violates that protection.
“Gov. Pat Quinn has given hundreds of thousands of working and retired teachers, nurses, police, caregivers, first responders and others no alternative but to seek justice for retirement security through the judicial system. Contrary to his belief, every Illinois citizen loses today,” said a statement from the We Are One union coalition. “Senate Bill 1 is attempted pension theft, and it’s illegal. Once overturned, its purported savings will evaporate, and the state’s finances and pension systems will be left in worse shape. Our coalition has been consistently in contact with our attorneys, and today we directed them to prepare to file suit. We will challenge SB 1 as violating the Constitution and ask for a stay of the legislation's implementation pending a ruling on its constitutionality.”
Gov. Pat Quinn today signed sweeping public pension changes passed by lawmakers earlier this week.
Hard-fought bipartisan compromises of this nature are usually signed with fanfare and speeches from lawmakers who helped make it happen. That was not the case today with Senate Bill 1. Quinn signed the legislation during a private ceremony in Chicago this afternoon.
SB 1 will reduce annual cost-of-living adjustments for retirees and base them on a formula that is tied to inflation. It will also require workers younger than 46 to work longer for full benefits. Some annual COLAs would be deferred for current employees upon retirement. The number of years an employee must skip the COLA is contingent on years of service. The plan caps pensionable salary at $109,971, but that number would increase annually based on inflation. The provision would not apply to employees who already earn more than the cap. Workers will contribute one percentage point less of their salaries toward retirement benefits. The law also allows pension systems to sue if lawmakers opt to skip out on the annual payment. (For a more detailed rundown on what the law does, see this post.) The proposal is projected to save $160 billion and fully fund the systems by 2043.
Quinn, who once said he was put on Earth to address the woefully underfunded pensions systems, issued a short statement thanking the legislative leaders, all the members of the pension conference committee and other legislative supporters of the bill. “Illinois is moving forward,” Quinn said in a written statement. “This is a serious solution to address the most dire fiscal challenge of our time.”
While there were no public speeches, some legislative leaders took their victory laps in their statements, which were included in the governor’s news release. “The bill would not have passed without me. I was convinced that standing fast for substantial savings, clear intent and an end to unaffordable annual raises would result in a sound plan that will meet all constitutional challenges," House Speaker Michael Madigan said. “With today’s bill signing we have staved off a greater crisis,” Minority Leader Jim Durkin said. “I am proud many of the significant components are Republican ideas generated by the conference committee, and my predecessor through Senate Bill 1.” Former House Minority Leader Tom Cross had been a key player in pension negotiations over the years. However, he voted against SB 1. Cross left his leadership role in the legislature to run for state treasurer.
Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno applauded the bipartisan efforts that produced the final compromise. “This is a major step forward in putting Illinois on the path to financial recovery,” Radogno said. “It is the result of bipartisan, bicameral negotiations, after a great deal of debate and discussions. It will demonstrate to the credit rating agencies and job creators that we are serious about turning Illinois around.
Senate President John Cullerton gave some credit to Quinn. “I applaud the governor for prioritizing this issue,” he said. “I look forward to working with him and all legislative leaders to ensure that we continue on this path of fiscal leadership and bipartisan cooperation.”
The measure will go into effect in June of 2014, but the next stop for the law will likely be the state’s court system. Pension benefits are protected by Illinois’ Constitution, and union leaders say the law violates that protection.
“Gov. Pat Quinn has given hundreds of thousands of working and retired teachers, nurses, police, caregivers, first responders and others no alternative but to seek justice for retirement security through the judicial system. Contrary to his belief, every Illinois citizen loses today,” said a statement from the We Are One union coalition. “Senate Bill 1 is attempted pension theft, and it’s illegal. Once overturned, its purported savings will evaporate, and the state’s finances and pension systems will be left in worse shape. Our coalition has been consistently in contact with our attorneys, and today we directed them to prepare to file suit. We will challenge SB 1 as violating the Constitution and ask for a stay of the legislation's implementation pending a ruling on its constitutionality.”
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Quinn plans to appeal order to pay lawmakers
By Jamey Dunn
A judge has ordered the state to cut lawmakers' checks after Gov. Pat Quinn used his veto pen to cut off their pay. UPDATE Friday September 27: Cook County Circuit Court Judge Neil Cohen denied Quinn's request that lawmakers hold off from getting paid during Quinn's appeal of his ruling. Quinn is appealing Cohen's ruling directly to the Illinois Supreme Court and plans to go to an appellate court to seek a stay to block lawmakers' pay after Cohen denied the move today. Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka started processing checks yesterday, so some legislators, who use direct deposit, may already have the money in the bank. UPDATE: Quinn's appeal of the stay was denied by the appellate court.
Quinn cut out the money for legislators' pay because they failed to pass pension reform legislation before a deadline he set in July. “Admittedly, this is a drastic measure, but I think it’s absolutely necessary to get a wake-up call to the members of the General Assembly that the people of Illinois are tired of excuses. They’re impatient with the fact that the taxpayers pay when the General Assembly doesn’t do its pension reform job,” Quinn said when he vetoed the pay. He also stopped taking his own paychecks and vowed to do so until pensions changes reach his desk.
But Cook County Circuit Court Judge Neil Cohen ruled today that Quinn violated the state’s Constitution when he changed lawmakers’ pay during their terms in office. The legislative article of the Constitution states that “changes in the salary of a member shall not take effect during the term for which he has been elected.” Quinn said he intends to appeal the ruling. Quinn’s lawyers argued that the provision was intended to keep lawmakers from increasing their own salaries, and as long as he was reducing them, he was constitutionally exercising his line-item veto power. Cohen did not agree. He looked to the common meaning of change as defined by Merriam Webster’s and the New Oxford American Dictionary, which describes change as “to make or become different.” The governor asked the court to consider the intent of the framers of the 1970 Constitution, but Cohen declined to do that because, he writes in his opinion, there is no “doubt as to the common meaning of changes.”
Cohen ordered state Comptroller Judy Barr Topinka to issue lawmakers’ paychecks, including interest for the time they have gone without pay. Topinka said she disagreed with Quinn’s move when he made the veto. However, she said that until there was a court ruling or the General Assembly voted to override the veto, she did not have a legal way to pay lawmakers. Topinka said today that she will begin the process immediately. “In light of today's court ruling, I have instructed my staff to begin processing salary payments for Illinois lawmakers. I have consistently said action was required by the General Assembly or the court to authorize restoration of those payments. That has now occurred, and the comptroller's office will comply. Processing of paychecks for August, September and October begins today,” she said in a written statement.
Democratic legislative leaders House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton brought the lawsuit against Quinn. “Today, the circuit court vindicated the Illinois Constitution as Judge Cohen ruled to protect and preserve the separation of powers. Now that the governor’s actions have been answered by a court, I trust that we can put aside all distractions and focus on the goal of pension reform,” Cullerton said today in a written statement. “Pension reform remains our top priority. Even while this case was pending, the legislature never stopped working on this issue. I applaud the progress of the pension conference committee as its members shape a pension plan that maximizes our savings and upholds a fundamental standard of fairness.” A spokesperson for Madigan said in an email that the speaker does not plan to comment until the issue is resolved.
Quinn said in a written statement after the ruling that he would appeal. “I respectfully disagree with the judge’s decision,” he said. “On behalf of Illinois taxpayers, I intend to appeal the decision and seek a court stay that would prevent any legislative paychecks from being issued until this case is considered by a higher court.” His statement went on to say: “However, this case is about far more than just the governor’s constitutional authority to suspend the appropriations for legislative paychecks The reason I suspended legislative paychecks in the first place – and refused to accept my own – is because Illinois taxpayers can’t afford an endless cycle of promises, excuses, delays and inertia on the most critical challenge of our time. ... I will not accept a paycheck until a comprehensive pension reform bill is on my desk, and neither should legislators. Nobody in Springfield should get paid until the pension reform job gets done.”
Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno said that an appeal from Quinn would be a waste of time and money. “It will be unfortunate if the decision is appealed and a further waste of taxpayer dollars. Pension reform discussions are moving along with committed legislators meeting regularly, negotiating and working toward a compromise. Illinois desperately needs pension reform. Yet another legal maneuver is a distraction we don’t need.”
