Utility campaign contributions

The House conducted a rare Committee of the Whole Tuesday that included hours of testimony about Illinois’ electricity rates. Commonwealth Edison and Ameren Illinois customers have experienced increases ranging from 24 percent to as high as 300 percent (anecdotally) since a decade-long freeze was lifted on electric rates in January. A lot of downstate legislators have gotten earfuls from constituents, particularly those who use only electrical power. The electric-only customers of Ameren Illinois have been hit the hardest, leading Democrats and Republicans to raise a storm of opposition to the current rate-setting process.

Those lawmakers want immediate action, but the committee didn’t take a vote on any proposed solutions (the most recent being Rep. George Scully’s House Bill 1750 that would reinstate the rate freeze and refund customers with interest). The governor wasn’t present, and the Senate wasn’t involved. There’s no telling how long a compromise to relieve electricity rates could take, if it could happen at all this session. Senate President Emil Jones Jr. has said he opposes reinstating a rate freeze.

The debate has become particularly political because the major utilities have a huge stake in the outcome, and they’ve been putting their money where their mouth is by donating to political campaigns in recent elections.

The Campaign for Political Reform says Commonwealth Edison is a “career patron” of Senate President Emil Jones, Senate Republican Leader Frank Watson and House Republican Leader Tom Cross. Records from the group’s Sunshine Database show ComEd gave $2,429,000 from January 1, 1993, through June 30, 2006, to candidates for Illinois statewide candidates and legislative candidates. Of that, 53 percent was contributed to Republicans.

Cross also received $22,000 from Ameren Illinois’ political action committee in 2005 and 2006. House Speaker Michael Madigan received $50,000 total from Ameren Illinois between 2003 and 2006. He also received $15,000 from the interest group for Dynegy, the utility that purchased Illinois Power before it merged with Ameren Illinois the election cycle before that.

You can find more campaign donations at the Campaign for Political Reform’s Sunshine Database.

For more context on the electricity challenge faced by state officials, see our December blogs and our feature about the Illinois Commerce Commission.

TGIF

Nothing has gone as planned this week, so here are some links that could be useful throughout the spring session. They provide thinking points about 1) the Illinois GOP, 2) Illinois poverty and 3) Illinois' financial health (and other major policy issues).

1) The House Republican’s new brainstorming Web site

2) The Illinois Poverty Summit’s 2007 report (More information here)

3) The Institute of Government and Public Affairs’ 2007 report (IGPA is a public policy research unit comprised of researchers at the University of Illinois' three campuses.)

Obama for president

Thousands of people — kids in snow pants, adults in long johns — saw U.S. Sen. Barack Obama’s breath as he said the highly anticipated words, "Today, I announce my candidacy for the president of the United States," on the backdrop of the Old State Capitol in Springfield Saturday morning.

They heard him propose a form of universal health care by the end of the next president’s term and promise a plan to bring U.S. troops home from Iraq by March 2008. But they didn't hear any details of the plans. You can listen here.

He entered the stage with his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters. One of the first thing he said: “We all made this journey for a reason. It’s humbling to see a crowd like this, but in my heart I know you didn’t just come here for me (some people yelled, ‘Yes we did’). No. You came here because you believe in what this country can be. In the face of war, you believe there can be peace. In the face of despair, you believe there can be hope. In the face of a politic that’s shut you out, that’s told you to settle, that’s divided us for too long, you believe that we can be one people, reaching out for one possible, building that more perfect union. That’s the journey we're on today.”

He smiled and laughed throughout the rest of his speech, but when he spoke of Iraq, his voice was low, deliberate and calm. When he spoke of health care and ethics in government, he raised his voice and his volume to rekindle the crowd. By far, the most energetic responses were to his comments about establishing universal health care and removing troops from a civil war in Iraq.

The scene fit the image of a presidential campaign: a huge American flag hung the Pease’s Fine Candies building with others between the pillars of a bank. Supporters waved blue Obama signs. Guards with bulletproof vests and binoculars surveyed the crowd from the top of three buildings.

The public gathered a couple of hours before gates opened 9 a.m. State, federal and local officials filled the gates first. Some people came to see “history in the making,” a common phrase this morning. Others were skeptics who wanted to see what was the big deal about Obama. One anti-abortion group held graphic signs and chanted against Obama’s belief that a woman has the right to choose to have an abortion.

The number of media was amazing. Some crews waited in line as early as 3:30 a.m. to secure a good spot when the media gates opened at 5 a.m. Local and international reporters from as far as Japan stood on three, multi-level stages lining the grounds. A British reporter told me that he would expect this size of a gathering in the final stretch of a presidential run, but not the first. Canadian reporter Beth Gorham, Washington correspondent for the Canadian Press, said people in her country feel curious about the potential of the first black or first woman president of the United States. She said people also were simply interested in knowing more about the man behind the buzz.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of Springfield, stepped onto the stage first and introduced Obama. Without saying Obama was the next Abraham Lincoln, Durbin did say Lincoln’s journey included skeptics who wondered whether he could meet the challenges of his time. Earlier, Durbin said Obama’s life experiences would inspire people to support him. “To rise to the position of being the editor of the Harvard Law Review, that says a lot. And then to make the decision not to cash in and make a lot of money as a lawyer, but rather become a civil rights lawyer working for poor people in the city of Chicago, community organizer, all these things tell me where his values are.”

