Quinn signs redistricting changes

By Jamey Dunn

Gov. Pat Quinn signed a measure today geared at preserving the power of geographic pockets of minority populations in the upcoming redistricting process.

The law will require those who draw new legislative districts — a move required every 10 years after new U.S. Census data comes out — to consider the presence of racial or language minority populations and so-called communities of interest, which are often neighborhoods. Mapmakers would be charged with attempting to avoid diluting the power of those groups as a voting bloc by not splitting them into several districts.

Other considerations, such as the requirements for districts to be compact, equal in number and contiguous, would take priority over preserving so-called crossover, coalition or influence districts. A written statement from the office of Gov. Pat Quinn defines those districts: “A crossover district is one in which a racial or language minority group makes up less than a majority of the voting age population but is large enough to elect the candidate of its choice with some support from larger groups. A coalition district is one where several racial or language minority groups may join together to elect a candidate of their choice. An influence district is one where a racial or language minority can influence the outcome of an election, even if its preferred candidate cannot be elected.”

An example of a potential influence population is Chicago’s Chinatown. Advocates for the area have tried to raise awareness about the dissection of their community under the current map. They say that splitting their neighborhood between several districts has taken away political power from the Chinese-American community in the city. The voting population of Chinatown may not be large enough to elect a representative to the Illinois House. However, if the community were more concentrated in one district, it may be able to wield political power as a potential voting bloc.

“Today is a big day for all immigrant communities. But we are still inches from the goal line. We have the law, but we haven’t seen the map yet. … So much is at stake. It’s no longer just the aspiration and quest of Chinatown. [Protecting the power of minority populations] is the aspiration and quest of us all,” C.W. Chan, chairman of the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community, said at a Chicago news conference.

The measure also calls for four hearings on redistricting throughout the state. Barbara Flynn Currie, House sponsor of Senate Bill 3976, said the number is a “floor” for the number of hearings not a “ceiling.” Republicans argue that more hearings should have been built into the legislation. They also say that some hearings should be required after the new map is drawn before legislators vote on it, so the public can have input on any potential map of legislative districts. “The legislation the governor signed today lacks the real transparency that we need in this important process of redistricting. We need to demand public hearings after the new legislative map is drawn — so that the public can have an opportunity to comment on the map—before it is voted on in the next few months. We encourage the governor to continue to push for a competitive map and promise to veto a map that is not competitive and fails to provide a full opportunity for minorities to elect the candidates of their choice in majority-minority districts," Rep. Mike Fortner, a West Chicago Republican, said in a written statement.

For a more in-dept look at the bill and issues surrounding the upcoming redistricting process see the new March Illinois Issues, page 3.

CapitolView

This week's topics include pensions, teachers, the situation in Wisconsin, FOID list going public, and the possibility of outlawing the death penalty. Guests: Kent Redfield, University of Illinois Springfield, and Scott Reeder, Illinois Statehouse News. Bernie Schoenburg moderates. A production of WSEC-TV/PBS Springfield. Follow CapitolView on Facebook at: http://facebook.com/CapitolViewPolitics

Report says pensions underfunded by $76 billion

By Jamey Dunn

While lawmakers and civic organizations continue to debate the fate of pension benefits for current state employees, Auditor General Bill Holland reported that the state’s unfunded pension liability increased in the last year.

Eric Madiar, chief legal counsel for Senate President John Cullerton, penned an analysis released this week that says changing benefits for those already working for the state would go against Illinois’ Constitution. Madiar reviewed the origins of the pension clause in the Illinois Constitution, including correspondence of delegates to the 1970 constitutional convention and media coverage of the time, to try to determine the intent of the provisions’ drafters, as well as voters’ understanding of what they were voting on when they approved the Constitution.

According to Madiar, it's nothing new for the state to fail to do its part in funding pensions. He writes that the framers of the Constitution were “inundated” by requests from public employees, especially university employees and police and firefighters, for some form of constitutional protection for their pensions. They were concerned that insufficient funding from the state would put their retirement plans in jeopardy. Edward Gibala, then executive director of State Universities Retirement System, also wrote a letter to a delegate advocating constitutional protection.

Madiar concludes in his opinion that while it might be convenient to target ever-growing pension costs in the current economic downturn and state budget crisis, it would be unconstitutional. He argues that the point of the pension clause is to protect against just such a scenario and notes that courts upheld the earlier Illinois Constitution even during the Depression. Madiar writes that “the rule of law in Illinois and keeping promises” is at stake when considering trimming benefits for current workers.

The Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago has been one of the most vocal advocates for changing retirement benefits for current employees. It commissioned its own legal opinions that say such changes would be constitutional. The group advocates giving employees all the benefits they have earned up to the date of a change and then giving them the option of three different plans with reduced benefits. House Rep. Tom Cross is sponsoring the plan. “We will continue to work with the other members of the General Assembly, including Senate President Cullerton, Speaker [Michael] Madigan and Leader [Christine] Radogno, to find the best solution to stabilize our pension system. … It is our understanding that there will be a working group meeting soon to discuss pension reforms,” Cross said in a written statement. Madigan has said he agrees that such a change could be an option for the legislature.

Tyrone Fahner, president of the Commercial Club, said that this issue, just like any other legal issue, has arguments on both sides. “It’s a very substantial effort, but the conclusion is simply wrong,” he said of Madiar’s analysis. He added that some of the statements in the analysis lack context or have been given the wrong context. “ I don’t believe you can take what people write in a legislative history [and correspondences] versus what they say on the record,s what they do on the record.”

Commentators on all sides agree that part of the reason the pension system is not properly funded is because state politicians have skipped payments to defer unpopular decisions such as cuts to programs or increased taxes. “The legislature and various governors chose for decades to use the pension system as a credit card to fund public services and stave off the need for tax increases or service cuts,” Madiar wrote.

Holland released a report this week stating that the state is now $76 billion short on fully funding the pension system. He said next fiscal year’s required contribution from the state will be more than $5 billion, which is roughly $1 billion more than the payment for the current fiscal year. Lawmakers voted to borrow to make that payment.

Fahner said his organization is working to find legislative language that would put Cullerton’s fears of unconstitutionality to rest. However, Cullerton has stated multiple times that he believes the concept is unconstitutional, so the group may be hard-pressed to find language he would approve. “We’re trying to find a way to convince them that what must be done can be done,” Fahner said. He added that he hopes to put the legal issue to rest so lawmakers can address what he says is the real issue at hand — the possible implosion of the state’s underfunded pension system. “Many of the people working right now that are expecting a pension aren’t going to get one.”

Lawmakers look at school consolidation

By Lauren N. Johnson

Gov. Pat Quinn’s proposal to consolidate many of the state’s 868 school districts received a positive reaction from some lawmakers. However, groups representing school superintendents, administrators and teachers oppose what they call a one-size-fits-all approach.

Quinn said his consolidation plan, which would potentially leave the state with about 300 districts, would save at least $100 million in administrative costs and put more teachers in Illinois classrooms. “We don't need as many folks at the top level,” Quinn said Wednesday. “We need folks on the front line, in teaching, imparting knowledge and making sure our kids get a 21st century education.”

