Quinn wants to use cash from Thomson sale to pay old bills

By Jamey Dunn

Gov. Pat Quinn hopes to use money from the planned sale of the Thomson prison to the federal government to pay off some of the state’s overdue bills.

“I think we ought to pay our bills with that money,” Quinn said today after he and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin announced that a plan for the federal government to buy the empty state prison for $165 million will proceed. “And now, we’re going to move forward to make this a federal prison, and it’s going to be one of the best in America,” Durbin said today in Thomson. Quinn and Durbin estimate that the sale would bring more than 1,000 permanent jobs to the Thomson area in northwest Illinois.

The plan for the U.S. government to guy the prison, which has never been filled to capacity, was floated back in 2009 as a place to put Guantanamo Bay detainees. President Barack Obama had vowed to close the controversial detention camp in Cuba.

That’s not to say Illinois does not have enough prisoners to fill the Thomson prison, the Associated Press reported that the number of inmates in Illinois reached an all-time high in September. The Department of Corrections took issue with the AP’s math, but even by its own count, there are more than 15,000 more inmates than the system was designed for. The Thomson facility has housed some prisoners over the years but has never been remotely close to its capacity. The prison has not been truly operational since its completion in 2001 because it was never funded. (For more on Thomson and other unused state facilities, see Illinois Issues January 2012.)

While many in Illinois jumped at the chance to unload the underused prison and make some cash to help bolster the state’s struggling budget, the national politics over the closure of Guantanamo Bay, also known as Gitmo, and haggling over the price of sale stalled the plan.

But after it became clear that Obama’s campaign promise to close Guantanamo Bay was not going to become a reality, Durbin and others still wanted to move forward to buy the Thomson prison as a way to alleviate the overcrowding in the federal corrections system. Republicans in Congress continued to opposed the purchase, citing concerns that the prison would still somehow be used at part of a Guantanamo closure plan. Virginia Republican Congressman Frank Wolf, who chairs a key spending House subcommittee, would not sign off on using unspent Department of Justice funds for the purchase.

Durbin said that the law requires that detainees such as those at Guantanamo must be housed in a military facility and not a federal prison. “The president has given his word, this administration has given its word. The law requires that no Guantanamo detainees be placed in the Thomson prison. Period.”

Durbin said such approval is usually routine. However, Wolf was not convinced by Durbin’s arguments and refused to approve the transfer of funds needed to buy the prison. Durbin said he went directly to Obama and asked him to intervene after he felt that Wolf was stonewalling the plan, and the Department of Justice signed off on the sale without Wolf’s approval. “It reached the point we couldn’t convince him. There was nothing we could say,” Durbin said today. “This first time we put this letter in front of this congressman was over a year ago -- over a year ago. We’ve been waiting for this. We finally reached the point where we said, ‘We’ve got to seize the moment.’”

Wolf said Obama and Durbin are doing an end-run around longstanding procedures. “President Obama’s unprecedented directive to Attorney General [Eric] Holder to circumvent Congress to purchase Thomson prison is deeply troubling,” Wolf said in a written statement. “It directly violates the clear objection of the House Appropriations Committee and goes against the bipartisan objections of members in the House and Senate, who have noted that approving this request would allow Thomson to take precedence over previously funded prisons in Alabama, Mississippi, West Virginia and New Hampshire.” Wolf reiterated his fears that the sale is part of a larger plan to close Guantanamo and transfer the detainees to a facility it America.

But the sale seems to be a done deal. Quinn said today that the checks are already in the bank. “Under the rules, the federal government cannot write a check more than $100 million. So in Rockford today, was deposited a check for $99 million and one for $66 million from the federal government to the state of Illinois.” The facility will need upgrades to meet federal standards, and Durbin and Quinn said the sale would also result in some temporary construction jobs. The money for construction has yet to be appropriated by Congress.

Thomson Mayor Jerry “Duke” Hebeler said he hopes there are no more holdups. “We’ll wait and see if anything else happens, I hope not.”

Quinn said some of the money from the sale would go toward paying off bonds used to build the facility. He said has his administration still has to calculate how much would go to pay down borrowing. However, the governor said that the rest of the money should be spent on unpaid bills. “I have to interact with the General Assembly on this when they come together in late November [for the fall veto session],” Quinn said. He said that the overdue payments to vendors, schools and providers should take priority over any other areas of spending. “We owe this money right now to good people and businesses who provided services to the state of Illinois.”

Feds still want Thomson

By Jamey Dunn

Federal officials reiterated their intent today to purchase an Illinois prison by the end of the year, even if it may not be used to house terror suspects.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and Gov. Pat Quinn announced in December that President Barack Obama’s administration intended to buy Thomson Correctional Center as part of a plan to fulfill Obama’s campaign vow to close the embattled federal Guantanamo Bay detention center. Inmates from Guantanamo would be housed in a dedicated area of Thomson, while the rest of it would be used for federal convicts.

Thomson, which is in northwest Illinois, has been virtually empty since its completion in 2001.