After the event, Gov. Rod Blagojevich told one group of reporters after another: “The whole thing was great, especially his focus on health care for everybody. That’s a tremendous objective. Our objective is to get it done here in Illinois. So when Sen. Obama becomes president, all he has to do it get it done in 49 states instead of 50.”

State Sen. James Meeks, a Chicago Democrat, said he thinks Obama has a “great chance” to appeal to the masses because he's "uniter, not a divider." He added that he thinks Obama is not a political insider tainted by lobbying dollars.

Bethany’s perspective
I’ve never been so thankful for hand warmers and soccer socks. It was so cold that ink froze in my pens (good thing I had a few pencils), battery juice froze in my camera, and my digital recorder was stuck in the “on” position. I was lucky enough to score a good spot by one of the media stages. I knew what to expect with the size of the crowd, but it started to hit me just how big this day was when I felt the entire audience take a deep breath and stand on its toes when Durbin welcomed Obama to the stage, the music picked up and he came closer into view.

It was pretty neat standing among so many people from so many countries listening to an Illinois senator announce a presidential bid. Yet, many people don't know that much about Obama or his political stances, allowing them to assign any ideal identity to the candidate. We'll have to see how he rides the wave.

Deanese’s perspective
Seven out of eight people I spoke with had the facts wrong about today’s events. The majority believed that Obama was making history by being the first African American to announce a presidential run. Not to shame any of his supporters, but it’s not true. The Rev. Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Carol Mosley Braun and Shirley Chisholm have all made steps towards the White House in earlier races. Chisholm was actually the first African American to announce her bid for the presidency on Jan. 23, 1972.

Moneymakers

Pressure is mounting for Illinois to milk the cow this year. Lawmakers need a long-term plan to pay for education, transportation, health care and public employee pensions, but there’s disagreement about which cash cow to milk.

HB/SB 750 tax reform
Sen. James Meeks reintroduced a so-called tax swap plan to raise income taxes, lower property taxes and expand the sales tax as a way to fairly fund education and significantly pay down the state’s pension obligations.

Ralph Martire, executive director of the Chicago-based Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, says the bottom 60 percent of income earners would not pay more in income taxes than they are now. And the money they saved in property taxes would be intended to offset the cost of sales taxes on consumer services, such as auto repair labor and haircuts.

Martire adds that the property tax relief would total $2.7 billion statewide. “No school district loses a penny,” he says.

He says the drafters of the legislation tried to “depoliticize” the distribution of the money. Of the state’s $5 billion net revenue, $720 million would go to downstate schools, $420 million to Chicago schools, $400 million to suburban Chicago schools, and $300 million for higher education.

Depoliticize is a bold word, considering this year's budget debate is expected to be a doozy. Gov. Rod Blagojevich has repeatedly said he would veto an increase in state taxes. Senate President Emil Jones Jr. also said on Inauguration Day that he definitely opposes expansion of the sales tax to consumer services. But he did leave the door open to other revenue ideas. “We do not have a spending problem. We have a revenue problem,” Jones said.

Good or bad, he'll have plenty of “creative” revenue ideas to consider.

Privatizing the lottery and the tollway
The governor is still considering selling the Illinois Lottery to fund a $6 billion plan to pump more money into education, school buildings, teacher quality and books. But the plan doesn't address pensions.

Sen. Jeff Schoenberg, an Evanston Democrat, is still considering privatizing the Illinois Tollway (scroll down to the August 29, 2006, blog) as a way to raise lots of money to pay the state’s unfunded pension liabilities and transportation costs. However, he said on Inauguration Day that he is convinced the state should not sell the tollway, but maintain majority ownership. He said the next step is to work with the Illinois attorney general’s office to get insight on the legal dimensions of such a lease.

Sen. Bill Brady’s solution to the pension liability problem is giving current state employees an option to participate in a self-managing plan (like a 401-k) that mirrors the private sector retirement options. New state employees would have to participate in the self-managed plan. The board of trustees of each of the five retirement systems would select up to seven companies where state employees could choose to invest their money as they wished. Brady, a Bloomington Republican, says it would save taxpayer money, reduce political influence on state investment decisions and prevent the state from raiding the five pension systems to pay for general state costs.

More to come
There’s also more creative — read politically risky — revenue ideas to come, potentially targeting businesses as one way to pay for the governor’s promised plan of universal health care. He gives his combined State of the State address and his budget address March 7.

Deanese Williams-Harris contributed to this post.

Budget buzz

Budget will be No. 1
Anything the Illinois General Assembly wants to accomplish this session will revolve around the state budget. Gov. Rod Blagojevich will propose the budget for fiscal year 2008 on March 7 (in combination with his State of the State address). Three challenges — taxes, pensions and Medicaid bills — could trump the buzz about some of his new proposals for social programs.