Northbrook Democratic Rep. Elaine Nekritz, who has been a key player on the pension issue in the House, has said before that she thinks Quinn’s veto was counterproductive. She said that some lawmakers might fear that a vote on pension reform could look more like a vote to get their paychecks than one to address the troubled retirement systems for state employees. Nekritz said today that the conference committee, which has been working through the summer to try to craft a bill that can pass in both chambers, has done its best to ignore the pay issue. “It didn’t really impact our timeline or our work schedule or our negotiations.” Some Republicans are reportedly unhappy with the framework that the committee is considering, and Nekritz said she has decided to stop trying to predict when the group will have a finished product. “We’re still at the table. We’re still negotiating.” And she said that as long as that is the case, she is hopeful that an agreement can be reached.
A judge has ordered the state to cut lawmakers' checks after Gov. Pat Quinn used his veto pen to cut off their pay. UPDATE Friday September 27: Cook County Circuit Court Judge Neil Cohen denied Quinn's request that lawmakers hold off from getting paid during Quinn's appeal of his ruling. Quinn is appealing Cohen's ruling directly to the Illinois Supreme Court and plans to go to an appellate court to seek a stay to block lawmakers' pay after Cohen denied the move today. Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka started processing checks yesterday, so some legislators, who use direct deposit, may already have the money in the bank. UPDATE: Quinn's appeal of the stay was denied by the appellate court.
Quinn cut out the money for legislators' pay because they failed to pass pension reform legislation before a deadline he set in July. “Admittedly, this is a drastic measure, but I think it’s absolutely necessary to get a wake-up call to the members of the General Assembly that the people of Illinois are tired of excuses. They’re impatient with the fact that the taxpayers pay when the General Assembly doesn’t do its pension reform job,” Quinn said when he vetoed the pay. He also stopped taking his own paychecks and vowed to do so until pensions changes reach his desk.
But Cook County Circuit Court Judge Neil Cohen ruled today that Quinn violated the state’s Constitution when he changed lawmakers’ pay during their terms in office. The legislative article of the Constitution states that “changes in the salary of a member shall not take effect during the term for which he has been elected.” Quinn said he intends to appeal the ruling. Quinn’s lawyers argued that the provision was intended to keep lawmakers from increasing their own salaries, and as long as he was reducing them, he was constitutionally exercising his line-item veto power. Cohen did not agree. He looked to the common meaning of change as defined by Merriam Webster’s and the New Oxford American Dictionary, which describes change as “to make or become different.” The governor asked the court to consider the intent of the framers of the 1970 Constitution, but Cohen declined to do that because, he writes in his opinion, there is no “doubt as to the common meaning of changes.”
Cohen ordered state Comptroller Judy Barr Topinka to issue lawmakers’ paychecks, including interest for the time they have gone without pay. Topinka said she disagreed with Quinn’s move when he made the veto. However, she said that until there was a court ruling or the General Assembly voted to override the veto, she did not have a legal way to pay lawmakers. Topinka said today that she will begin the process immediately. “In light of today's court ruling, I have instructed my staff to begin processing salary payments for Illinois lawmakers. I have consistently said action was required by the General Assembly or the court to authorize restoration of those payments. That has now occurred, and the comptroller's office will comply. Processing of paychecks for August, September and October begins today,” she said in a written statement.
Democratic legislative leaders House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton brought the lawsuit against Quinn. “Today, the circuit court vindicated the Illinois Constitution as Judge Cohen ruled to protect and preserve the separation of powers. Now that the governor’s actions have been answered by a court, I trust that we can put aside all distractions and focus on the goal of pension reform,” Cullerton said today in a written statement. “Pension reform remains our top priority. Even while this case was pending, the legislature never stopped working on this issue. I applaud the progress of the pension conference committee as its members shape a pension plan that maximizes our savings and upholds a fundamental standard of fairness.” A spokesperson for Madigan said in an email that the speaker does not plan to comment until the issue is resolved.
Quinn said in a written statement after the ruling that he would appeal. “I respectfully disagree with the judge’s decision,” he said. “On behalf of Illinois taxpayers, I intend to appeal the decision and seek a court stay that would prevent any legislative paychecks from being issued until this case is considered by a higher court.” His statement went on to say: “However, this case is about far more than just the governor’s constitutional authority to suspend the appropriations for legislative paychecks The reason I suspended legislative paychecks in the first place – and refused to accept my own – is because Illinois taxpayers can’t afford an endless cycle of promises, excuses, delays and inertia on the most critical challenge of our time. ... I will not accept a paycheck until a comprehensive pension reform bill is on my desk, and neither should legislators. Nobody in Springfield should get paid until the pension reform job gets done.”
Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno said that an appeal from Quinn would be a waste of time and money. “It will be unfortunate if the decision is appealed and a further waste of taxpayer dollars. Pension reform discussions are moving along with committed legislators meeting regularly, negotiating and working toward a compromise. Illinois desperately needs pension reform. Yet another legal maneuver is a distraction we don’t need.”
Northbrook Democratic Rep. Elaine Nekritz, who has been a key player on the pension issue in the House, has said before that she thinks Quinn’s veto was counterproductive. She said that some lawmakers might fear that a vote on pension reform could look more like a vote to get their paychecks than one to address the troubled retirement systems for state employees. Nekritz said today that the conference committee, which has been working through the summer to try to craft a bill that can pass in both chambers, has done its best to ignore the pay issue. “It didn’t really impact our timeline or our work schedule or our negotiations.” Some Republicans are reportedly unhappy with the framework that the committee is considering, and Nekritz said she has decided to stop trying to predict when the group will have a finished product. “We’re still at the table. We’re still negotiating.” And she said that as long as that is the case, she is hopeful that an agreement can be reached.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Republican candidates highlight what they hope are winning qualities
By Jamey Dunn
Republican candidates for governor touted their electability at political events centered on the state fair today.
Four candidates are taking a shot at winning the Republican nomination this year. Three are familiar faces, and one is a newcomer. Businessman Bruce Rauner rode his Harley motorcycle into Springfield for today’s party breakfast and Republican Day at the fair. Talking to reporters on his way into breakfast, the first-time political candidate refused to get specific on a number of issues, including same-sex marriage and whether motorcyclists should be legally required to wear helmets. Rauner would only say that he always wears one. There is no law in Illinois that requires helmets, but there have been several attempts to pass one in recent years. Each time, the efforts have been defeated by the influential motorcycle lobbying group ABATE. “Today, it’s about victory and unifying the party,” Rauner said when asked to comment about his stances on social issues.
He was only willing to get specific on one issue. “We’re going to get term limits put on everybody in Springfield. All the legislature, as well as the governor, both today and in the future.” Rauner said that lawmakers and the governor should be restricted to serving eight years in office. Rauner would not say if he would support making Illinois a right-to-work state. But he did say he looks to former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels as a political role model. Daniels, whose name was in circulation as a possible presidential challenger to Barack Obama in 2012, signed legislation in 2012 making Indiana a right to work state.
While Rauner may look up to Daniels, the priorities he listed today did not sound too different from those in speeches given by Democrats on their political day yesterday. He said he wants to help grow jobs, employ veterans, address corruption by bringing efficiency and transparency to state government and improve education. Rauner highlighted the fact that he is somewhat of a political outsider who would bring business experience to the job. “I have never run for office in my life, but I love our state passionately, and I cannot stand to watch us go down the drain the way we are. I will not sit by and let it happen,” he said. “I’m going to bring business talent, business success, to the governorship in Illinois.”
Rauner said of himself, “I’ve been a leader at everything I’ve touched throughout my career.”
Treasurer Dan Rutherford pointed to his win for his current office as proof that he can defeat a Democratic opponent in the general election. “I’m the only candidate running for governor that has actually run a statewide race. I know how to win.” Rutherford has attributed much of that that victory to outreach efforts in minority communities. “I know how to win. I know that going into communities of diversity is imperative for us as Republicans to earn the right to governor — communities of diversity of ethnicity and religion. I’ve done it. A great part of success is just showing up.” He said he could appeal to the independents and even bring over some Democrats. Rutherford said he would be able to garner solid support in Cook County.
He took a veiled swipe at Rauner’s lack of political experience in his speech to party leaders this morning. “It is good to be back at the state fair. This is not my first time here.” Rutherford highlighted his own hands-on style of politicking. “I’ve been to every single [one of the]102 counties,” Rutherford said.
Bloomington state Sen. Bill Brady, who lost the 2010 race to Quinn, said that his failed bid for governor has helped him to gain name recognition across the state. He said that former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, brother of former president George W. Bush, encouraged him to run again. Brady said Bush told him that his own failed bid for governor of Florida helped him to eventually win the office.