In his address, Quinn also called for a study on how the mergers could occur. Senate Bill 1324, sponsored by Sen. Jeffrey Schoenberg, an Evanston Democrat, would require a study to find potential areas where the state could save money through consolidations.

In the House, however, Rep. Robert Rita, a Blue Island Democrat, sponsored legislation that would completely dissolve all school districts and boards of education except for the Chicago school system and create a board that would take over new districts — one per county — within 60 days. House Bill 1886, he said, would be a starting point to address inefficiencies. Rita said he has received some push back and is currently speaking with school superintendents and administrators, unions and advocacy groups about the matter.

Some say the decision on whether to consolidate should be made by local residents rather than state government. “We’ve always been open to the idea and encouraging [school districts] if they believe it would produce money, an educational product and opportunity for their kids,” said Brent Clark, executive director of the Illinois Association of School Administrators, “but we believe those decisions would be made at the local level.” Clark said consolidation could cause emotional and psychological distress on districts as result of pay scale differences among administrators and a loss of the integrity of individual schools.

If the state forces consolidation of districts, Clark said backlash from the local-level could hurt the chances of the so-called cost-saving measure. Senate President John Cullerton of Chicago, who also favors consolidations, said local school districts need concrete incentives for possible mergers. “We’re definitely for school consolidation, and we think we’ve got a way to make it work,” Cullerton said in a written statement. He added that one hurdle might be debt incurred by school districts because one district might not want to take on another's debt — and potentially higher property taxes that could follow.

Clark said some incentives for school districts include improved facilities, particularly for high schools, to encourage global education within classrooms. He added that providing transportation for students “can get pretty pricey,” and expanding the distance that students would need to be driven places a burden on schools that would be required to consolidate. “I don’t think reducing transportation funding when you’re reducing the amount of school districts could be considered a connected issue. It’s pretty disconnected.”

Legislative roundup

By Lauren N. Johnson

Legislators this week reacted to a controversial decision from Attorney General Lisa Madigan on the privacy right of gun owners and voted on bills regarding the punishment of sex offenders.

Earlier this week, Madigan said the names of registered gun owners in the state should be open to the public because the list is a public record of a licensing system administered by the state and, therefore, should be subject to review. Only names and not addresses or hometowns would be released.

However, Sen. Kirk Dillard, a Hinsdale Republican, said that releasing the names of at least 1.3 million gun owners, as well as applicants for Firearm Owner's Identification Cards issued by the Illinois State Police, would be poor public policy. Dillard said the issue is a matter of public safety and privacy. Senate Bill 27, sponsored by Dillard, would require that information of applicants and holders of FOID cards remain private and not released by any state or local law enforcement agency. “I believe that the attorney general’s opinion is against the public safety of the state, it puts more illegal guns on the street and it would lead to more straw purchases and non-compliance,” Dillard said. He has Democratic support for his bill in the Senate, he said.

The House shot down a bill that addressed so-called Romeo and Juliet sex offense cases. House Bill 1139 would have allowed offenders not more than four years older than their victims to petition to be excluded from the sex offender registry if the sexual encounter was consensual and the victim was at least 14 years old. Sponsor Rep. Robert Pritchard, a Hinckley Republican, said that he thinks the bill failed because legislators feared that a “yes” vote could be used by political opponents during election season to make them look soft on crime. Rep. Dennis Reboletti, a Elmhurst Republican, questioned giving Illinois judges the discretion to choose who should register as a sex offender. "I have prosecuted these types of cases many times, and prosecutors struggle with it because of the age difference of the victims," said Reboletti. He said the legislature should first determine what the age of consent for sexual relations should be in Illinois.

Legislators approved House Bill 1161, sponsored by Rep. Richard Morthland, a Moline Republican, to end the statute of limitation on sex offenses for victims under 18 years old. Currently, after victims turn 18, they have 20 years to report a sexual assault that occurred when they were children. The measure still needs approval in the Senate.

A measure to require schools to educate parents, students and coaches on the dangers of concussions, sometimes incurred while playing sports, passed in the House with no opposition. House Bill 200, sponsored by House Minority Leader Tom Cross of Oswego, would also require student athletes suspected of having a concussion to be cleared by a doctor before returning to play. Cross said he plans to work with sponsors of similar bills in the Senate to pass a unified plan.

Multiple bills that would allow for the concealed carry of a firearm did not come up for a vote in the House Agriculture Committee this week. However, Rep. Patrick Verschoore, vice chair of the committee and a Milan Democrat, said they are scheduled for debate next Tuesday. The committee did pass House Bill 2045, which would strip gun control powers of local municipalities and reserve the right to regulate the storage of firearms to the state.

The committee also approved House Bill 1383, sponsored by Rep. Ken Dunkin, a Chicago Democrat, which would allow farmers in the state to grow industrial hemp for purposes of fuel, food, fiber and hemp-based products. Those wanting to grow hemp would have to undergo a criminal background check. “There was a lot of this belief that [hemp] was somehow going to be made into marijuana, but I think the reality is, industrial hemp has a tremendous agricultural benefit,” said Rep. Jim Sacia, a Pecatonica Republican, who has advocated the measure in the past.

House moves toward spending cap

By Jamey Dunn

Illinois House members estimate that the state will have less to spend next fiscal year than Gov. Pat Quinn planned for in his budget proposal.

The House Revenue and Finance Committee estimates that the state has almost $33.2 billion to spend in fiscal year 2012. The projection is about $750 million less than Quinn’s revenue estimates and about $1.5 billion less than a projection put out by the legislature’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA).

“We took the most conservative estimates that were out there … and then we backed off the things that were not actually reality. … So we took off the things that were questionable that weren’t actually set in stone statutorily, and we came up with the most conservative numbers, something we thought would be reasonable for the state to actually meet,” said Rep. John Bradley, chairman of the committee.

Quinn’s budget counts on changes to the tax code that the General Assembly has not approved, including decoupling Illinois from a federal incentive meant to encourage businesses to purchase equipment. (For more on the federal provision and how it could affect Illinois’ and other states’ revenues, see Illinois Issues blog, March 1.)

Bradley, a Marion Democrat, said members of the Revenue and Finance Committee plan to work with the heads of House appropriations committees that make budgeting decisions for the various areas of state government, such as human services and K-12 education, to dole the money out. Bradley said each committee would get a specific allocation to work with.

“Obviously these [revenue projections] are all based on estimates. But this [$33.2 billion] is a hard number, and we’re going to stand firm. And we’re going to … try to allocate this as fairly as possible. This is how much money the state has to spend,” Bradley said.

“I think that they’re being conservative. The expectation is that revenues would be somewhat higher,” said Fred Giertz, an economics professor with the University of Illinois. Giertz testified before the committee earlier this week. He said the $34.8 billion estimate from COGFA is probably the most realistic projection of revenues for the next fiscal year. “If I had to guess, I think it’s probably more likely than the others.”

Giertz said he beleives legislators are trying to limit spending, and a good way to do that would be to stick to conservative estimates of the money they would have to work with. “[The committee’s estimate] may be more a strategic choice than a scientific choice.”