We already know gaming and privatization are options for new state revenue. Raising taxes is not, according to the governor.

House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President Emil Jones Jr., on the other hand, have each mentioned the possibility of tax reform. One panel of budget analysts considered some possibilities Tuesday. (The panel was part of a series of luncheons sponsored by the Institute of Government and Public Affairs and the University of Illinois at Springfield’s Center for State Policy and Leadership.)

While the panel members’ comments echoed reports by the Commercial Club of Chicago and the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, the panel also highlighted some ideas for tax reform.

Economics Professor Patricia Byrnes at the University of Illinois at Springfield says the state is missing the boat in taxing Internet sales. In 2008, she says Illinois can expect to miss out on $622 million to $900 million in collections from Internet sales. That’s about 2.8 percent to 4.4 percent of sales tax collections.

That combines with the state’s sales tax being too narrow. She says Illinois currently taxes only 17 of 164 services. And unlike the governor’s budget office, Byrnes says she wouldn’t focus on corporate taxes. Instead, she would focus on the state income tax, which she called the least progressive because it’s a flat rate for all incomes. She recommends increasing the tax rate up to 5 percent and increasing the reasons for personal exemptions.

According to economics Professor J. Fred Giertz of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the political question this session is whether lawmakers would override a governor’s veto and raise taxes without his support, particularly when a tax increase simply would generate more money for the governor to spend on his programs. Giertz says that’s “unlikely.”

State Sen. Christine Radogno, the Senate Republican’s rising budget expert (and unsuccessful candidate for state treasurer last year), says another big question this session is whether lawmakers would have the political will to implement changes that would have delayed gratification.

She adds the public has no confidence in state government to spend money responsibly if Illinois general taxes were to increase.

The next portion was written by Deanese Williams-Harris, the Public Affairs Reporting intern working in the Statehouse with Bethany Carson. The Chicago native joins us from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where she was a McNair Scholar.

Education will be No. 2
The legislature’s new Education Caucus met Monday afternoon and debated whether the group’s reform efforts should focus on elementary education, higher education or both.

Rep. Dave Winters, a Shirland Republican, opened the debate to whether the caucus should focus on K-12 to avoid being distracted by higher education.

Rep. Robert Pritchard, a Sycamore Republican overseeing the meeting, quickly rebutted, saying, “Illinois has always had a disconnect between pre-school, K-12 and higher education. We need to make those connections now.”

He recalled a recent visit to one of the state’s juvenile detention centers and said it was heartbreaking to see kids getting less than two hours of education or skill development.

“We need to develop a system that does it right the first time so that kids don’t get discouraged and drop out and don’t turn to a life of crime,” he said.

Blagoterminator

Yes, it’s easy to get sidetracked by the name game of Team Blagojevich-Schwarzenegger that met in California yesterday. But they made environmental announcements that show promise, according to the Environment Illinois advocacy group.

Rebecca Stanfield, Environment Illinois state director, says it’s significant that Illinois partnered with the “Golden State” because California has already enacted some of the policies recommended in the Illinois group’s report to reduce global warming emissions.

For instance, she says California was the first state to set carbon dioxide emission standards for cars made in 2009 and beyond. That law was approved in 2002 under the former governor. Last summer, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger also approved a cap on greenhouse gas emissions (coupled with reporting requirements) so statewide levels would return to 1990 levels by 2020.

Stanfield says there’s no doubt the auto industry would fight tooth an nail against a CO2 standard for cars (they’ve already taken their case to Supreme Court), but she hopes that consumer demand for clean cars could heighten the chances that CO2 standards could be adopted in Illinois.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich released another statement today touting his anti-pollution programs, including the creation of the Illinois Climate Change Advisory Group that has to make recommendations to the governor by July 30 this year. Last summer, Blagojevich also unveiled an energy plan to invest in renewable fuels (corn and soybeans) and wind power. And he caps his accomplishments with this week’s announcement of BP PLC funding of the Energy Biosciences Institute that promises up to $100 million for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s research on converting plants to fuel.

This all comes on the heels of an international panel’s declaration that human behavior, particularly burning of fossil fuels, “very likely” causes global warming. Fossil fuels emit CO2, the most important greenhouse gas, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change created by the United Nations.

BP invests in UI, biofuel development - News

Dream job ends at IDOT

Illinois’ Secretary of Transportation Tim Martin resigned today, according to an abrupt announcement from the governor’s office that provides little explanation other than he’s returning to the private sector.

Martin has led the Illinois Department of Transportation since 2003 under Gov. Rod Blagojevich. In the governor's release, Martin calls it “a dream job for any engineer that grew up in Illinois.” The governor’s announcement says Martin’s leadership was “instrumental in modernizing and making IDOT more efficient and focused the agency on better using technology to accomplish its goals.” He also marked the agency’s 2006 record of having the fewest fatalities since 1924.