Some political observers say that Brady’s conservative stances on social issues helped sink his campaign in 2010 because he was unable to gain the support of upstate moderates. But Brady said today that candidates have to make their opinions clear, come what may. “People have to know what you stand for. They know what I stand for. I stand for less government, lower taxes more private sector business. Regardless of who your candidate is, if they don’t know what you stand for, they don’t know what their supporting or not supporting.” However, Brady said that he thinks the focus of the 2014 race should be economic issues and not social policy.
Brady and the other candidates will likely not be able to match the wealthy Rauner’s ability to spend on his campaign. “We’ve conceded the fact that we’ll probably be outspent,” Brady said. “I don’t think there’s any question the people of Illinois regret their choice in the last election, and we’re going to win this time around.”
When asked what his biggest misstep in 2010 was, Brady did not have an answer. “I don’t know that I can point to that. What I can point to is that we’re going to run a strong campaign, build on what we’ve done and finish the job we started.”
Hinsdale state Sen. Kirk Dillard lost the primary to Brady in 2010 by fewer than 200 votes. Dillard noted that many pundits have since speculated that if he had beat Brady, he would be governor today. Dillard said to Republicans today that he could be the “unifier between the conservatives and moderates of our party.” Dillard said that he has appeal throughout Illinois and the “right profile” to win a statewide office. “I’m a suburbanite with strong downstate agricultural roots. I will be a governor for all of Illinois. I am not a regional candidate.”
Dillard pointed to his time as former Gov. Jim Edgar’s chief of staff as proof of his ability work with lawmakers and get things done. “I have experience that money cannot buy. ... I once worked for the last clean and competent governor of Illinois.” Edgar is again supporting Dillard’s bid for office. “I am the one candidate that is electable statewide. I know how to govern a Democrat legislature to get it to do things, and I’ve proven it as state senator as well as a gubernatorial aide — to get that Democrat legislature to live within its means,” Dillard said today. “I’m tested. I’m proven. And I’m committed to reinvigorating the Republican Party, but most importantly, making this great state of Illinois, the capital of the Midwest, work again.”
House Minority Leader Tom Cross was not in attendance today. The official line is that he had a prior family commitment and would be seeing his daughter off to college. However, rumors were circulating all day that he is considering a bid for treasurer. Cross had been planning a run for the attorney general’s office if Attorney General Lisa Madigan vacated the position. However, Madigan passed on a bid for governor and instead decided to seek reelection. While Cross was mulling his run, other members of his caucus were stepping forward in hopes of filling his leadership position. Since the revelation that Cross might stick around, he has been met with hostility from some of his members who were eyeing his job. Today, people close to the leader speculated that he may not have wanted to field questions from the press about a possible run for a different statewide office until he had made up his mind.
Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno was on hand. She said she would not be endorsing anyone in the elections. “I could imagine endorsing all of them; consequently, I will endorse none of them. ... I think all of them could do a good job, so I am going to be 100 percent behind whomever wins.” Radogno urged all Republicans who will be out campaigning during the 2014 election season to “remind our voters to keep focused on the result of 10 years of Democratic control.” She added, “People in this state I hope are smart enough to realize at this point, 10 years of one-party control has not been good for them.”
Republican candidates for governor touted their electability at political events centered on the state fair today.
Four candidates are taking a shot at winning the Republican nomination this year. Three are familiar faces, and one is a newcomer. Businessman Bruce Rauner rode his Harley motorcycle into Springfield for today’s party breakfast and Republican Day at the fair. Talking to reporters on his way into breakfast, the first-time political candidate refused to get specific on a number of issues, including same-sex marriage and whether motorcyclists should be legally required to wear helmets. Rauner would only say that he always wears one. There is no law in Illinois that requires helmets, but there have been several attempts to pass one in recent years. Each time, the efforts have been defeated by the influential motorcycle lobbying group ABATE. “Today, it’s about victory and unifying the party,” Rauner said when asked to comment about his stances on social issues.
He was only willing to get specific on one issue. “We’re going to get term limits put on everybody in Springfield. All the legislature, as well as the governor, both today and in the future.” Rauner said that lawmakers and the governor should be restricted to serving eight years in office. Rauner would not say if he would support making Illinois a right-to-work state. But he did say he looks to former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels as a political role model. Daniels, whose name was in circulation as a possible presidential challenger to Barack Obama in 2012, signed legislation in 2012 making Indiana a right to work state.
While Rauner may look up to Daniels, the priorities he listed today did not sound too different from those in speeches given by Democrats on their political day yesterday. He said he wants to help grow jobs, employ veterans, address corruption by bringing efficiency and transparency to state government and improve education. Rauner highlighted the fact that he is somewhat of a political outsider who would bring business experience to the job. “I have never run for office in my life, but I love our state passionately, and I cannot stand to watch us go down the drain the way we are. I will not sit by and let it happen,” he said. “I’m going to bring business talent, business success, to the governorship in Illinois.”
Rauner said of himself, “I’ve been a leader at everything I’ve touched throughout my career.”
Treasurer Dan Rutherford pointed to his win for his current office as proof that he can defeat a Democratic opponent in the general election. “I’m the only candidate running for governor that has actually run a statewide race. I know how to win.” Rutherford has attributed much of that that victory to outreach efforts in minority communities. “I know how to win. I know that going into communities of diversity is imperative for us as Republicans to earn the right to governor — communities of diversity of ethnicity and religion. I’ve done it. A great part of success is just showing up.” He said he could appeal to the independents and even bring over some Democrats. Rutherford said he would be able to garner solid support in Cook County.
He took a veiled swipe at Rauner’s lack of political experience in his speech to party leaders this morning. “It is good to be back at the state fair. This is not my first time here.” Rutherford highlighted his own hands-on style of politicking. “I’ve been to every single [one of the]102 counties,” Rutherford said.Bloomington state Sen. Bill Brady, who lost the 2010 race to Quinn, said that his failed bid for governor has helped him to gain name recognition across the state. He said that former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, brother of former president George W. Bush, encouraged him to run again. Brady said Bush told him that his own failed bid for governor of Florida helped him to eventually win the office.
Some political observers say that Brady’s conservative stances on social issues helped sink his campaign in 2010 because he was unable to gain the support of upstate moderates. But Brady said today that candidates have to make their opinions clear, come what may. “People have to know what you stand for. They know what I stand for. I stand for less government, lower taxes more private sector business. Regardless of who your candidate is, if they don’t know what you stand for, they don’t know what their supporting or not supporting.” However, Brady said that he thinks the focus of the 2014 race should be economic issues and not social policy.
Brady and the other candidates will likely not be able to match the wealthy Rauner’s ability to spend on his campaign. “We’ve conceded the fact that we’ll probably be outspent,” Brady said. “I don’t think there’s any question the people of Illinois regret their choice in the last election, and we’re going to win this time around.”
When asked what his biggest misstep in 2010 was, Brady did not have an answer. “I don’t know that I can point to that. What I can point to is that we’re going to run a strong campaign, build on what we’ve done and finish the job we started.”
Hinsdale state Sen. Kirk Dillard lost the primary to Brady in 2010 by fewer than 200 votes. Dillard noted that many pundits have since speculated that if he had beat Brady, he would be governor today. Dillard said to Republicans today that he could be the “unifier between the conservatives and moderates of our party.” Dillard said that he has appeal throughout Illinois and the “right profile” to win a statewide office. “I’m a suburbanite with strong downstate agricultural roots. I will be a governor for all of Illinois. I am not a regional candidate.”
Dillard pointed to his time as former Gov. Jim Edgar’s chief of staff as proof of his ability work with lawmakers and get things done. “I have experience that money cannot buy. ... I once worked for the last clean and competent governor of Illinois.” Edgar is again supporting Dillard’s bid for office. “I am the one candidate that is electable statewide. I know how to govern a Democrat legislature to get it to do things, and I’ve proven it as state senator as well as a gubernatorial aide — to get that Democrat legislature to live within its means,” Dillard said today. “I’m tested. I’m proven. And I’m committed to reinvigorating the Republican Party, but most importantly, making this great state of Illinois, the capital of the Midwest, work again.”
House Minority Leader Tom Cross was not in attendance today. The official line is that he had a prior family commitment and would be seeing his daughter off to college. However, rumors were circulating all day that he is considering a bid for treasurer. Cross had been planning a run for the attorney general’s office if Attorney General Lisa Madigan vacated the position. However, Madigan passed on a bid for governor and instead decided to seek reelection. While Cross was mulling his run, other members of his caucus were stepping forward in hopes of filling his leadership position. Since the revelation that Cross might stick around, he has been met with hostility from some of his members who were eyeing his job. Today, people close to the leader speculated that he may not have wanted to field questions from the press about a possible run for a different statewide office until he had made up his mind.
Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno was on hand. She said she would not be endorsing anyone in the elections. “I could imagine endorsing all of them; consequently, I will endorse none of them. ... I think all of them could do a good job, so I am going to be 100 percent behind whomever wins.” Radogno urged all Republicans who will be out campaigning during the 2014 election season to “remind our voters to keep focused on the result of 10 years of Democratic control.” She added, “People in this state I hope are smart enough to realize at this point, 10 years of one-party control has not been good for them.”
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Republicans look for lessons from last week's defeats
By Jamey Dunn
After suffering serious losses in last week’s election, Illinois Republicans agree that they have lessons to learn from their defeats. However, what those lessons are depend on whom you talk to.
Many Republicans have taken notice that the demographics in Illinois and across the nation are not shifting in the party’s favor. “What I think we have seen in Illinois is kind of the realignment politically of this state, and it’s something that the Republicans have to really worry about because our base really was the suburbs. That’s really what got us the margin to offset Chicago. That’s not there anymore. In fact, it many not even be Republican anymore,” said former Gov. Jim Edgar, a Republican.
Edgar has been arguing for years that the party must reach out to Latinos. He notes that he and former President George W. Bush both enjoyed some support from Latino voters because they did not take hard lines on immigration policy. “Unfortunately the congressional Republicans took a different approach a few years ago, and I think cost us any support out of the Hispanic community. And I think [failed Republican presidential candidate] Gov. [Mitt] Romney demonstrated that he went the wrong way on that issue, and it hurt him on Election Day.”
Edgar said that some Republicans must change their thinking on immigration to survive politically. “Besides the politics of it, it’s just the right thing to do. We have 10 [million] to 12 million people here who have been here for years undocumented. We need to deal with that. We can’t deport them. And these people contribute.” According to the Pew Research Center’s analysis of exit polls, Latinos made up 10 percent of the national electorate for last week’s election. That number is up from 9 percent in 2008 and 8 percent in 2004. This year, 71 percent of voting Latinos supported President Barack Obama.
“The Republican Party should be a party that appeals to Hispanics,” said John Tillman, chief operating officer of the Illinois Policy Institute. The institute describes itself as a nonpartisan think tank devoted to promoting “free market” ideas and policies. Tillman penned a an opinion piece, "Four Lessons from Election 2012," which can be found at the conservative blog Illinois Review. “I think Republicans are perceived to be hostile to immigrants. I don’t think its true because I’ve talked to enough to know it’s not true.”
Republicans and others seem to agree that the party needs to work on recruiting better candidates who can win in a general election. “It’s not enough to win the primary. You’ve got to win the general election, and you’ve got to find candidates who will be able. Not to sell out your principles, but that can appeal to more than just a bunch of white males. I think we have tendency as a party, we talk too much to each other, and a lot of our folks, they just watch Fox News and they listen to [conservative radio show host Rush] Limbaugh. I think they don’t have an accurate view of the world. So hopefully they have learned,” Edgar said.
Kent Redfield, professor emeritus of political science with the University of Illinois Springfield, said House Minority Leader Tom Cross and Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno may need to be more hands-on when it comes to scouting candidates and backing them in the Republican primary election. While they may give some financial support, both leaders tend to stay out of the bulk of primary fights and do not typically step in to vocally back a candidate.
Tillman said Republicans need to look beyond familiar faces. “The [Illinois] Republican Party establishment is too focused on recruiting talent on who you know and what relationships you have. Republicans need to broaden their thinking and try to find talent from outside of the party establishment.”
Some say the party's problem is messaging. Sen. Kyle McCarter, who is considering challenging Radogno for her leadership seat, said his caucus should have taken a stronger stand on controversial issues such as budget cuts and pension reform. “As Republicans, we can’t just say, ‘No.’ We’ve got to put some detailed plans on the table that really show how we as a state can get out of this fiscal mess.” Senate Republicans have come together to back a budget plan that they put down on paper, but McCarter said they should have introduced the plan as legislation. “I think it’s something that we should have done in this last session. We should have put that in bill form on the table,” he said. “Since I’ve been here, the leadership of the Republican Party has been much too risk-averse.”
While many blame the new legislative map drawn by Democrats as the primary factor for the sweeping Republican losses, McCarter said it’s more than that. “I don’t think the map is a good enough excuse. There’s two other factors, and that’s money and message, and I think we came up short in both of those,” he said.
Redfield said McCarter has demonstrated that he can bring at least one of the two to the table. “Clearly, McCarter is ready to go. He got conservative money funneled through him [in the 2012 election cycle],” Redfield said. Turning to potentially more conservative leadership might help Senate Republicans find campaign money in the short-term, but it could also make it more difficult to reach those growing demographics that Republicans are currently falling flat with. “It is maybe not the best self-awareness in terms of where the party needs to go to rebuild.”
Dan Proft, a talk show host with WLS radio in Chicago, said that Illinois Republicans do not have a clear platform on many issues that are most important to voters, such as education. “Blame Democrats, and we’re for the opposite of what they’re for. Well that’s not good enough, clearly,” he said. “What’s the Republican Party vision on K-12? Education is important. What is your vision, and how does that compare with the Democrats in charge?”
While he said that Republicans should not refuse to cooperate for the sake of obstruction, Proft, who made a failed bid for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 2010, said that the current legislative leaders should have gotten better deals on some of the bipartisan plans they agreed to. “They take bread crumbs and really become co-conspirators in bad public policy,” he said. “The approach is not to be the junior partners to the Chicago Democrats.”
Tillman agreed. “The Republican caucuses have been too focused on trying to make bad Democrat policies marginally better rather than having a clear brand-distinguishing alternative vision that they promote vigorously.” He was critical of Republican legislative leaders for their compromises with Democrats. “In terms of the Republican caucuses, with the Democrats having a supermajority, if leaders continue the pattern of seeking a seat at the table rather than providing a clear party-in-exile alternative, the rank and file members, investors and grassroots activists must demand changes. Regardless, the status quo is untenable,” Tillman wrote in his opinion piece.
But Radogno defended her ability to compromise, especially on the recently approved Medicaid reform package. The set of laws is expected to reduce the state’s Medicaid liability by more than $1.5 billion. The deal included $1-a-pack cigarette tax increase and a provision that allowed Cook County to grow its Medicaid program in anticipation of the expansion that will kick in under the Affordable Care Act. Those two components of the plan were in stand-alone bills, and Republicans were able to vote against them without sinking the entire compromise.
“For Sen. Radogno, I think if the Democratic majority put forth a good idea, then she will be willing to support a good idea,” said Radogno spokeswoman Patty Schuh. She said Republicans were able to back Medicaid cuts and reforms that they have been proposing for years. And now, she said, Radogno and others will keep the pressure on Gov. Pat Quinn to ensure that those ideas are implemented.
However, Schuh said proposals to increase taxes, borrow or make spending decisions that would make it difficult to allow the income tax increase to sunset as planned would continue to be nonstarters with Republican leadership in the Senate.
Schuh said that the 19 Republicans who are left in the Senate should not spend their terms sitting on their hands to make a political point. “The one thing to remember is, obviously, our numbers are low, but remember in so many legislative districts in the state of Illinois, 46, 47, 48, 49 percent of the people believe in the message of low taxes, less spending and reining in big government, and those people deserve to be represented.”
Edgar said those who point to the compromises made by legislative leadership as a cause of Republican losses last week are dead wrong. “Most people don’t really know who did what in the legislature. They know the final product,” he said. “If anything, I think the Republicans would be far better off to look like they are willing to reach across the aisle. I think that’s what people want. People don’t want more polarization. If the right wing still thinks that, they didn’t learn anything from this election. They haven’t been out there talking to ordinary folks.”
He added: “I don’t think you can blame Cross and Radogno. The problem is, they had terrible districts and they didn’t have the money. People give to who has power, and we didn’t have the power.”
But Edgar does see a possible bright spot in the future for the party. “The governor’s race in Illinois in two years is huge for the Republican Party. If we can win the governor’s office back, then we have a viable two party system in Illinois,” he said. “But we’ve got to make sure that we have a candidate who not only appeals to Republicans but who also appeals to independents and thoughtful Democrats because you’ve got to have those. There [are] not enough Republicans in the state to get elected dog catcher. You’ve got to go out and get people who don’t view themselves as Republican. That means that you’re going to have to make sure the candidate appeals to the center.”
Edgar warned that Republicans should not look at Quinn’s low public approval ratings and assume they have the governor’s race in the bag. “I think we have an opportunity, but it’s only an opportunity -- no guarantee. We’ve got to get our act together.”