House Resolution 110, sponsored by Speaker Michael Madigan, contains the estimate. The Revenue Committee approved it today with no opposition, but the measure would have to pass the full House to make the number the spending cap for FY 2012.

U of I and SIU consider flat funding levels

By Jamey Dunn

The presidents of the state’s two largest public university systems told an Illinois Senate committee today that their schools could live within Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget plan. Lawmakers still questioned them, however, on the costs of faculty and staff salaries, staff sabbaticals and tuition waivers.

Southern Illinois University President Glenn Poshard said the university system is not asking for more than the $220 million Quinn called for in his budget, which is the same amount of general revenue funds appropriated for the schools during the current fiscal year. That number is down from $234 million for fiscal year 2010. Poshard said at that finding level, the school would have to raise tuition rates. He said the cuts to state spending on higher education over the last decade have led to tuition increases and an erosion of SIU’s standing versus other schools nationally. “We have fallen into the second or third tier now.”

Poshard said some expenses, such as increased energy costs and pay raises built into employee contracts, cannot be controlled. “Spending has increased in some ways because we are required to pay our bills. … We’re not at liberty to just say, ‘We’re not going to pay our bills,” he said in what was likely a reference to the about $145 million the state owes the university for the current fiscal year.

Poshard said he anticipates more cuts to SIU’s budget before the end of this fiscal year, and he says if the state does not pay the money it owes, some cuts could come in the form of layoffs, which have been avoided so far. “About the only thing significant left for us are layoffs.”

Republican Sens. Chris Lauzen from Aurora and Pamela Althoff from McHenry both said the university should evaluate its sabbatical program, which offers faculty paid time off to conduct research.

Althoff said that although she thinks research is important, she questions whether SIU should be giving professors paid time off when the university is considering layoffs. Poshard said the sabbaticals are standard practice in higher education, and not offering them would put SIU at a competitive disadvantage with other schools in terms of research and recruiting faculty. “We think that that is worth it in terms of the products that these people come up with.”

University of Illinois President Michael Hogan said the budget the school system submitted asked for more than the $697 million in Quinn’s plan. However, he said he realizes that the U of I will not get more than Quinn recommended, which is the same level of general revenue funding appropriated for the current fiscal year and less than the $743 million in the budget for fiscal year 2010. “We’ll be happy if the governor’s budget is fulfilled. We’re grateful that he asked for it.” The state still owes the university system about $500 million for the current fiscal year.

U of I’s board plans discuss tuition rates at the March 23 meeting. Hogan said the trustees set a policy not to raise tuition above a cost of living increase, though they still have to decide how to determine a cost of living rate in terms of tuition costs. Hogan said if the legislature reduces the university's appropriations from Quinn’s proposal, a tuition increase may be larger than the cost of living number the board comes up with.

A plan to cut about $68 million from the U of I's budget could actually Substantial savings would come from consolidating some functions, such as information technology and human resources, that are handled separately across U of I’s three campuses, he said. The university does not plan to lay off staff in such consolidations, he said, though it may trim numbers through attrition. “[Students will] feel [these cuts] in some ways. We may have colder temperatures. We’ll have some trouble processing issues as fast as we want. But we’re picking those areas first and foremost because they’re business functions.”

Lauzen called into question Hogan’s salary of more than $600,000 and benefits such as a home and driver paid for by the university. Hogan said his salary and benefits are comparable to what other schools of U of I’s caliber offer. “I operate in a market, and in my market, that’s sort of the going price,” he said. “I didn’t come here for a pay hike. I came here because it was a challenging job at a challenging time, and I wanted to make a difference.”

Federal tax break could put hole in Quinn's budget

By Jamey Dunn

Gov. Pat Quinn’s proposed budget counts on a move to decouple state tax code from a federal plan to spur businesses to spend more on equipment. Illinois could stand to lose more than $1 billion if it stays in step with the feds on the tax benefit for businesses, according to a study released today.

The federal provision is part of a compromise between President Barack Obama and Republican members of Congress to extend income tax cuts enacted by President George W. Bush. The provision allows businesses to deduct the entire costs of spending on items such as machinery and equipment from September 8, 2010, to December 31, 2011, all at once on their federal tax returns. Without the benefit, companies would have to spread those tax deductions over several years, a practice known as “depreciating.”

Under the compromise, businesses can then deduct half of the cost of spending for those items during calendar year 2012 and spread out the remaining cost over the usual “depreciation” schedule.

The federal provision is an extension and expansion of a plan approved in 2008 that was scheduled to sunset in 2010. Because Illinois' income tax code falls in line with federal code, businesses also would be able to take similar deductions on their state tax returns during the same time frame.

A study from the Washington-D.C.-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities took a look at how much revenue states could miss out on due to the tax break at a time when many are facing deficits. The group estimates 19 states — including Illinois — that link their practices to federal tax provisions would lose a total of $5.3 billion under the extended plan. According to the center’s projections, Illinois could potentially lose the most, with an estimated hit of more than $1 billion. A spokesperson for Quinn’s budget office estimates the state would lose between $50 million to $100 million in fiscal year 2011 and $520 million to $615 in fiscal year 2012. Kraft said there would be a loss in fiscal year 2013 as well, but the office does not have estimates on it yet. She added that Quinn’s administration is drafting legislation to split the state from the federal practices on the issue.

Mark Denzler, vice president of government affairs for the Illinois Manufacturers Association, said the center’s revenue estimates are inflated. “It would be nowhere close to that.” He said the temporary change to the way businesses deduct capital spending was put in place after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, to help spur the sluggish economy by encouraging businesses to expand their operations. Denzler said Obama extended the measure because he realizes how important it is in the current economic downturn, and states should recognize that, too. “We would just be continuing the current practice of what Illinois has been doing for almost a decade now,” Denzler said. He added that states would not lose money in the long run because companies would still be able to write off the purchases on their taxes without the change. However, the tax benefits to businesses, and the cost to the state, would be spread over several years if the state did not go along with the feds.

Nicholas Johnson, who co-authored the study for the center, said most federal lawmakers probably didn’t consider the impact on states when they extended the change. He added that they likely had “no expectations” that the states would do it, too.

On the day of the budget address, House Speaker Michael Madigan took issue with Quinn estimating revenue in his budget proposal based on the assumption that the legislature would pass a bill to end the accelerated tax bonus in Illinois. Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said Quinn’s move went against recently enacted proposals to reform the budgeting process in Illinois, including requiring budgets to be based on the revenue available at the time they are created. “On day one [of the budgeting process], we were not off to a good start,” Brown said.

FutureGen picks a carbon storage site

By Jamey Dunn

Morgan County was chosen as the underground carbon storage site for a revamped version of the FutureGen “clean coal” project.

Kenneth Humphreys, chief executive officer for the Future Gen Alliance, the group of investors and administrators of the project, announced today that the site in western Illinois beat the other finalist sites in Douglas, Christian and Fayette counties.