Also on Martin’s watch, however, is IDOT’s status as one of at least 15 agencies to have received federal subpoenas in an ongoing federal investigation into hiring and contracting practices within Blagojevich’s administration. No one has been charged with wrongdoing.

IDOT spokesman Matt Vanover says Martin resigned and was not asked to leave. These types of changes are common as administrations transition into new terms, he says.

Milt Sees, IDOT director of highways, takes over until the governor nominates a permanent secretary, which requires Senate approval.

Mayday, mayday

The state has lost nearly $17 million over four years because the Illinois Department of Transportation hasn’t billed politicians and businesses the full cost of flying them between Chicago and Springfield, according to a state audit released this week.

The Illinois Auditor General’s office says the rates charged to businesses have been the same since 1981, and the rates charged to state officials and politicians has been the same since ’95. Passengers are only charged for their seat. That means if the plane seats nine but only six people are on board, IDOT eats the cost flying three empty seats. And because the planes are based in Springfield’s airport, they often fly empty to Chicago, pick up the politicians, fly them to Springfield, fly them back to the Windy City and then return empty to the Capitol. Over four years, the cost of operating the air fleet reached nearly $20 million, but IDOT only collected $2.8 million.

The audit points out that the money comes from elsewhere, meaning the Road Fund and the state’s main general fund. IDOT officials say the goal has never been to make money on the air fleet, but the agency agrees to most of the auditor’s recommendations.

The audit calls for a review of ways to be efficient and for better documentation of the reasons and the true costs of operating the flight. Only then can IDOT figure out how many planes and helicopters are needed and whether the agency should adjust its rates.

Illinois buzz

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama may use Springfield as a backdrop to announce whether he’ll run for president in 2008, according to state Rep. John Fritchey, a Chicago Democrat. Fritchey posted a blog that said he was on the conference call with Obama and reported he could make the announcement in Springfield February 10. We’ll confirm that as soon as possible.

Obama announced Tuesday that he filed papers to form a presidential exploratory committee. His second to last sentence reads, “And on February 10th, at the end of these decisions and in my home state of Illinois, I’ll share my plans with my friends, neighbors and fellow Americans.”

Hospital money
Another topic — federal funds for Illinois hospitals — has Illinois lawmakers saying the state is in better shape today than it was before. The federal government approved a program that will bring $1.8 billion in federal matching funds to Illinois health care over the next three years.

But the money won’t be distributed to hospitals throughout Illinois until the Illinois legislature approves a measure that gives the Department of Healthcare and Family Services the ability to distribute the money.

The money comes in the form of federal matching funds for a hospital tax enacted by Gov. Rod Blagojevich in July 2005. The so-called hospital assessment program didn’t receive federal approval until last fall.

“Our financial situation has improved dramatically with the recent good news from Washington,” says state Sen. Jeff Schoenberg, the Evanston Democrat who sponsored the legislation creating the assessment program. “Certainly a great deal of credit goes to former [U.S. House] Speaker [J. Dennis] Hastert for making sure we receive federal approval in one of his last acts as house speaker in Washington.” Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, a Chicago Democrat, sponsored the measure in the House.

Hospitals could expect to receive the money in the next few months, according to Director of Healthcare and Family Services Barry Maram, who spoke Tuesday at press conference at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield.

The appropriation needed from the Illinois legislature was recently tied to a controversial measure that would allow the state to give pay raises to lawmakers, judges and department heads. The Senate approved the measure. The House gutted it because Speaker Michael Madigan says he does not think the state should approve any spending that is not necessary right now.

When the money is released, hospitals around the state will be able to spend it on necessary medical equipment, recruitment of doctors or anything that helps the hospital serve Medicaid patients, Maram says.

Ed McDowall, spokesman for Memorial Medical Center in Springfield, says, “The assessment will significantly reduce that gap between the cost of care and the value of the Medicaid reimbursements.” Medicaid reimbursements pay for about 75 percent of the cost of providing care Medicaid patients.

Now we know

Last month I blogged about something I found strange, that the two dominant electric utilities in Illinois weren’t on the same side of the proposal to phase in electricity rate increases over the next three years (see December 14 blog). Commonwealth Edison supported the so-called compromise introduced by Senate President Emil Jones Jr. and House Minority Leader Tom Cross. Ameren Illinois opposed it.

A House committee Sunday shed light on the politics shaping the debate. House Speaker Michael Madigan suggested ComEd was at the table in drafting the Jones-Cross bill. Ameren was not. Neither was the attorney general’s office or the Citizens Utility Board.

Madigan asked ComEd’s general counsel when he found out about the Jones-Cross phase-in plan. Counsel Darryl Bradford said he and ComEd CFO Robert McDonald talked to legislative staffers and offered suggestions for the bill. None of the others who testified Sunday — Susan Hedman of the Illinois Attorney Genera’s office, David Kolata of CUB and Michael Sullivan of Ameren — said they knew about the bill until shortly before it surfaced in the Senate.