After suffering serious losses in last week’s election, Illinois Republicans agree that they have lessons to learn from their defeats. However, what those lessons are depend on whom you talk to.
Many Republicans have taken notice that the demographics in Illinois and across the nation are not shifting in the party’s favor. “What I think we have seen in Illinois is kind of the realignment politically of this state, and it’s something that the Republicans have to really worry about because our base really was the suburbs. That’s really what got us the margin to offset Chicago. That’s not there anymore. In fact, it many not even be Republican anymore,” said former Gov. Jim Edgar, a Republican.
Edgar has been arguing for years that the party must reach out to Latinos. He notes that he and former President George W. Bush both enjoyed some support from Latino voters because they did not take hard lines on immigration policy. “Unfortunately the congressional Republicans took a different approach a few years ago, and I think cost us any support out of the Hispanic community. And I think [failed Republican presidential candidate] Gov. [Mitt] Romney demonstrated that he went the wrong way on that issue, and it hurt him on Election Day.”
Edgar said that some Republicans must change their thinking on immigration to survive politically. “Besides the politics of it, it’s just the right thing to do. We have 10 [million] to 12 million people here who have been here for years undocumented. We need to deal with that. We can’t deport them. And these people contribute.” According to the Pew Research Center’s analysis of exit polls, Latinos made up 10 percent of the national electorate for last week’s election. That number is up from 9 percent in 2008 and 8 percent in 2004. This year, 71 percent of voting Latinos supported President Barack Obama.
“The Republican Party should be a party that appeals to Hispanics,” said John Tillman, chief operating officer of the Illinois Policy Institute. The institute describes itself as a nonpartisan think tank devoted to promoting “free market” ideas and policies. Tillman penned a an opinion piece, "Four Lessons from Election 2012," which can be found at the conservative blog Illinois Review. “I think Republicans are perceived to be hostile to immigrants. I don’t think its true because I’ve talked to enough to know it’s not true.”
Republicans and others seem to agree that the party needs to work on recruiting better candidates who can win in a general election. “It’s not enough to win the primary. You’ve got to win the general election, and you’ve got to find candidates who will be able. Not to sell out your principles, but that can appeal to more than just a bunch of white males. I think we have tendency as a party, we talk too much to each other, and a lot of our folks, they just watch Fox News and they listen to [conservative radio show host Rush] Limbaugh. I think they don’t have an accurate view of the world. So hopefully they have learned,” Edgar said.
Kent Redfield, professor emeritus of political science with the University of Illinois Springfield, said House Minority Leader Tom Cross and Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno may need to be more hands-on when it comes to scouting candidates and backing them in the Republican primary election. While they may give some financial support, both leaders tend to stay out of the bulk of primary fights and do not typically step in to vocally back a candidate.
Tillman said Republicans need to look beyond familiar faces. “The [Illinois] Republican Party establishment is too focused on recruiting talent on who you know and what relationships you have. Republicans need to broaden their thinking and try to find talent from outside of the party establishment.”
Some say the party's problem is messaging. Sen. Kyle McCarter, who is considering challenging Radogno for her leadership seat, said his caucus should have taken a stronger stand on controversial issues such as budget cuts and pension reform. “As Republicans, we can’t just say, ‘No.’ We’ve got to put some detailed plans on the table that really show how we as a state can get out of this fiscal mess.” Senate Republicans have come together to back a budget plan that they put down on paper, but McCarter said they should have introduced the plan as legislation. “I think it’s something that we should have done in this last session. We should have put that in bill form on the table,” he said. “Since I’ve been here, the leadership of the Republican Party has been much too risk-averse.”
While many blame the new legislative map drawn by Democrats as the primary factor for the sweeping Republican losses, McCarter said it’s more than that. “I don’t think the map is a good enough excuse. There’s two other factors, and that’s money and message, and I think we came up short in both of those,” he said.
Redfield said McCarter has demonstrated that he can bring at least one of the two to the table. “Clearly, McCarter is ready to go. He got conservative money funneled through him [in the 2012 election cycle],” Redfield said. Turning to potentially more conservative leadership might help Senate Republicans find campaign money in the short-term, but it could also make it more difficult to reach those growing demographics that Republicans are currently falling flat with. “It is maybe not the best self-awareness in terms of where the party needs to go to rebuild.”
Dan Proft, a talk show host with WLS radio in Chicago, said that Illinois Republicans do not have a clear platform on many issues that are most important to voters, such as education. “Blame Democrats, and we’re for the opposite of what they’re for. Well that’s not good enough, clearly,” he said. “What’s the Republican Party vision on K-12? Education is important. What is your vision, and how does that compare with the Democrats in charge?”
While he said that Republicans should not refuse to cooperate for the sake of obstruction, Proft, who made a failed bid for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 2010, said that the current legislative leaders should have gotten better deals on some of the bipartisan plans they agreed to. “They take bread crumbs and really become co-conspirators in bad public policy,” he said. “The approach is not to be the junior partners to the Chicago Democrats.”
Tillman agreed. “The Republican caucuses have been too focused on trying to make bad Democrat policies marginally better rather than having a clear brand-distinguishing alternative vision that they promote vigorously.” He was critical of Republican legislative leaders for their compromises with Democrats. “In terms of the Republican caucuses, with the Democrats having a supermajority, if leaders continue the pattern of seeking a seat at the table rather than providing a clear party-in-exile alternative, the rank and file members, investors and grassroots activists must demand changes. Regardless, the status quo is untenable,” Tillman wrote in his opinion piece.
But Radogno defended her ability to compromise, especially on the recently approved Medicaid reform package. The set of laws is expected to reduce the state’s Medicaid liability by more than $1.5 billion. The deal included $1-a-pack cigarette tax increase and a provision that allowed Cook County to grow its Medicaid program in anticipation of the expansion that will kick in under the Affordable Care Act. Those two components of the plan were in stand-alone bills, and Republicans were able to vote against them without sinking the entire compromise.
“For Sen. Radogno, I think if the Democratic majority put forth a good idea, then she will be willing to support a good idea,” said Radogno spokeswoman Patty Schuh. She said Republicans were able to back Medicaid cuts and reforms that they have been proposing for years. And now, she said, Radogno and others will keep the pressure on Gov. Pat Quinn to ensure that those ideas are implemented.
However, Schuh said proposals to increase taxes, borrow or make spending decisions that would make it difficult to allow the income tax increase to sunset as planned would continue to be nonstarters with Republican leadership in the Senate.
Schuh said that the 19 Republicans who are left in the Senate should not spend their terms sitting on their hands to make a political point. “The one thing to remember is, obviously, our numbers are low, but remember in so many legislative districts in the state of Illinois, 46, 47, 48, 49 percent of the people believe in the message of low taxes, less spending and reining in big government, and those people deserve to be represented.”
Edgar said those who point to the compromises made by legislative leadership as a cause of Republican losses last week are dead wrong. “Most people don’t really know who did what in the legislature. They know the final product,” he said. “If anything, I think the Republicans would be far better off to look like they are willing to reach across the aisle. I think that’s what people want. People don’t want more polarization. If the right wing still thinks that, they didn’t learn anything from this election. They haven’t been out there talking to ordinary folks.”
He added: “I don’t think you can blame Cross and Radogno. The problem is, they had terrible districts and they didn’t have the money. People give to who has power, and we didn’t have the power.”
But Edgar does see a possible bright spot in the future for the party. “The governor’s race in Illinois in two years is huge for the Republican Party. If we can win the governor’s office back, then we have a viable two party system in Illinois,” he said. “But we’ve got to make sure that we have a candidate who not only appeals to Republicans but who also appeals to independents and thoughtful Democrats because you’ve got to have those. There [are] not enough Republicans in the state to get elected dog catcher. You’ve got to go out and get people who don’t view themselves as Republican. That means that you’re going to have to make sure the candidate appeals to the center.”
Edgar warned that Republicans should not look at Quinn’s low public approval ratings and assume they have the governor’s race in the bag. “I think we have an opportunity, but it’s only an opportunity -- no guarantee. We’ve got to get our act together.”
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Republicans say their time is coming in Illinois
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| State Treasurer Dan Rutherford takes the podium at the fair. |
Illinois Republicans are optimistic about their party’s chances in the 2012 elections, if they can get their message across to voters.