The plan stalled after losing support in Congress. A Senate committee approved a defense spending plan in May that lacked funding for the portion of the prison that would hold former Guantanamo detainees and be administered by the Defense Department and .

However, a letter from a Justice Department official sent to Durbin and Quinn on Monday lays out the Bureau of Prison’s (BOP) intentions to continue with the portion of the plan that would use Thomson as a federal prison.

“BOP plans to make certain modifications to the facility and hire and train a full complement of staff while the Defense Department continues to work with Congress to obtain authorization and funding for a portion of the Thomson facility.”

The bureau would have full run of the facility after it is purchased. Basically the part of the plan that involves housing terror suspects, which was the highly politicized and controversial aspect, has been put on the back burner, but the feds say they still need the prison. Illinois lawmakers who were opposed to the Guantanamo closure but also looking for any kind of financial stimulus in an economically hard hit area are probably breathing sighs of relief at the plan moving forward without that aspect, at least for the time being.

According to Quinn and Durbin, the sale would create about 3,000 jobs, half of which they expect to go to locals.

The BOP has more than 209,000 inmates in custody, up from 202,000 last year. Illinois faces its own crowding problem that has many prisons filled to double capacity, while a facility like Thomson has only seen a handful of prisoners because of a lack of funds.

Critics of the sale say Illinois should open Thomson to alleviate its own corrections system. Rep Jim Sacia, a Republican from nearby Pecatonica, said he has been trying every avenue to do just that since he got into office eight years ago, but the money just wasn’t and still isn't there. “If we couldn’t afford to open it then, don’t you dare get on your high horse and tell me we can afford to open it today,” he says.

According to the Department of Corrections, Thomson has been completely empty of prisoners and staff since the department shut it down May 1. Illinois and the federal government are conducting appraisals of the facility in anticipation of the sale.

House wants a say in Thomson sale

By Jamey Dunn

Gov. Pat Quinn may have to ask for permission from the General Assembly if he wants to sell Thomson prison to the federal government.

President Barack Obama’s administration proposed a plan in December to transfer detainees from Guantanamo Bay to Thomson as part of the president’s plan to close the controversial prison that houses terror suspects in Cuba.

HB 4744 passed in the House today with bi-partisan support. It would require legislative approval for the sale of any state property worth more than $1 million.

“Properties worth more than $1 million, like the Thomson Correctional Center, should not be sold in the dead of night by administrative procedure, but in the light of day with legislative approval,” said Crystal Lake Republican Rep. Mike Tryon, the bill’s sponsor.

But Rep. Jim Sacia from Pecatonica, a vocal opponent of the bill and one of few Republican supporters of the plan to sell the prison, said that the measure amounts to nothing but political posturing. “I just can’t get over how people make this a partisan issue,” he said.

Sacia, whose district is near Thomson, said legislators are sacrificing job creation and economic growth for an area with double-digit unemployment rates to “take a shot at President Obama.”

Opponents of the sale have said that Illinois should reopen Thomson to help take pressure off the state's overcrowded corrections system. Sacia said that he has been trying every avenue to do just that since he got into office eight years ago, but the money just wasn’t and still isn't there. “If we couldn’t afford to open it then, don’t you dare get on your high horse and tell me we can afford to open it today,” he said.

Tryon said legislative approval for such a sale is a reasonable request when comparing Illinois with the rest of the nation. “Other state legislatures are required to approve similar transactions in their respective states, and there’s no reason it should be any different in Illinois.”

To become law, the bill still has to pass in the Senate and then get approval from Quinn. The governor's staff declined to comment. However, if Quinn wants the sale to go through, odds are he would veto the bill, so, the measure may not have a shot at passing until the legislature's veto session next fall.

Illinois commission approves Thomson sale

By Rachel Wells

Nearly two weeks after a failed al-Qaeda attempt to bomb a plane bound for Detroit, an Illinois legislative commission voted Wednesday to support the sale of Thomson Correctional Center to the federal government to house suspected terrorists.

Thomson was opened in 2001 and has been virtually empty since.

While four Republicans opposed the non-binding decision, Sen. Dave Syverson, a Rockford Republican, and commission co-chair Rep. Richard Myers, a Colchester Republican, joined Democratic members in support.

Syverson said it was not the commission's job to debate President Barack Obama's plan to move Guantanamo Bay prisoners -- a plan he does not support -- but to weigh the financial benefit of the sale for both the state of Illinois and residents of the Thomson area.

The commission chairman, Sen. Jeff Schoenberg, an Evanston Democrat, addressed concerns that Congress has not yet approved the transfer of Guantanamo prisoners.

"The Bureau of Prisons is now prepared to move ahead and purchase this facility and begin necessary preparations to alleviate its overcrowding in other federal prisons throughout the country," Schoenberg said. "When the issue of terrorists and detainees is addressed by Congress, they will then initiate a lease agreement with the Department of Defense."