Sunday night, Cross said ComEd didn’t write the phase-in proposal. His staff and Jones’ staff served up the meat and potatoes. “ComEd may have ultimately been talked to, but the idea of coming together and trying to work out a compromise came from us talking, and Emil talking and his chief of staff talking,” he said. “We knew where we wanted to go with it. We were just trying to get some specifics.”

He said he wasn’t aware of whether Ameren Illinois was asked to provide specifics for the language in the bill.

Also Sunday night, enough House Democrats and Republicans voted to approve a three-year rate freeze extension. It’s not expected to see daylight in the Senate. Even if it does, Cross said the rate-freeze measure could be thrown out because he expects the electric utilities to end up in bankruptcy court or federal court.

The Illinois Commerce Commission already approved a different plan to phase in electricity rate increases over three years. The big difference is that consumers can opt to phase in their rate increases over three years, but they would have to repay the deferred amount each year between 2010 and 2012. If no legislation makes it to the governor’s desk, the ICC-approved phase-in will remain in effect. It started January 2.

Phases of deregulation

This week the Illinois Commerce Commission approved Commonwealth Edison’s and Ameren Illinois’ plans for phasing in higher electricity rates, which have been frozen for nearly 10 years by a state law that expires in about a week. Essentially, residential customers, small businesses and municipalities will get to decide whether a) they want to pay the full increase each month come January 2 or b) pay smaller increases over three years with a balloon interest payment at the end. Businesses and other major electricity users not eligible for the phase-in will have to pay even higher increases or find another power supplier.

Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn doesn’t like the phase-in plans. “They’re trying to put perfume on a skunk,” he said Wednesday in a phone interview. “The concept of requiring customers to pay interest down the road — we’re going to end up having payday loan stores right next to the electric company.”

He supports legislation that has the backing of House Speaker Michael Madigan that calls for a three-year rate freeze, but the measure failed the House last month. Madigan said he expected it to gain approval in January. Yet, it’s unlikely a rate freeze would gain necessary approval in the Senate.

That means ComEd and Ameren will have to adjust to paying more for buying and distributing electricity. And customers, especially residents and businesses who use Ameren’s electricity, will have to adjust to increased monthly rates.

The Illinois Commerce Commission got to this point by trying to strike a balance between allowing utilities to collect the money they need to survive and protecting consumers from high prices and unreliable service, according to Kevin Wright, one of the five commissioners. He spoke during Wednesday’s public utility hearing in Chicago that was heard over teleconference in Springfield.

Commissioner Erin O’Connell-Diaz agreed. “It’s not a 100 percent win for everyone,” she said. “I think in these types of situations, everyone should walk away a little unhappy.”

But the tough decisions aren’t over. Come spring 2008, the commission will have to coordinate another process so utilities can start buying a three-year power supply every year, according to Harry Stoller, director of the commission’s energy division.

While the commission staff investigates the next phase of this new system, the question remains whether the process will actually spur competition and increase consumer choice. In fact, Stoller said one who speaks of a deregulated electricity system speaks of a “fictional state of affairs that will never be reached.”

Crossfire

Shots are being fired across the battlefield prior to legislators returning to Springfield. Senate President Emil Jones Jr. sent his own memo defending legislation that would phase in electricity rate increases in January. His fact sheet rejects House Speaker Michael Madigan’s interpretation of House Bill 2197 (see previous blog 12/13/06). Jones denies the phase-in proposal would be bad for consumers. Instead, he says, the plan would encourage competition, include Illinois Commerce Commission oversight, protect consumers from having to pay interest on the deferred amounts, and create a revenue source for utilities to repay the bonds that would cover ongoing costs or reduce debt.

Watch Illinois Issues magazine for more context.

More electrifying debate

House Speaker Michael Madigan is governing by letter, again. This time, he’s lobbying against a proposal to phase in electricity rate increases scheduled to start in January. It’s not just any proposal. It’s one supported by Senate President Emil Jones Jr. and House Minority Leader Tom Cross, as well as Commonwealth Edison, the company serving most northern Illinois customers.

In a letter starting, “Dear Reporter,” Madigan says he intends to continue trying to pass legislation that “protects consumers and allows the electric monopolies serving Illinois to earn fair profits.” His emphasis on “fair” is consistent with his veto session comments that he takes the utilities’ warnings of financial ruin “with a grain of salt.”

Madigan then attached a memo (1 and 2) to all House and Senate members with some details that can be summarized by this argument: If signed into law, the phase-in proposal approved by the Senate would actually be a better deal for utilities and worse deal for consumers than if the General Assembly took no action and let the Illinois Commerce Commission decide how the new rates would be carried out. “The bill has been presented as a compromise measure and a better deal for consumers,” he wrote. “It is neither.”

Something’s not adding up here. While ComEd supported the phase-in approved by the Senate, Ameren Illinois CEO Scott Cissel opposed it and said the company prefers the proposals filed with the Illinois Commerce Commission.