“I think that America’s going to be looking at who is going to help lead us during an economically stressful time. Who’s going to help us with regards to jobs?” state Treasurer Dan Rutherford said at today’s Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair. He said Illinois Republicans need to reach outside of their traditional voting base and cannot count solely on the wave of popularity the Tea Party has found in other parts of the country. “The Tea Party brings a portion of the electorate, and more power to them in doing that. I just say that there is much more to wining a race in Illinois than just one specific segment. The traditional base of hard-core Republicans is not as large as the traditional base of hard-core Democrats. And for that reason, a candidate like me, who wins statewide races, has to understand that you need to reach into the independents and, to be very blunt with you, into the Democrats.”
Rutherford would not say if he plans to run for governor in the future. “I’m going to be a good state treasurer for the next few years, and we’ll make a decision later.”
Republicans believe their message of reduced spending and smaller government resonates in the down economy. “Incrementally, we continue to be the voice of reason,” said Sen. Bill Brady, a Bloomington Republican. Brady said Illinois voters need to get to know some Republican candidates better. “I think the people of Illinois are on a learning curve.” He says that “learning curve” is what made the difference in his failed run for governor last year. “At the end of the day, the undecideds didn’t get to know me as well as they felt they knew Gov. [Pat] Quinn, a career politician,” he said. Brady, who has served in the General Assembly for more than for 15 years, would not say whether he plans a third shot at the governor’s office.
The message Republicans were pushing today was opposition to borrowing. Quinn has renewed his call for the state to borrow to pay some or all of the estimated $4 billion backlog of overdue bills that Illinois owes to schools, social services providers, local governments and others. State Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka said the state has a stack of more than 190,000 bills, the oldest of which dates April 19, 2011.
“I’m just thrilled to death that we’re paying bills from 2011. We finally got out of 2010. We don’t have the money to pay it. It’s just that simple,” she said. Topinka joined Rutherford and the Republican legislative leaders to oppose borrowing to pay late bills, which they say will only dig the state into a deeper hole. Republicans also warn that with the recent Standard & Poor’s downgrade of the country’s credit rating and a specific warning to Illinois from the bond rating agency Moody’s, the cost of borrowing for the state may soon increase. “We actually do have a plan. … It’s not rocket science,” said Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno. “It simply says you spend less money than you have coming in, and you start paying more bills down.” The Senate Republicans' plan called for $5 billion to $6 billion in budget cuts. Radogno said the plan would result in a budget surplus in five years.
Democrats criticized Republicans for not drafting their plan into legislation, saying such massive cuts to the state’s major spending areas of education, health care and human services are not so simple. They say some of the Republican plan would violate court orders and cause the state to miss out on substantial amounts of federal funding. “If there was an easy way out of this, we’d have figured it out a long time ago,” said Sen. John Sullivan, a Rushville Democrat. Sullivan sponsored several proposals to borrow to pay down the state’s backlog. He only called one of the bills, a proposal to borrow about $6.2 billion, for a vote, and it received a meager 19 “yes” votes. Sullivan said he is trying to sell lawmakers as well as voters on the idea, and he plans to push some version of the plan again. “I’m just trying to build a case,” he said.
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| Party chair Pat Brady address the crowd. |
In this year before the presidency and every seat in the General Assembly comes up for grabs, Illinois Republicans are working to raise the profile of their party and their message of fiscal responsibility. Republican Party Chair Pat Brady announced an Illinois straw poll — similar to the famous Iowa straw poll conducted last weekend — on Republican presidential candidates on November 5, one year before the election. Brady said the party plans to have polling locations in every county in the state. Brady put a positive spin on the spotty attendance at the Republican rally at the fair today, while noting that Democratic Party Chair and House Speaker Michael Madigan did not attend yesterday’s Democratic events. “This is a substantially better crowd than we had in the last off-]election] year, and we don’t bus people in because we gave them jobs. These are all people who came because they want to support the party.”
Friday, April 15, 2011
Cullerton to Republicans: Show us your cuts
By Jamey Dunn
More than $1 billion needs to be cut from Gov. Pat Quinn’s proposal to create a balanced budget, according to Senate President John Cullerton, and Senate Republicans say $5 billion has to be trimmed if the recent state income tax is truly temporary.
“We believe that the governor’s budget is not balanced. He’s suggested that we spend more money than we have. So this is going to be a difficult process for us to go through and to cut from his proposed budget,” Cullerton said.
Kelly Kraft, a spokeswoman for Quinn’s budget office, said the governor’s budget proposal relies on a borrowing plan to pay off the state’s late bills, as well as a change to the tax code that would bring in some revenue. Kraft said Quinn’s administration considers his proposal to be a balanced budget.
The Senate today approved Illinois’ required pension payment, as well as a payment on the state’s borrowing. The spending equals about S7.8 billion. “So we have $26.5 billion left to appropriate for state government in order to have a balanced budget,” Cullerton said.
In recent years, the state has underfunded the pension system for retired employees or borrowed to make its annual payment. “We have prioritized the pension payments. We’ve said it’s not negotiable. We’re not going to what we did the last two years, where we borrowed the pension payment, Cullerton said.
However, Senate Republicans say lawmakers need to cut about $5 billion from Quinn’s proposed budget to avoid massive future budget deficits and to guarantee that the income tax increase is fazed out as the legislation stipulates.
Cullerton called on Republicans to draft the ideas from their cuts plan into legislation for the Senate to consider when it is back in session next month. “We’re not going to have an omnibus, single up and down vote on a budget. We’re going to do it the way we’ve always done it in the past, up until recent years. And this is in response to many, many legislators who objected to the fact…that [they] had a budget dumped on their desk the last night [with] not enough time to read it.”
Minority Leader Christine Radogno said she thinks legislation that has been negotiated between the two parties before it hits the Senate floor would be much more effective. She said that if Republicans draft all their proposals into bills, Democrats will likely vote them down in a committee, and they will never see a vote from the full chamber. “What are they willing to put 15 votes on?” Radogno asked. While Senate Republicans have not introduced much of their plan as legislation, they have vowed to put up at least half of the votes needed if any of their proposals were to come up for a floor vote.
Cullerton said he is “surprised and disappointed” that Radogno called for what he described as “behind-closed-doors” negations.
However, Radogno said that hammering out budget decisions in a smaller group, such as a committee, would bring more focus and be more productive. “It’s very difficult to negotiate with 59 people. I think a committee structure is a good place to have a discussion. I think that there’s a productive process going on over in the House,” Radogno said. So far, House Speaker Mike Madigan has said that the chamber’s budgeting committees will be directing the spending decisions. She added that she thinks the House is looking at deeper cuts than Senate Democrats, who are working with an estimate for next year’s revenue that is about $1 billion more than the House’s estimate. Culleton played down the difference in the estimates, saying that it could be sorted out during negations between the two chambers.
Cullerton also continued to advocate for a borrowing plan to pay down the state’s backlog of overdue bills. Quinn’s plan calls for the state to borrow $8.75 billion, but Cullerton said the number could likely be smaller, giving a ballpark figure of $6 billion.
Senate Republicans say if lawmakers cut about $5 billion, the state could pay off its bills within 18 months. Some say Illinois is already spending too much on borrowing and point to the amount of money the Senate approved today to spend on borrowing and pensions. “I think this is a cautionary tale going forward. Take a look at Fiscal Year 2012, [the revenue that] we don’t have because of this payment,” said Sen. Matt Murphy, a Palatine Republican.
More than $1 billion needs to be cut from Gov. Pat Quinn’s proposal to create a balanced budget, according to Senate President John Cullerton, and Senate Republicans say $5 billion has to be trimmed if the recent state income tax is truly temporary.
“We believe that the governor’s budget is not balanced. He’s suggested that we spend more money than we have. So this is going to be a difficult process for us to go through and to cut from his proposed budget,” Cullerton said.
Kelly Kraft, a spokeswoman for Quinn’s budget office, said the governor’s budget proposal relies on a borrowing plan to pay off the state’s late bills, as well as a change to the tax code that would bring in some revenue. Kraft said Quinn’s administration considers his proposal to be a balanced budget.
The Senate today approved Illinois’ required pension payment, as well as a payment on the state’s borrowing. The spending equals about S7.8 billion. “So we have $26.5 billion left to appropriate for state government in order to have a balanced budget,” Cullerton said.
In recent years, the state has underfunded the pension system for retired employees or borrowed to make its annual payment. “We have prioritized the pension payments. We’ve said it’s not negotiable. We’re not going to what we did the last two years, where we borrowed the pension payment, Cullerton said.
However, Senate Republicans say lawmakers need to cut about $5 billion from Quinn’s proposed budget to avoid massive future budget deficits and to guarantee that the income tax increase is fazed out as the legislation stipulates.