The FutureGen project originally called for a high tech coal power plant to be built near Mattoon in Coles County, and carbon produced by the plant was to be stored underground in the surrounding area. The site was chosen in 2007, but as costs rose, the new plant was scrapped. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin announced “FutureGen 2.0” last summer, which called for the retrofitting of an existing out-of-commission Ameren plant in Meredosia. (For more on the back story of the project, see Illinois Issues, October 2010.) The carbon from the plant would be pumped through a subterranean pipeline to be stored underground in an area with the proper geological conditions. Mattoon dropped out of the plan after it was announced that it would only serve as a carbon storage site, and about 30 other Illinois communities expressed interest in taking its place, according to Humphreys.

Since both the new storage site and the power plant are in Morgan County, Humphreys said fewer miles of pipeline would be needed to pump carbon dioxide to the area where it will be sequestered, and the project would cost less. About 32 miles of pipeline would be needed, and the site would take an estimated 39 million tons of carbon from the plant over the next 30 years. The geological conditions in Morgan County are similar to the original site in Coles County — a permeable layer sandstone and a several-hundred-feet-thick layer of shale, which will act as a cap over the stored carbon. “When the final numbers get crunched, I think everyone is going to be much more comfortable [with the new site].” He said the retrofitting to the plant along with the pipeline and storage facility would cost $1.3 billion. The federal government is slated to provide $1 billion for the project.

"FutureGen 2.0 will ensure that Illinois continues to lead the nation and world in the development of clean energy, and today’s announcement represents a major step towards completing this historic project,” Gov. Pat Quinn said in a written statement.

Humphreys admitting that “there’s always a possibility” that something could go wrong with the plans to use the Morgan County site, such as an unforeseen environmental problem or administrative issue with getting the proper permits, but he is optimistic about the site. FutureGen has had several false starts and hit bureaucratic snags in the past, but Humphreys said he is “optimistic” about the new proposal. The Christian and Douglas county locations will serve as alternates in case the Morgan site does not pan out.

Humphreys said there has been some local opposition, but the alliance has made compromises, such as agreeing to move the site away from the village of Alexander. He says alliance members plan to continue talks with local officials and residents. “We believe that there is a path forward with the stakeholders,” he said. According to the alliance, fieldwork on the sequestration site will begin this summer. Humphreys said the “major heavy construction” on the site and the power plant is scheduled to start in the spring of 2013.

Addiction treatment in limbo

By Jamey Dunn

Addiction treatment providers have some sense of relief now that members of Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration say they plan to scale back reductions to human services’ funding, but they continue to operate in a state of limbo until they get the specifics on the cuts.

Kelly Kraft, spokesperson for Quinn’s Office of Management and Budget, said human services would take a hit of about $100 million, as opposed to the $208 million that substance abuse treatment and prevention providers say the Department of Human services told them to prepare for last week. “On the surface, that’s a positive development, clearly,” said Sara Moscato Howe, chief executive officer of the Illinois Alcohol and Drug and Dependence Association [IADDA]. “However, there was not one detail given about where that $100 million would come from.”

Kraft said the reductions are not new. She says the cuts came when Quinn gave the Department of Human Services a $3.6 billion lump sum this year — which was a reduction from the $3.9 billion it got last year. “When everyone says these are new cuts, it really was something that was announced a while ago.” Kraft said added demand prevented the department from spreading the cuts throughout the current fiscal year, but now the reductions have to be made. She said the administration had hoped that the economy might pick up, creating more revenue to defer some cuts. But instead, it remains sluggish.

Even though the income tax increase passed in January has brought in about $3 billion in new revenue, Kraft says it’s not enough to address the state’s fiscal crisis and plug the hole in Human Services. “Three billion dollars in additional revenue definitely helps, but we also have $6 billion in overdue bills [to providers, contractors and schools],” she said. “The list of bills that the state owes goes on and on.”

Kraft added that the state also owes $1.1 billion because it did not make the full payment on the group health insurance plan for state workers last year, as well as failing to dole out corporate income tax returns. Altogether, Quinn Budget Director David Vaught estimated in a briefing on the fiscal year 2012 budget that the state actually owes $9 billion to $10 billion.

But Howe says the administration's plan is counter intuitive. “Because the economy is so bad, the demand for services is grater … and because the demand for services is greater, they are now going to need to cut more? ... Why, then would you turn around and say to your citizens, ‘We know you really need this, but we may have to cut?’” Addiction treatment providers say cuts to their programs will only shift costs to other areas such as corrections and health care.

Kraft said the state spends about 45 percent of its general revenue funds on human services, and while cutting is a difficult process, some reductions must be made. She said that those assembling the budget look at five considerations when deciding where to cut. They first ask whether a cut to a program would hurt the state’s ability to bring in federal dollars and whether it is required by law or a court order. They look at data and try to determine how effective a program is and how many people it helps. They also try to project how proposed cuts would affect “life and health and safety” in the state. “We value the commitment of all these providers. They serve Illinois' most vulnerable citizens,” Kraft said. “It’s a difficult balancing act.

Howe said the administration indicated that the cuts would likely still be targeted at addiction treatment. Kraft said the department is still working to determine where the cuts will be and plans to start notifying providers in about two weeks. “That’s a long time, considering in the past week our providers, have really begun a painful process of shutting down,” Howe said. Providers are afraid to take on new clients, she said, because they are concerned they may have to discharge them when the cuts are spelled out. “It is kind of an operate-at-your-own-risk. … There is obviously some ethics involved in taking somebody in and making sure that when you release them, that they’re ready.”

Howe said no matter what happens in two weeks, Quinn’s budget proposal for the next fiscal year still calls for cutting state funds to all addiction treatment that is not backed by federal Medicaid matching dollars. IADDA estimates that about 80 percent of the more than 69,000 people currently receiving treatment for addiction in the state are not covered by Medicaid. “You’re willing to review this now, [but] you’re still willing to put the system out of business come July 1,” Howe said.

Human services cuts to be only half as deep

By Jamey Dunn

Cuts in state funding that addiction treatment and prevention providers were bracing for will now be reduced by half, according to Gov. Pat Quinn’s budgeting office.

Kelly Kraft, a spokesperson for Quinn’s Office of Management and Budget, said the cuts to human services would total about $100 million instead of the $208 million that providers said the Illinois Department of Human Services told them would take place by March 15.

Substance abuse treatment providers predicted mass layoffs and the shutdown of residential treatment programs if the $208 million slash to the state budget became a reality.

Kraft said the cuts are not new but represent reductions made when the department was given a lump sum under the current fiscal year's budget. However, she said, heightened demands meant the department was not able to find cuts earlier in the year. “The realities have set in, and reductions have to be made,” she said.

Kraft said Quinn’s administration has gotten some backlash over the proposed cuts and wants to have an open dialogue with providers. “We’ve listened to a lot of people. We’ve received a lot of calls and e-mails.”

She said that the department would notify social services providers about the specific reductions in about two weeks. She said she it had not yet been determined which areas the cuts would focus on.

Check back tomorrow for more on what the members of the administration are weighing as they make decisions about human services cuts, as well as reactions from providers.

Bill would limit penalty for some sex offenders

By Lauren N. Johnson

Some individuals convicted of criminal sexual abuse would have the chance to avoid being placed on the sex offender registry, under a measure that would give discretion to Illinois courts in certain cases.