The company still opposes House Bill 2197, according to spokesman Leigh Morris. He didn’t know of Madigan’s memo and letters Wednesday night but said the company didn’t believe the Senate version of a phase-in would be a good deal for Ameren customers. In fact, he said the company filed a new proposal with the ICC that would 1) allow the company to charge a “carrying fee” associated with the phase in; 2) allow customers to opt into a phase-in plan, which would carry a 3.25 percent interest rate; 3) allow schools, municipalities and small businesses to opt in; 4) allow the utilities to opt out of the plan if the credit rating slipped to junk bond status; and 5) designate $15 million of non-consumer costs to energy assistance and renewable energy programs.

Ameren asked the commission to review the newest proposal before the end of the year. Lawmakers are scheduled to reconvene in Springfield a week later, when they’ll rehash the debate, again.

To me, the biggest question in this complicated, easily skewed debate remains: What power should the ICC have in regulating electricity rates?

Universal health care?

A plan to mandate health insurance for all Illinois residents, and, yes, that means a mandate on businesses to offer health benefits to employees, is sure to catch attention in the upcoming legislative session. Today’s stories (here and here) talk about a plan the state’s Adequate Health Care Task Force came up with to address a growing problem — the cost of caring for the uninsured.

You can read more details (scroll to the bottom on the page) in documents prepared for the task force’s December 7 meeting, but to gain even more context, check Illinois Issues’ June feature, “Alternative medicine.” Massachusetts enacted a similar law this summer, but that plan might not be very easy to translate to Illinois’ political and business climate. The 95th General Assembly would have to find a balance between businesses, hospitals, insurance industries and private citizens, not to mention public aid dollars.

Watch Illinois Issues for more anlysis in the next few months.

Waiting games

Gov. Rod Blagojevich got one step closer to enacting a recent campaign promise, but his administration still hasn't fulfilled two promises he made a year ago. Services for college students and veterans are waiting to be paid, as a result.

The Senate approved a $1 minimum wage increase 33 to 21 with 3 voting present. The measure would increase the minimum wage to $7.50, 25 cents more than a federal increase being debated in Congress. If approved by the Illinois House, the state minimum wage also would be to inflation from then on.

House approval is not a guarantee. House Speaker Michael Madigan said Tuesday afternoon that he hadn’t seen the bill, yet. “I’ve always supported increases in minimum wage. I’ve got a 35-year record of supporting those increases. I’m simply saying that we’re not certain what the proposal is.”

One sticky point in the Senate debate focused on whether businesses would still have the ability to pay part-time workers younger than 18 less than the minimum wage (50 cents less). Under Sen. Kimberly Lightford’s measure, all workers of all ages would be guaranteed $7.50.

While a minimum wage came closer to an increase, the governor’s first-term promises of giving college tuition grants and veterans health-care services are under scrutiny.

College tuition credits
Earlier Wednesday, a joint House committee heard from Michael Luke of the Illinois attorney general’s office about the sale of the state’s student loan portfolio. While the attorney general’s office was studying whether the Illinois Student Assistance Commission needed legislative approval to sell all of the nearly $4 billion asset, Luke said the commission’s staff and the governor’s legal staff were uncooperative in providing information.

That caused the attorney general’s office to issue an opinion based on limited information.

That drew criticism from some Republican committee members and raised questions about the governor’s new MAP Plus program. Last spring, the General Assembly designated $34.4 million to offer $250 a semester to students from middle-income families, but the commission does not yet have the money to pay for the new program and other initiatives contingent on the sale of the student loan portfolio. Commission chairman Donald McNeil said the process of selling, refinancing or partnering with private companies is two months behind, but the commission is confident the money will be there when it comes time to reimburse the 40 institutions that already credited the $250 credits to eligible students.

Veterans’ Cash
At the same time across the street, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs director received an earful about the delay of distributing $3 million made from a scratch-off lottery game. Programs for veterans, including $125,000 needed to open a shelter for homeless veterans, have been waiting. (I had to listen to a recording of the committee hearing because this was all happening simultaneously.)

The governor’s program to provide health care to some Illinois veterans is underused, so far. Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, an Aurora Democrat and military veteran, said only 14 veterans were enrolled in the governor’s Veterans’ Care program. She also said the department has not yet defined how it would split up the $3 million generated by Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn’s scratch-off lottery game, Veterans’ Cash. It’s supposed to help the state provide services for post-traumatic stress disorder, homelessness, long-term medical care and short-term medical care.

The Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans in Lombard, for example, is $90,000 short of the amount needed to open its doors, said Bob Adams, co-chair of the shelter’s board of directors. His co-chair, Dirk Enger, said, “The biggest problem is a lack of communication. Somewhere the ball has been dropped.”

Department of Veterans’ Affairs Director Roy Dolgos said his staff has been working closely with the legislative Joint Committee on Administrative Rules since August to draft rules for the governor's program and for distributing the money, but it’s taken so long because the process is new to the department and that they didn't want to mess it up.

More to come
The 94th General Assembly’s veto session has spread between downtown Springfield and the state Capitol a few blocks away because of renovations being done in the House and Senate chambers. Action will continue Thursday and then break for Thanksgiving before reconvening November 28. Still hanging out there are 1) a three-year freeze on electricity rates and 2) a pay raise for Illinois senators.