Opponents argued that the move would result in Illinois becoming an al-Queda recruitment tool, just as Guantanamo did.

Sen. Bill Brady, a Republican gubernatorial candidate from Bloomington, led a failed attempt to stall the commission's vote until the legislature returned to Springfield next week.

Brady said Gov. Pat Quinn had not answered all his questions regarding the sale. “We have a problem with public safety,” he said, referring to recent controversy over two prisoner early release programs. “We are going to need to build a new prison if the governor sells this prison.”

According to Quinn and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, the sale could create up to 3,800 jobs and generate more than $1 billion in economic activity.

“This is about doing what’s right for our troops, for our national security and for the people of Illinois," Quinn and Durbin said in a joint statement after the commission's decision. "We will continue doing everything we can to make this sale a reality and bring the jobs and other economic benefits to our state."

Attorney general says Thomson sale would be legal

Attorney General Lisa Madigan gave Gov. Pat Quinn the green light today to sell Thomson prison to the federal government without a vote from the General Assembly.

President Barack Obama’s administration plans to transfer detainees from Guantanamo Bay to Thomson as part of the president’s plan to close the controversial prison that houses terror suspects in Cuba.

House Minority Leader Tom Cross had challenged the legality of Quinn making the deal without legislative approval and requested a legal opinion from Madigan.

“Rep. Cross still strongly believes that a transaction of this magnitude needs to go through the General Assembly,” Cross spokeswoman Sarah Wojcicki said. “We need to have a full discussion.”

Feds to buy Thomson prison

By Jamey Dunn

The federal government agreed to purchase Thomson prison today amid ongoing controversies over moving suspected terrorists into the United States and the early release of Illinois inmates.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and Gov. Pat Quinn announced in Washington, D.C., this afternoon that President Barack Obama’s administration has decided to buy Thomson prison in northwest Illinois with the intent of transferring some detainees there from Guantanamo Bay.

Top members of Obama’s administration sent a letter to Quinn earlier today detailing the plan. According to the letter, the prison would be run as two separate facilities, so federal inmates and terror suspects would never interact. The prisoners from Guantanamo would not be allowed visitors other than their lawyers. The feds also plan to beef up security to a level that they claim will exceed the safeguards of a federal “supermax” prison.

Obama called for the closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison, which holds more than 200 detainees, including suspected terrorists, soon after his inauguration. Finding a place to house some of these prisoners in the United States has proved to be one of the main hitches in the president’s plan.

Durbin and Quinn touted the arrangement as a boon for the local economy and a way to repurpose a state facility that has been sitting relatively unused for several years. According to Quinn the federal purchase of the prison could result in more than 3,000 jobs for the area.

Republican gubernatorial candidates followed the lead of their fellow party members on the national scene by criticizing Obama’s decision to close the Guantanamo facility.“We’ve got an investment in Guantanamo Bay, and that’s where international terrorists ought to be held, tried and kept.” Sen. Bill Brady, Republican gubernatorial candidate from Bloomington said. “If the Obama administration can’t figure out how to run it, then they ought to get out of the business and let someone else do it.”

The announcement that an Illinois prison may soon be sold comes days after the Associated Press reported the Illinois Department of Corrections has been awarding prisoners months of early release time for good behavior in the first few days of their sentences, thus returning some violent offenders to the streets after they spent just a few weeks behind bars.

Quinn has since put a stop to the program, known as “meritorious good time,” and called for an investigation of the policy. It was not part of the plan Quinn announced in September to release nonviolent offenders early to save the state money.

His Democratic challenger, Comptroller Dan Hynes, supports the plan to sell Thomson. However, he questioned Quinn’s involvement in the release of Illinois prisoners who only served weeks of their sentences. “The governor is asking the people of Illinois to trust him on this difficult [Thomson] issue, which understandably causes some unease. It turns out his administration is secretly releasing criminals, some violent, from prison early.”

Quinn’s Republican opponents say that Thomson, which has never been filled to capacity, should stay under the control of the state and be opened to alleviate overcrowding in Illinois’ prison system. “How bad is it in Illinois? Our economic development program consists of relocating terrorists, and we have to argue about whether or not we should release violent criminals early,” Dan Proft, Chicago Republican gubernatorial candidate, said. “These are not complicated matters.”

Republicans on the state and federal level accused both Quinn and Obama of forcing the deal through without transparency, legislative approval or voter support. Jim Ryan, Republican candidate for governor, said that Quinn should slow down and get feedback from citizens. He proposed that a series of hearings be held in January after the distraction of the holiday season has passed.

Durbin countered such criticisms by claiming the plan has support from residents of the area surrounding Thomson. “We have looked at it carefully and closely, and we have done it with the understanding that, time and again, the people of our state of Illinois have risen to the challenge to serve this nation,” he said.

Officials may have been feeling the pressure of the January 2010 deadline that Obama set for closing Guantanamo Bay. However, he has since acknowledged that deadline will not be met.

For more information on the state of Illinois’ prison system read Bethany Jaeger’s September column.