Cullerton called on Republicans to draft the ideas from their cuts plan into legislation for the Senate to consider when it is back in session next month. “We’re not going to have an omnibus, single up and down vote on a budget. We’re going to do it the way we’ve always done it in the past, up until recent years. And this is in response to many, many legislators who objected to the fact…that [they] had a budget dumped on their desk the last night [with] not enough time to read it.”
Minority Leader Christine Radogno said she thinks legislation that has been negotiated between the two parties before it hits the Senate floor would be much more effective. She said that if Republicans draft all their proposals into bills, Democrats will likely vote them down in a committee, and they will never see a vote from the full chamber. “What are they willing to put 15 votes on?” Radogno asked. While Senate Republicans have not introduced much of their plan as legislation, they have vowed to put up at least half of the votes needed if any of their proposals were to come up for a floor vote.
Cullerton said he is “surprised and disappointed” that Radogno called for what he described as “behind-closed-doors” negations.
However, Radogno said that hammering out budget decisions in a smaller group, such as a committee, would bring more focus and be more productive. “It’s very difficult to negotiate with 59 people. I think a committee structure is a good place to have a discussion. I think that there’s a productive process going on over in the House,” Radogno said. So far, House Speaker Mike Madigan has said that the chamber’s budgeting committees will be directing the spending decisions. She added that she thinks the House is looking at deeper cuts than Senate Democrats, who are working with an estimate for next year’s revenue that is about $1 billion more than the House’s estimate. Culleton played down the difference in the estimates, saying that it could be sorted out during negations between the two chambers.
Cullerton also continued to advocate for a borrowing plan to pay down the state’s backlog of overdue bills. Quinn’s plan calls for the state to borrow $8.75 billion, but Cullerton said the number could likely be smaller, giving a ballpark figure of $6 billion.
Senate Republicans say if lawmakers cut about $5 billion, the state could pay off its bills within 18 months. Some say Illinois is already spending too much on borrowing and point to the amount of money the Senate approved today to spend on borrowing and pensions. “I think this is a cautionary tale going forward. Take a look at Fiscal Year 2012, [the revenue that] we don’t have because of this payment,” said Sen. Matt Murphy, a Palatine Republican.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Senate moves to postpone budget address
By Jamey Dunn
A proposal to give Gov. Pat Quinn some extra time to work on his budget address has become the first partisan budget showdown of the session.
The Senate approved HB 2240 this afternoon. If approved by the House, the legislation would move the budget address from February 17, which is currently required by law, to March 10.
The bill would require Quinn to make some budget information available to the legislature and the public via a website by February 24. That information includes:
Senate Democrats said that they approached the governor’s office to request more transparency and input in the process. They tout the bill as an unprecedented cooperative approach to budgeting.
“We’re going to have, for the first time, the two major points. We’re going to have the information about how much money we’ve brought into this state so far this year and where we spent it. That’s never been officially reported,” said Senate President John Cullerton, the sponsor of the bill. “Secondly, we are going to have the official starting point for next year. We’re going to know how much money the governor says we have available to us and how much our obligations are for next year before he comes up with his budget.”
However, Republicans said the transparency measures were only included in the bill as an excuse to buy Quinn more time. “There’s a lot of good ideas in here, but when you boil it all down … this really is nothing more than window dressing to justify putting off the budget address. The fact of the matter is, there’s really nothing new that couldn’t have come out this week or last week,” Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno said. She added that moving the address back would unnecessarily "compress" budget negotiations into a shorter time period.
Cullerton responded by saying the budget will be completed on time, and the process will actually begin once Quinn starts receiving input on the website.
“I think this is going to be a dramatic change. We still have to pass a budget by the same day. …We’re going to meet that deadline. We’re actually going to try to get out of Springfield three weeks earlier than we have in the past. And we’ll still have enough time to have [appropriations] hearings,” he said.
Republicans said that because the state is in a fiscal crisis, Quinn should be prepared to give his address on time. “This is now anarchy. This is fiscal anarchy,” said Aurora Republican Sen. Chris Lauzen. “If the governor does not know what he is going to say, on schedule, then we are truly lost.”
A proposal to give Gov. Pat Quinn some extra time to work on his budget address has become the first partisan budget showdown of the session.
The Senate approved HB 2240 this afternoon. If approved by the House, the legislation would move the budget address from February 17, which is currently required by law, to March 10.
The bill would require Quinn to make some budget information available to the legislature and the public via a website by February 24. That information includes:
- Total revenue for fiscal year 2010, including estimates for the remaining months.
- Total spending for fiscal year 2010, including estimates for the remaining months.
- Estimated revenue for fiscal year 2011.
- The state’s obligations, such as interest on debts and pension payments, for fiscal year 2011.
Senate Democrats said that they approached the governor’s office to request more transparency and input in the process. They tout the bill as an unprecedented cooperative approach to budgeting.
“We’re going to have, for the first time, the two major points. We’re going to have the information about how much money we’ve brought into this state so far this year and where we spent it. That’s never been officially reported,” said Senate President John Cullerton, the sponsor of the bill. “Secondly, we are going to have the official starting point for next year. We’re going to know how much money the governor says we have available to us and how much our obligations are for next year before he comes up with his budget.”
However, Republicans said the transparency measures were only included in the bill as an excuse to buy Quinn more time. “There’s a lot of good ideas in here, but when you boil it all down … this really is nothing more than window dressing to justify putting off the budget address. The fact of the matter is, there’s really nothing new that couldn’t have come out this week or last week,” Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno said. She added that moving the address back would unnecessarily "compress" budget negotiations into a shorter time period.
Cullerton responded by saying the budget will be completed on time, and the process will actually begin once Quinn starts receiving input on the website.
“I think this is going to be a dramatic change. We still have to pass a budget by the same day. …We’re going to meet that deadline. We’re actually going to try to get out of Springfield three weeks earlier than we have in the past. And we’ll still have enough time to have [appropriations] hearings,” he said.
Republicans said that because the state is in a fiscal crisis, Quinn should be prepared to give his address on time. “This is now anarchy. This is fiscal anarchy,” said Aurora Republican Sen. Chris Lauzen. “If the governor does not know what he is going to say, on schedule, then we are truly lost.”
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
September issue: Out with the Old — NCLB
Check out the September edition of Illinois Issues magazine.
Find a profile of Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, who has taken her party away from the legacy of James 'Pate' Philip, according to writer Kevin McDermott, in "Her own style."
In our cover story, educators and policy groups weigh in as Congress prepares to reauthorize the 2001 No Child Left Behind law. See "Out with the old."
And get a preview of an Illinois Supreme Court case that has potential to clarify what nonprofit hospitals need to do to qualify for property tax exemptions. Read "Charity care" before the case's oral arguments, scheduled for September 23.
In the print edition, only, University of Illinois at Springfield professor Christopher Mooney analyzes Gov. Pat Quinn's "populist" style as he calls attention to direct democracy concepts of recall and citizen initiative in "Let the people speak."
Also in print-only, MarySue Barrett, president of the Metropolitan Planning Council, pens a guest essay about "Wise spending," or a method she says would get infrastructure investment right.
As always, the print edition also includes, among other monthly features, the award-winning column by Charlie Wheeler, director of the Public Affairs Reporting program at UIS. This month, he says, "Illinois' budget is the most out-of-whack in recent history."
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
He's been served
The weeks of cable TV jokes about Illinois' culture of corruption were confronted by a very abrupt and sober tone today as Gov. Rod Blagojevich presided over the state Senate for slightly more than an hour. The chamber officially elected two new legislative leaders, inviting an odd combination of awkwardness and hope. While the leaders face an ominous budget crisis, they first have to determine whether to remove Blagojevich from office for allegations of corruption and abuse of power. That trial process started today, and the Senate officially summoned the governor by delivering a copy of the grounds for impeachment to his Statehouse office.
Toby Trimmer, the Senate Democrats’ communications director, said the governor’s deputy general counsel, Andrew Stolfi, accepted the summons on Blagojevich’s behalf.
A few hours before, Blagojevich fulfilled his constitutional oath by swearing in the 96th General Assembly. The affair dripped with irony as he introduced Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, who would take his place if convicted by the Illinois Senate or by the feds; Supreme Court Justice Thomas Fitzgerald, who will preside over his impeachment trial; and Auditor General William Holland, who repeatedly wrote critical audits of the Blagojevich Administration. He also testified before the special Illinois House committee that recommended impeachment last week.
Legislators and guests in the Senate did not react when Blagojevich walked in, or more like slipped in from a back room of the chamber. He smiled and waved to a few people in the crowd, but his demeanor soon changed. He remained rather stoic as Senate members described the challenges ahead.