What this means

A lot of analysis will be kicked around as we try to understand what the November 7 election results mean for the future of this state, but here’s a starting point:

• Democrats swept the constitutional offices and will maintain majorities in the Illinois House and Senate, but Senate Majority Leader Emil Jones Jr. might have taken the cake. His 31 Democrats and one Independent-turned-Democrat could have gained enough seats to secure a “super majority” of 36, the number of votes needed to override the governor’s vetoes and to approve some major items, such as the long-awaited school and road construction plans. But that doesn’t mean those major items will fly through the House, which is unlikely to gain enough seats to secure a three-fifths majority.

• Update: Key state legislative races that we covered in September proved to be tight. In the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Democrat Fred Crespo has a lead over incumbent Terry Parke, a Hoffman Estates Republican who has served the area for more than two decades. Not all precincts had reported the last I checked. Downstate around Clinton, Marion and Jefferson counties, Democratic incumbent Kurt Granberg of Carlyle could edge out his repeat Republican opponent, John Cavaletto of Salem. But the race has yet to be called, with the latest results showing Granberg with 50 percent to Cavaletto’s 49 percent. That’s a difference of about 100 votes.

• A county-by-county map of unofficial AP results of the Illinois governors' race shows Republican Judy Baar Topinka won counties spanning the middle third of the state, while Blagojevich won many counties in deep southern and some western Illinois. He swept Lake, Cook and Will counties lining Lake Michigan. Green Party candidate Rich Whitney secured 10 percent of the vote statewide, ranging from 4 percent in counties surrounding St. Louis (he received 5 percent in many western Illinois counties) to 25 percent in Jackson County, where he lives in Carbondale. He received double digits in many central Illinois counties, but not as many in deep southern Illinois.

New term, same quotes

Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s speech, as seen live on the Web, sounded like many other speeches I’ve heard him give. He recited his favorite anecdotes, right down to being the son of an immigrant steelworker. He said the guiding principle of his administration is getting things done for people and trying to make sure things are better for the next generation.

He even repeated the same quote from his Monday campaign stop at Springfield’s airport. He cited the Rudyard Kipling poem, “If,” in the closing stanza. “If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, or walk with kings, nor lose the common touch, if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, if all men count with you, but none too much. If you can fill the unforgiving minute with 60 seconds’ worth of distance run, yours is the earth and everything that’s in it, and which is more you’ll be a man, my son.”

The only difference is that Monday, he asked his supporters to give him one more minute so he could continue to build on progress. Now he’s got four more years. We’ll be watching for that progress every minute he's in office.

Blame it on the money

Former Gov. Jim Edgar, who can speak as a Republican Party member as well as a political analyst, said Gov. Rod Blagojevich won by having the advantage of more campaign money.

“To put on a successful campaign, we’re going to have to have adequate resources, not just a good candidate. I thought Judy Baar Topinka was a good candidate, but she didn’t have the financial help she needed.”

He said he was disappointed with the fund-raising from national and past Topinka supporters, which contributed to her delayed response to negative ads aired by the governor’s camp.

By Edgar’s count, Blagojevich outspent Topinka 5-to-1 and ran negative commercials, and unfortunately, many people rely on them for candidate information. “You can look at the numbers, and, I know people don’t like negative commercials, but when [Blagojevich] went negative on Judy, that changed the outlook of this election.”

In short, he said by defining Topinka as “George Ryan’s treasurer” — even though she’s a three-term, independently elected constitutional officer — Blagojevich inoculated himself from the potentially damaging news stories about an ongoing federal investigation into his administration’s hiring and contracting practices.

"That's the way it goes"

Topinka, characteristic coffee cup in hand, addressed her supporters with a hoarse voice as she congratulated incumbent Gov. Rod Blagojevich for his win. “That’s the way it goes. God bless him.”

Flanked by her son Joe, she said she ran her campaign the right way. “How many people can say they’ve been in politics for 26 years and have nothing but wonderful things to show for it? I mean, it’s just great.”

In true Judy Baar Topinka style, she continued to joke about everything from her coffee cup to her two dogs. But then she got a little sentimental. “You know I’ve loved every minute of it, even the tough times. I’ve really tried to serve honorably. I think there’s something to be said for honor, and integrity and sticking up for what you believe in. And whatever you can say about campaigns, we did it the right way. And it was honorable.”

She left the stage and the room, and security guards escorted her out of sight. Comments from Gov. Jim Edgar to come.

Topinka's coming

Just as I was going to post my last entry, I heard that Topinka's on her way down. I'll report back as soon as she speaks.

What I was going to say:
While more precincts are reporting vote returns, not many more people have shown up at Topinka’s election-night party. One that stuck out was Ron Gidwitz, Topinka’s opponent in the March primary. He now supports Topinka.