House Bill 1139, sponsored by Rep. Robert Pritchard, addresses so-called “Romeo and Juliet” cases, where two teens have sexual contact, and one is under the legal age of consent. The measure, which a House committee approved today, would also allow an offender not more than four years older than the victim to petition to be excluded from the sex offender registry if the victim consented and is at least 14 years old.

“I think the original intent of the registry was to protect children, and I believe it’s gone far and beyond that,” said Tonia Maloney, president of Illinois Voices for Reform.

In Illinois, child sex offenders are prohibited from residing near schools or loitering near school-related facilities that house anyone under 18 years old. They must also register with the state when they change their residence.

“We’re trying to find a way that we can turn this around and let these guys have another shot. Like [Rep. Pritchard] said, they did break the law, but it was consensual,” said Maloney.

Pritchard, a Hinckley Republican, said the bill is for youths who did violate the law of sexual consent and must live with the consequences of their errors. But after they have paid their debt, he said, they should not bear the restrictions meant to protect society from predators

Justin Raxter, a teen convicted of sexual abuse at the age of 18, said he wanted his life back, after his then-15-year-old ex-girlfriend pressed criminal charges. “Ever since then, my life has just been a wreck. It kind of seems like I really don’t have a life anymore.” Raxter said he was dating the girl for over a year, and the couple was having consensual sex.

Raxter, who said he would have to be on the list for 10 years, added, “It doesn’t feel good at all to be compared to somebody who is out there raping little children.” He added, “Even though I only have to register for 10 years, I’ll be considered a sex offender for the rest of my life.”

Rep. Dennis Reboletti, an Elmhurst Republican and former prosecutor, said taking away discretion from the prosecutor in Romeo and Juliet cases may lighten the severity of some crimes or result in inequitable sentences. “A judge in DeKalb County might have a much different view than a judge in Coles County,” Reboletti said.

Pritchard said, “[This bill] is a movement, if you will, that would allow these individuals to regain some semblance of a life and opportunity to deal with their children in school.”

Addiction treatment cuts could mean closed doors

By Jamey Dunn

UPDATE February 24: Gov. Pat Quinn took questions from reporters in Chicago yesterday on the cuts. See below. Providers of addiction treatment in Illinois say they have stopped taking new patients, and some plan to end programs, such as residential care and detox, as early as Friday.

Eric Foster, chief operating officer for the Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association (IADDA), said members of the Quinn administration told treatment providers Friday that the governor plans to cut all state funds for substance abuse treatment and prevention programs not backed by federal Medicaid dollars. According to IADDA, the budget reductions, which they say would come by March 15, would cut off treatment to 55,000 of the 69,000 people currently in the system and result in the layoffs of more than 5,000 workers. Quinn is also proposed substantial cuts to drug and alcohol dependency treatment and prevention programs in his budget for next fiscal year.

Foster said Michelle Saddler, secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services, confirmed the plan to cut and said that providers would get new contracts spelling out the cuts last Tuesday, but he said the department never followed up with the information.

“Secretary Saddler’s verbal notification immediately triggered a shutdown of intakes, closing the doors to new clients, closures of other addiction prevention and treatment services across the state, and shutdowns of programs serving Illinois’ neediest citizens,” Foster said.

Foster accused Quinn of playing politics with funding to human services — referring to Quinn’s 2009 push for an income tax increase, which at the time he said could prevent draconian cuts to social service providers. “Gov. Quinn promised to save human services if the state passed an income tax increase. We think the governor’s pledge to protect the most vulnerable in Illinois has been a cruel hoax.”

Foster added that addiction treatment and prevention programs have already taken cuts in recent years. He said that in fiscal year 2007, the state served 98,000 people under such programs.

Bruce Suardini, chief operating officer of Prairie Center Health Systems, which has facilities in Urbana, Champaign and Danville, said that organization is “in the midst” of closing its Champaign and Urbana operations, which include a detox center for those dealing with the symptoms of withdrawal. He said that after the facility closes, “there will be no medical detox for any citizens in central Illinois.” He added that the center would lay off 51 of 85 staff members on Friday.

Suardini said his clients walked out of treatment this week because of their frustration over the budget cuts. “Our people walked out of detox and walked out of residential yesterday. We are closing our operations in those services by Friday.”

He added: “We are still awaiting our letters [from the Department of Human Services.] This is the second time that we have disproportionately taken a cut in the budget. … We don’t have much left ... to be able to offer hope to the people that are trying to seek services.”

Bruce Carter, executive director of the Wells Center in Jacksonville, said his treatment center has also stopped admitting new clients and has told people on its waiting list that they would not accept them. Carter said the center plans to close its residential treatment and detox programs by March 22. He said he would have to lay off 40 of his 47-member staff by the end of March.

Kent Holsopple, administrator of the Springfield office for Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities, which provides addiction treatment for people who are in the state’s criminal justice system or corrections system, said he has clients who have been sentenced to treatment that are waiting in jail because TASC cannot take them. “We talk about it being a cut. It would essentially eliminate community-based treatment centers.”

Allen Sandusky, president and chief executive officer of the South Suburban Council on Alcohol and Substance Abuse, said overdue payments from the state leave his organization little wiggle room in its budget. “Since the state currently owes us $1.9 million of our $3.2 million contract, we do not have the financial resources nor the cash resources to really handle any short-term emergencies.” He said he would have to lay off 90 of his 105-person staff to make up for the cuts.

Foster said because providers have not yet received new contracts from the Department of Human Services, he hopes there is still room for negotiation.

Chicago Democratic Rep. Sara Feigenholtz and Jacksonville Republican Rep. Jim Watson have introduced a nonbinding resolution urging the governor not to make the cuts. “Instead of coming after human services dollars all the time — this is a fire drill that this sector of government is consistently being run through all the time — we need to take a look at balancing our systems for a more cost-effective way of delivering services. Putting people in prison is clearly not the answer. We should be doing just the opposite.”

Lawmakers can do little more than pass a resolution because they signed over budgeting powers to Quinn when they passed him a lump sum budget for the current fiscal year, leaving it up to the governor to make cuts. The General Assembly approved extending Quinn’s special budgeting powers until the current fiscal year ends in June.

Feigenholtz said she was unsure if extending those powers, a move that she voted to support, was allowing Quinn to make the cuts to addiction treatment and prevention. She said she thinks Quinn simply “ran out of money.” She said she hopes legislators will never pass a lump sum budget again.

Inquires to Quinn’s budgeting office and the Department of Human Services about the cuts and Quinn’s budgeting powers were not returned.

UPDATE: “We have to have an ongoing dialogue about how to get through this fiscal year,” Quinn said at a Chicago news conference.

Quinn said the General Assembly left the difficult budgeting decisions up to him when they passed the lump-sum budget. “I really believe in dialogue and listening to all of those who have points of view on this. We’ll get through this fiscal year and on to the next one.”