“Ideally, we’d be electing a Senate President under much different circumstances,” said Sen. Louis Viverito as he officially nominated Sen. John Cullerton as top Democratic leader. “A historic budget shortfall, the rising unemployment and the trial of our governor, never before has this [body been called upon] to deliberate these serious and solemn issues.”
He added that today’s proceedings marked an opportunity to take one “significant and meaningful step towards" restoring the public’s trust. When the Senate trial concludes, added Sen. Heather Steans, “we must address a massive budget deficit, pass meaningful ethics reform and get Illinois working and building again with a capital program.”
Blagojevich remained at the podium, looking directly at the speakers, sometimes glancing down or shifting his weight. He remained stoic and did not clap after their comments. But he gave a few closing comments of his own: “These are challenging times, hard economic times facing the people of Illinois. I hope we can find a way when dealing with other issues to find the truth and sort things out and put the business of the people first, to make sure we find solutions to the problems confronting people, do the best we can to ease their burdens and try to help people build better lives.”
He ended with what seemed like a personal request. “I hope that we can find some inspiration in Abraham Lincoln’s words of ‘with malice toward none, with charity for all,’ let us come together and get the business of the people done.”
Senate impeachment trial starts
By Jamey Dunn
The Senate officially elected Democratic Sen. John Cullerton as Senate president and Republican Sen. Christine Radogno as minority leader. Each voted for the other as a symbolic gesture of bipartisan cooperation and determination. While both acknowledged the daunting tasks ahead, starting with Blagojevich’s impeachment trial, they said it’ll get even harder when lawmakers have to figure out how to keep the state operating with lower-than-anticipated revenues and more than $4 billion in overdue bills.
Adding to the bad news, Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias later issued a warning that the state’s investments are not fairing well in the economic downturn. In a written statement, he said that the interest the state earns on its investments could be the lowest since the office started recording returns in 1986.
The Senate unanimously voted to adopt the rules for the impeachment trial, which will begin at noon January 26. They are expected to work six days a week until the process is over, as the rules prevent the Senate from working on Sundays. Until the trial starts, both House Prosecutor David Ellis and the governor’s defense counsel will prepare their cases by making a list of witnesses and pieces of evidence.
After both sides presented their arguments, the Senate will deliberate and vote. If two-thirds or more of the members, or 40 senators, vote to uphold just one charge against the governor, then he will be convicted and removed from office. Then, the Senate would vote whether he could ever hold public office in Illinois again.
House impeaches Blagojevich, again
By Hilary Russell
Perhaps the most peculiar moment of the Illinois House’s inauguration ceremony was that one of the first votes cast by newly elected Rep. Deborah Mell was whether to impeach her brother-in-law, Gov. Rod Blagojevich. She voted no, the only one to do so Wednesday as the 117 other House members re-impeached the governor.
“The charges and impeachment were difficult to reconcile with the man and brother-in-law I know,” Mell said in a statement. “I could not, in good conscience, vote for his impeachment.”
She is a Chicago Democrat, sister of First Lady Patricia Blagojevich and daughter of a well-known Chicago alderman who previously alleged that Blagojevich conducted pay-to-play politics. “Given my unique relationship to the governor, this is a vote to which I’ve given a great deal of consideration,” she said.
The House held its inauguration at the University of Illinois at Springfield. Then it re-impeached the governor as a technicality. The previous General Assembly impeached Blagojevich January 9. But members said it was better to be safe than sorry by allowing the 96th General Assembly to cast its own vote, which also allows new members to be on public record as voting to impeach the governor and use that fact in reelection campaigns.
The legislators dramatically pledged to banish old-style Illinois politics and undo the failures of the Blagojevich Administration, focusing on change, hope and a new beginning for the state and its residents.
House Speaker Michael Madigan and House Minority Leader Tom Cross accepted the nominations of their peers to continue serving as leaders of the chamber.
Toby Trimmer, the Senate Democrats’ communications director, said the governor’s deputy general counsel, Andrew Stolfi, accepted the summons on Blagojevich’s behalf.
A few hours before, Blagojevich fulfilled his constitutional oath by swearing in the 96th General Assembly. The affair dripped with irony as he introduced Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, who would take his place if convicted by the Illinois Senate or by the feds; Supreme Court Justice Thomas Fitzgerald, who will preside over his impeachment trial; and Auditor General William Holland, who repeatedly wrote critical audits of the Blagojevich Administration. He also testified before the special Illinois House committee that recommended impeachment last week.
Legislators and guests in the Senate did not react when Blagojevich walked in, or more like slipped in from a back room of the chamber. He smiled and waved to a few people in the crowd, but his demeanor soon changed. He remained rather stoic as Senate members described the challenges ahead.
“Ideally, we’d be electing a Senate President under much different circumstances,” said Sen. Louis Viverito as he officially nominated Sen. John Cullerton as top Democratic leader. “A historic budget shortfall, the rising unemployment and the trial of our governor, never before has this [body been called upon] to deliberate these serious and solemn issues.”
He added that today’s proceedings marked an opportunity to take one “significant and meaningful step towards" restoring the public’s trust. When the Senate trial concludes, added Sen. Heather Steans, “we must address a massive budget deficit, pass meaningful ethics reform and get Illinois working and building again with a capital program.”
Blagojevich remained at the podium, looking directly at the speakers, sometimes glancing down or shifting his weight. He remained stoic and did not clap after their comments. But he gave a few closing comments of his own: “These are challenging times, hard economic times facing the people of Illinois. I hope we can find a way when dealing with other issues to find the truth and sort things out and put the business of the people first, to make sure we find solutions to the problems confronting people, do the best we can to ease their burdens and try to help people build better lives.”
He ended with what seemed like a personal request. “I hope that we can find some inspiration in Abraham Lincoln’s words of ‘with malice toward none, with charity for all,’ let us come together and get the business of the people done.”
Senate impeachment trial starts
By Jamey Dunn
The Senate officially elected Democratic Sen. John Cullerton as Senate president and Republican Sen. Christine Radogno as minority leader. Each voted for the other as a symbolic gesture of bipartisan cooperation and determination. While both acknowledged the daunting tasks ahead, starting with Blagojevich’s impeachment trial, they said it’ll get even harder when lawmakers have to figure out how to keep the state operating with lower-than-anticipated revenues and more than $4 billion in overdue bills.
Adding to the bad news, Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias later issued a warning that the state’s investments are not fairing well in the economic downturn. In a written statement, he said that the interest the state earns on its investments could be the lowest since the office started recording returns in 1986.
The Senate unanimously voted to adopt the rules for the impeachment trial, which will begin at noon January 26. They are expected to work six days a week until the process is over, as the rules prevent the Senate from working on Sundays. Until the trial starts, both House Prosecutor David Ellis and the governor’s defense counsel will prepare their cases by making a list of witnesses and pieces of evidence.
After both sides presented their arguments, the Senate will deliberate and vote. If two-thirds or more of the members, or 40 senators, vote to uphold just one charge against the governor, then he will be convicted and removed from office. Then, the Senate would vote whether he could ever hold public office in Illinois again.
House impeaches Blagojevich, again
By Hilary Russell
Perhaps the most peculiar moment of the Illinois House’s inauguration ceremony was that one of the first votes cast by newly elected Rep. Deborah Mell was whether to impeach her brother-in-law, Gov. Rod Blagojevich. She voted no, the only one to do so Wednesday as the 117 other House members re-impeached the governor.
“The charges and impeachment were difficult to reconcile with the man and brother-in-law I know,” Mell said in a statement. “I could not, in good conscience, vote for his impeachment.”
She is a Chicago Democrat, sister of First Lady Patricia Blagojevich and daughter of a well-known Chicago alderman who previously alleged that Blagojevich conducted pay-to-play politics. “Given my unique relationship to the governor, this is a vote to which I’ve given a great deal of consideration,” she said.
The House held its inauguration at the University of Illinois at Springfield. Then it re-impeached the governor as a technicality. The previous General Assembly impeached Blagojevich January 9. But members said it was better to be safe than sorry by allowing the 96th General Assembly to cast its own vote, which also allows new members to be on public record as voting to impeach the governor and use that fact in reelection campaigns.
The legislators dramatically pledged to banish old-style Illinois politics and undo the failures of the Blagojevich Administration, focusing on change, hope and a new beginning for the state and its residents.
House Speaker Michael Madigan and House Minority Leader Tom Cross accepted the nominations of their peers to continue serving as leaders of the chamber.
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