He added that some human service providers could see cuts, but he would not confirm the reports of drastic reductions planned for next month. “Some of them may have economies that we have to make. This is hard and difficult. … I don’t want to harm one area of important life in Illinois, like human services. But at the same time, I[‘ve] got to maintain education and public safety.”

CapitolView

Host Jamey Dunn (Illinois Issues magazine) with Andrew Thomason (Illinois Statehouse News), Patrick Yeagle (Illinois Times) and Chris Wetterich (Springfield State Journal-Register. This week, the panel reviews the governor's budget speech- including the school consolidation proposal, elimination of legislative scholarships, Medicaid reform and more. A production of WSEC-TV/PBS Springfield. Search CapitolView on Facebook to find the show's page.

Some education cuts will take time

By Jamey Dunn

Some close to education say that realizing savings through Gov. Pat Quinn’s proposed cuts could be a long uphill climb.

While Quinn proposed an increase to general state aid for schools as part of the budget plan he outlined to legislators yesterday, he also pitched some controversial cuts to education. Quinn called for the creation of a commission to reduce the number of school districts in the state. Illinois has 868 school districts. Quinn says $100 million could be saved under a consolidation plan.

“Illinois has one of the largest number of school districts in the nation,” said Matt Vanover, a spokesman for the State Board of Education. Vanover said he thinks Quinn’s commission will work on proposals to reduce that number by combining districts with “an eye to 300 districts.” He said the agency backs the idea of consolidation and has been researching the issue. However, he said the way the state tackles what is typically viewed as a local issue may vary by region. “There are going to be different dynamics in different parts of the state.”

David Vaught, Quinn’s budget director, said school district consolidation is a “long term” process but one that can be accomplished, over time, “without damaging or hurting what goes on in the classroom whatsoever.”

“Right now, the way the statutes are, local governments have to initiate or approve [district consolidation.] I think the idea would be, at least based on what I heard yesterday, some type of legislation that would allow for a mechanism for it to be forced by the state,” said Rep. Roger Eddy, a Hutsonville Republican.

Eddy, who is also superintendent of Hutsonville School District 1, said :“This is a very emotional issue, and one that’s been studied and studied and studied. And we’ve never really moved very far because of Illinois being such a local control state.”

He added that studies show that many smaller school districts spend less and get better student achievement results. “The purpose and the foundation for why we’re doing it is just backwards to what the data and the results show.”

Quinn also proposed a $95 million cut to transportation funds for schools. The state cut the money it gives local districts to bus students to and from school by $146 million for the current fiscal year, according to a budget analysis by House Democratic staff members.

Vaught said spending on early childhood programs, state funds to help low-income students attend college and general state aid to schools won out over transportation funding. “Is it a state responsibility to make sure the kids get to school? Or is that a local district responsibility a parental responsibility to get the kids to school? This is not the highest priority when you weigh objectives and priorities against one to the other. And so, we see a cut here. … We think the districts and the parents can handle that on their own.”


Eddy added, “At a time when we are talking about making larger geographic districts, we won't have transportation money. … They are kind of in conflict.”

The plan also calls for cutting all funding for regional superintendents. Quinn says that would save $13 million, which he says should be spent in the classroom.

“We don’t think that extra administrative layer adds much. … Those are local elected officials. If the locals elect them, they can pay for them,” said Vaught.

Eddy said regional education offices provide many functions, such as professional development for teachers, safety checks on schools and criminal background checks on employees. “Who’s going to do that? $14 million — can you do it cheaper from a higher level?” Eddy said that the offices add an important layer of oversight by making sure schools fulfill their safety and certification requirements.

David Comerford, a spokesperson for the Illinois Federation of Teachers, said his organization is still looking into Quinn’s consolidation proposal, as well as the plan to cut funding to regional education offices. He said since Illinois will not receive federal stimulus finds for education in the next fiscal year, Quinn had far less to work with. “In the overall financial picture, there was a good deal of federal dollars that went away that he had to try and fill,” he said. “We appreciate that [Quinn} tried as best he could to fill that.”

Comerford said the transportation cuts and other reductions would be difficult for schools to bear. “People who are calling for cuts — you’re getting them. There are significant cuts being made here.”

Inquiries to Quinn’s office on how he plans to implement consolidation and cut funding to regional education offices were not returned.

Legislative leaders take issue with Quinn's numbers

By Jamey Dunn and Lauren N. Johnson

Gov. Pat Quinn emphasized the need for economic development and avoiding large education cuts in his budget address today. However, his proposal contains deep cuts to some social services and health care and hinges on a borrowing plan that Republicans say they will not support.

Quinn focused on the need to cut the budget in his speech to lawmakers. According to his staff, there are no new programs in his proposal, which they say cuts spending by nearly $1 billion. However, he did propose spending increases in existing programs. All state spending in the proposal totals $52.7 billion. Republicans claim that figure represents a $1.7 billion increase from last year’s spending. However, Quinn’s staff insists that last year, the state did not make some required payments in full and did not pay the required $4 billion pension fund payment from general revenue funds. So, they say, last year’s numbers do not represent a realistic budget.

“Our commitment to taxpayers is simple: We will only use tax dollars to provide necessary state services,” Quinn said in his address. “All unnecessary state spending will be eliminated.”

The governor’s plan includes a jump in general state aid funding to schools from $4.6 billion to $4.86 billion. This increase would bring the foundation level — the funding the state gives schools per student each year — up to $6,267 from $6,119. But Quinn also called for eliminating all state dollars spent on regional superintendents’ offices. He said the almost $14 million in savings from that cut should go toward schools. His plan also cuts $95 million from state support for transportation costs spent on busing students to schools. Quinn also called for consolidating school districts, a plan that he said would realize $100 million in future savings. He did not explain how the consolidations would be accomplished, but he did say he plans to create a commission to took into the matter.

The governor called for a $25 million increase in the Monetary Award Program, which provides college scholarships to students in economic need, and an end to scholarships doled out by legislators. “College scholarships paid for by the taxpayers of Illinois should go only to those that have true financial need for them,” Quinn said.

Quinn proposed cutting the rates that health care providers are paid to treat Medicaid patients, a move he said could save $550 million in the first year. In recent years, providers have claimed that the rates they are paid to provide health care, coupled with the state’s slow payment of bills, has caused providers to opt not to treat Medicaid patients. In some cases, that has led to Medicaid patients having trouble finding treatment close to home. “Making such deep cuts will pose serious challenges to many financially fragile hospitals, which are already struggling to survive. With hospitals being squeezed between higher costs – for labor, new technology and medical liability – and inadequate revenues during the current economic downturn, their ability to continue to perform the critical role of serving their patients and their communities will be seriously jeopardized by Medicaid rate reductions,” Danny Chun, a spokesperson for the Illinois Hospital Association, said in a written statement.

State funding for addiction treatment and prevention services that are not covered under Medicaid—which brings in federal matching funds—was cut completely. According to Sara Moscato Howe, a spokesperson for the Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association, the proposed $53 million in cuts to substance abuse programs would mean almost 19,000 people would lose access to treatment. Howe said about 80 percent of those in state-funded addiction treatment today are not eligible for Medicaid. “We have a lot of the working poor … so they’re stuck in the middle.”

Howe added that Illinois could lose federal funding for those programs if it does not chip in because the state is required to meet certain “effort of maintenance” standards to get the federal dollars that Quinn has written into his budget.

The plan also calls for cuts to mental health services not backed by Medicaid dollars, as well as eliminating programs that help seniors pay for medication and costs associated with owning a home.

“This is my 50th year of lobbying on behalf of persons with disabilities in Illinois, and I have never witnessed a proposed human service budget that would be more devastating to the health and welfare of this vulnerable population,” Don Moss, coordinator for the Illinois Human Services Coalition, said in a written statement. “There is no segment of human service needs that is left unscathed by the draconian cuts put forth by the governor.”

Quinn emphasized economic development and cooperation with the business sector. He touted his recent efforts to bring more business to the state, called for reforms to the workers’ compensation system and announced the creation of an Illinois Innovation Council — aimed at promoting economic growth. He also called for $1.4 billion in new capital construction spending to catch up on maintenance at universities and state facilities that has been put off in recent years because of budget constraints.

“I’m glad we got his attention,” said Jeff Mays, president of Illinois Business Roundtable. Mays said Quinn has become more proactive about concerns the business community has raised in the last month. He said it is a good start, but he hopes to see more policy changes directed at the needs of Illinois businesses.

Quinn renewed a call for $8.75 billion in borrowing to pay overdue bills, which he said are six to eight months late, owed to vendors, social services providers and schools. He called on Republicans, who shot down that proposal yesterday, to present alternative proposals. “Billions of dollars of existing bills will not go away by magic. … If you do not agree with our debt restructuring plan, tell us which [programs] you would eliminate to pay $8.7 billion in overdue bills today.”

Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, a Lemont Republican, said although well delivered, she thought Quinn's address did not offer much information about what she called key factors of the budget. “The concepts he talked about — needing to cut, needing to pay bills, needing to focus on job development — are all on target. Unfortunately, we didn’t hear a lot about the numbers,” Radogno said.

Radogno and Senate President John Cullerton, a Chicago Democrat, said Quinn’s numbers do not add up. They say he would spend more than the expected revenues for the next fiscal year, and they are concerned that he plans to use some of the money from the proposed borrowing to fund his budget. “The governor's estimated revenues in [Fiscal Year] 12 are $1.45 billion less than his proposed spending. At first glance, the governor’s budget appears to rely on debt restructuring that has not been secured. I am among those with questions about how the governor plans to use these dollars if they are approved. I urge the governor to provide the details needed to advance his proposal,” Cullerton said in a written statement. He canceled a scheduled news conference after the governor’s address because he said he still has questions about the proposal and needs more information from Quinn.

Radogno accused Quinn of doing a “sloppy” job of explaining where the borrowing dollars would go. “Borrowing has been proposed to pay bills, yet the budget document itself demonstrates that some of that borrowing is used in order to prop up the level of spending that can’t be sustained with the revenue that’s coming in aside from the borrowing.”

A spokesperson for Quinn’s budget office said all the money from the borrowing plan would go toward paying off the old bills.

House Speaker Michael Madigan said on the PBS television program "Illinois Lawmakers" that he thinks Republicans will come around to a borrowing plan, but it will probably be smaller. The Chicago Democrat said in early negotiations, lawmakers were discussing borrowing about $6.2 billion. Like Radogno and Cullerton, Madigan took issue with Quinn’s numbers. He said Quinn was counting on $720 million from two plans — one that would cut state payments to the fund for corporate income tax refunds and another that would split state tax practices from a federal plan — which have not been approved by legislators. Madigan said that under new budget reforms, Quinn cannot base his budget on money the state doesn’t have. “That will be the first point of difference with the governor and the legislature.” He pointed out that the governor’s proposal is just the beginning of the budgeting process, and any disputes could potentially be worked out through negotiations.

Madigan, Cross and Radogno all said changes to pension benefits for state workers, as well as charging some retired state workers more for their health care coverage, should be on the table. They say they are not proposing taking away any pension benefits employees have already earned, but they are open to changing future benefits for current employees. Cullerton agreed that some retired workers should pay more for insurance. However, he maintained his stance that any changes to pension benefits for current employees would be unconstitutional.

Madigan said of the budgeting process that was kicked off today: “There is going to be a whole series of tough decisions to be made on issues, such as unemployment insurance workers’ compensation, support for health insurance programs for retired teachers … all of that in addition to working our way through a budget making process where we acknowledge that we owe $6 [billion] to $8 billion in unpaid bills.” (For more on the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund and the associated budget problems for Illinois, see Illinois Issues, November 2010.)

Quinn's budget plan relies on borrowing

By Jamey Dunn with Lauren N. Johnson contributing

Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget does not include a plan to pay down the state’s backlog of unpaid bills outside of a borrowing proposal Republicans shot down earlier today.

Near the end of the previous legislative session, Democrats proposed $8.75 billion in borrowing to pay down the state’s growing stack of unpaid bills to vendors, social service providers and schools. Revenues from the recent income tax increase were earmarked to repay the borrowed funds over the next 14 years, but the plan did not receive the needed support. At the time, some Republicans said they were willing to work out a compromise version of the bill in the new legislative session.

The same plan was introduced this session as Senate Bill 3, and Senate Republicans voiced their opposition today. Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno said Senate Republicans made their opposition to the proposed $8.75 billion borrowing plan—referred to by Quinn as a “debt restructuring” plan—clear to the governor. She said if, in fact, Quinn forms his budget address around the plan, it would show the Republican caucus his resistance “to work together and come up with a plan.”

However, members of Quinn’s staff say that the plan is necessary to build a responsible budget for the next fiscal year. “We spent the first half of this year paying [fiscal year 2010] bills. If we don’t do debt restructuring, we’ll be doing the same thing next year,” said Jack Lavin, Quinn’s chief of staff.

Lavin said the backlog of unpaid bills to vendors has narrowed the pool of contractors that the state can choose from because some businesses cannot afford to wait for the late payments. He said the result has been a 6 to 10 percent increase in procurement costs, which he estimated at $700 million. “[Republicans] are saying we can’t afford to pay the interest [on the borrowing plan]. We can’t afford not to. … We can’t afford to have these procurement costs go up. We can’t afford to continue to have these big deficits — have vendors who can’t pay their employees stop serving the state, so we have less vendors to choose from, [so] procurement continues to go up.”

He said some Republicans are “out playing politics and using rhetoric, but we need to sit down and look at the numbers and look at what fiscal stability means.”

Lavin added: “It’s a prerequisite. We have to have a debt restructuring in order to have fiscal stability and to keep our economy moving forward.”

He said Quinn still plans to work with Republicans to figure out a way to pay off the backlog. “We’re waiting for Republicans to give us a counter offer. … They have not done that. They simply say no. We’ve asked them to stop playing rope-a-dope and give us a counter proposal.”

Lavin said he thinks the Republicans are working on their own proposal, but he said they likely want to hear Quinn’s budget address before they present it. He said Republicans could identify more cuts to free up funds for paying off old bills.

“We are fundamentally changing the way we spend taxpayer dollars by mandating that decisions be based on performance and impact rather than politics or habit. … It’s a lean budget that focuses the burden across all areas of state budget,” Quinn spokesperson Mica Matsoff said of the governor’s budget proposal, which he will present to the General Assembly at noon tomorrow.

House, Senate bills could reinstate death penalty

By Lauren N. Johnson

Two Republican lawmakers today urged Gov. Pat Quinn to veto legislation that would abolish Illinois’ death penalty.

Rep. Dennis Reboletti of Addison and Sen. Kirk Dillard of Hinsdale proposed legislation that could reinstate the death penalty in Illinois if Quinn signs the abolition bill into law.

House Bill 1520, sponsored by Reboletti, would place a referendum on the 2012 general election ballot asking Illinois voters if they are favor of capital punishment. Reboletti said the public had little to no input in the voting process that he said was rushed through the lame-duck legislative session in January. While the death penalty cannot be abolished or reinstated through a voter referendum, Reboletti said he would respect the choice of voters. The only way the public could directly decide whether Illinois has the death penalty would be through a constitutional amendment passed by the legislature and approved by voters.

“Gov. Quinn has always been an advocate of letting the people's voice be heard through referendums throughout his four decades of service to this state, so we are hopeful that he would be supportive of this measure,” Reboletti said.

Dillard introduced Senate Bill 2276 to reduce eligibility for the death penalty to what he called the “worst of the worst” of crimes, a group of criminals he defined as killers of police officers and correctional guards, heinous child murderers and serial murderers.

“Some of my colleagues on the other side were forced to take [Senate Bill 3539] or leave it. The death penalty to me is not a ‘take it or leave it’ situation; it’s to be used very judicially in limited circumstances,” Dillard said.

Dillard also introduced Senate Bill 2277, which calls for creation of a panel – prosecutors, state’s attorneys from Cook County and downstate Illinois, a representative from the attorney general’s office and a retired judge – intended to guarantee that Illinois' judicial system would use more discretion in applying the death penalty.

Quinn has until March 18 to take action on the bill, according to his office. If he fails to act, the measure automatically becomes law.

Human services bracing for cuts

By Jamey Dunn and Lauren N. Johnson

Human service providers fear that they will be targeted for deep cuts when Gov. Pat Quinn presents his budget tomorrow.

Quinn has warned that despite the recent income tax increase, it will be a “lean year” for state government. Since the governor ran in the general election on a proposed income tax increase for education, those working in human services say they will likely bear the brunt of cuts aimed at closing the state’s gaping budget hole.

“There’s probably no doubt of that because there is no other large post of money other than education to tap into to deal with the crisis,” said Don Moss, coordinator for the Illinois Human Services Coalition.

Social service providers testified on the impact of substantial cuts during this fiscal year and potential cuts during the next before a Senate committee today. No similar hearings were held today focusing on any area of government that represents a large amount of spending, such as education or health care.

“It’s seems like whenever there is a budget shortfall, the first place they look [to cut] is in the human services budget,” said Chicago Democratic Sen. Mattie Hunter. “I think that the message that’s being thrown out there is that you’re nobody. That you’re providing a nobody service … or that you’re just a waste of time.”

Hunter said drastic cuts to human services would likely push costs to other areas, such as corrections, as crime rates and other problems increase because of an eroding social safety net. Providers agreed and added that potential for cuts are limited by law and their contracts with the state.

“Our missions urge us to create better lives for those who need and depend on our support, while our businesses are being crushed under the weight of pressures that currently exist. We cannot raise prices like other business because our rates are set in contract or statute. We cannot lay off staff like other industries because our staffing powers are set in rules. And we cannot discharge individuals because it is prohibited in our contracts,” said Janet Stover, executive director of the Illinois Association of Rehabilitation Facilities. “If the community support network is not preserved … we will have to revert back to dependence on institutions, on prisons, on other costly settings that don’t serve people well, and they don’t serve the state well.”

Moss said services for people with developmental disabilities could be relatively safe from budget slashing. “It was confirmed to me today that they will be the last to be cut.” However, he says funding for programs for the mentally ill and addiction treatment will probably be hit hard because spending on many of those programs is not matched by federal Medicaid dollars.

Meanwhile, Senate Republicans say they can only back a budget proposal that includes cuts and roundly rejected Quinn’s plan to borrow $8.75 billion to pay down the state’s mounting pile of overdue bills to social service providers, vendors and schools.

“We have new revenue coming in based on the income tax increase,” said Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno. “If we reduce the spending, we can use that additional revenue to begin to pay those bills off.”

She added,” We don’t have to pay it off 100 percent in one day. Even bringing people current to say within 90 days, which would be a huge improvement, is less of a hill to climb.”

Radogno said to address the backlog, legislators will have to make difficult choices, including cuts. Republicans compared recent budgets to shell games, saying that Quinn made shifts in the current budget but did not follow through on the cuts that he promised. “We are repeating the pattern of spending, borrowing, having a crisis, needing to raise taxes. We’ve got to stop that,” Radogno said.

Moss said the Republican rejection of the borrowing plan is an added blow to human services because many providers are waiting for payments from the state. “What happened today was shutting off the only possibly safety net that [social service providers] had. … The delayed payments are almost as bad as the cuts in recent years. … The payrolls can’t be met. We’re losing good staff.”

Moss acknowledged that there is still time to work out a compromised borrowing plan in the coming months of budget negotiations and said providers will continue to heavily lobby the governor. But he said, as of now, negotiations seem to have shut down. “Suddenly the door slammed shut.”

During the last legislative session, Senate Democrats could pass a borrowing plan, which requires a three-fifths majority, without Republican support, but now they lack the numbers. So the proposal has become a potential bargaining chip for other reforms, such as changes to the state’s workers’ compensation system. “This is the only way they can flex their muscles, when the three-fifths vote is needed,” Moss said. “They’re pushing the only way they can.”

He added: “We’re going to keep trying. We’ve seen over the years many things go down in flames and then somehow rise out of the ashes again.”

Free ride for all seniors program is over

By Jamey Dunn

A program backed by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, which was also a popular target of legislators looking to cut the budget, was limited today.

Gov. Pat Quinn signed Senate Bill 3788, which ends the free-rides-for-seniors program as it existed under Blagojevich. Under the new law, all seniors will pay half-price to use mass transit. To receive free rides, seniors must have income levels that qualify for state assistance programs, such as a state pharmaceutical aid program. One person making $27,610 or less will still be eligible for a free ride. Members of a two-person household earning less than $36,635 and any households of three or more that earn less than $45,657 will also still be able to ride for free.

“This reform sets the standard we must meet for state programs by reducing costs while also ensuring transportation services for our most dependent seniors,” Quinn said in a written statement. “To start off a week that will highlight important budget reforms, we’re taking important steps to ensure our state transit programs are fiscally responsible but also accessible to the riders who depend on them.”

A proposal to limit the program gained traction last spring but then stalled. Legislators brought the issue up again in the January lame-duck session, and the bill passed with little debate and no organized opposition. “It’s about time,” Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, a Lemont Republican, who has been pushing to roll the program back, said when the bill passed.