A more developing story comes from Carbondale, where there’s likely a happy Green Party candidate for governor, Rich Whitney. One of his campers, Jessica Bradshaw, has been blogging and expressing her excitement as Whitney’s percentages reach double digits in some counties. Unofficial results, such as those reported by CBS 2, show Whitney with 10 percent with 4,514 of 11,692 precincts reporting. That’s more than the required percentage to relax the requirements for future Green Party candidates to get on the ballet.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s election-night headquarters has been covered by University of Illinois at Springfield’s WUIS, which reports the governor could appear within the hour.

Birkett's response

People are starting to trickle into the ballroom, and Topinka’s campaign staffers have been buzzing back and forth between the basement and upstairs.Topinka hasn’t yet been sighted.

Joe Birkett, Topinka’s running mate and candidate for lieutenant governor, came in for a brief statement. Surrounded by reporters, he said it’s way too early and irresponsible to call the race based on exit polls before some polls — Kane County — haven’t even closed. He said it could discourage people who haven’t voted from driving to cast their ballots.

His statements echoed a press release received through e-mail. In it, campaign spokesman John McGovern said, “Recent history has shown that exit polls are not always accurate. An early call of any election depresses voter turnout and disenfranchises voters. That is unfortunate for the democratic process.”

Topinka's first response

As expected, reporters crowded Judy Baar Topinka’s campaign spokesman, John McGovern, shortly after 7:30 p.m. And as expected, he said the campaign had no official comment, yet. But he did say the campaign feels Topinka finished very strongly, despite the “unprecedented” amount of money spent on negative advertising that “dumbed down the discourse of this election.”

At that point, the crowd of reporters had grown and consumed the back hallway as they tried to hear McGovern’s statement. All he said was that the campaign was working to get a more comprehensive response.

Winner already?

Here I am, ready to cover exciting election results from Judy Baar Topinka’s camp at the Swissotel-Chicago, and what happens as soon as I prepare to write my first blog? ABC 7 and CBS 2 in Chicago report Gov. Rod Blagojevich wins reelection over Topinka.

Most polls closed only minutes before at 7 p.m., save Kane County polls that the Daily Herald reported opened more than an hour late.

Topinka’s campaigners and staffers are on their cell phones. There’s still a lot of ballot counting and confirming that has to be done. And it will still be interesting to find out how vote returns panned out across the state. Stay tuned.

Election night

I will be live blogging from Republican Judy Baar Topinka’s Election Night Party in Chicago Tuesday. You’re welcome to join me as I observe the colorful scenes of Topinka’s campaign and follow online vote returns of races throughout the state.

Here’s to the last day of 2006 General Election campaign ads!

Breathe

Many journalists held their breaths today as they waited to hear how close a federal investigation of state contracting schemes would come to Gov. Rod Blagojevich. In a Chicago federal court building this afternoon, one of the governor’s appointees, Stuart Levine, pleaded guilty to mail fraud and money laundering.

Levine, a significant GOP fund-raiser, was appointed by former Gov. George Ryan to sit on two regulatory boards, the Teachers Retirement System, which pays the pensions of teachers outside of Chicago, and the Health Facilities Planning Board, which oversees construction projects of hospitals and other medical buildings. He was originally appointed to the planning board during Gov. Jim Edgar’s Administration and was reappointed by Ryan, then Blagojevich.

Levine’s plea agreement lays out details of an intricate scheme described in the indictment of Levine and Antoin “Tony” Rezko, Blagojevich's political advisor (see more on our news page). Levine worked with at least five others in schemes between 2001 and 2004.

The details are many, but, alas, reporters see only a slew of unnamed individuals — A through L and investment firms 1 through 9. By using code names, prosecutors haven’t yet tipped their hands on how close the schemes come to the governor’s inner circle.

Levine has been cooperating with the feds for months, which could reduce his sentence, and he won’t be sentenced until the ongoing investigation concludes.

There are a lot of people involved, and a lot more details will rain down before it’s all over. In short, reporters aren’t the only ones holding their breaths this fall.

For better or for worse

Technology has changed elections. Anyone with a high-speed Internet connection has access to a lot of information about political candidates. While broadband hasn’t been equally available in rural and urban areas, campaign organizers realize they can reach a new and younger crowd by using Web sites viewed by the Internet savvy.

For instance, Congressman John Shimkus posted his profile on Facebook, a “social directory” where friends share information with each other. But you would have to create a Facebook account to view his full profile that includes his contact information, educational and work information, interests and favorite music, upcoming events and a list of other people he accepts as “friends” in his network.

Barack Obama has a blog that links to his Facebook profile and to his video appearances, such as his CNN interview on “The Situation Room” posted on YouTube, another Web site that enables people to post and watch their own videos.

And there are many more political ads on YouTube, whether they were posted by the official campaign or by someone else. A search for Judy Baar Topinka or Rod Blagojevich each produce about three dozen links to TV ads and other related videos, some of which could be Joe Schmo’s personal commentary. And, like any Internet search, you may also get some other stuff not directly related to your inquiry and not exactly in good taste.

And buyer beware, politicians’ ads tend to spin the facts in their favor. Case in point, Blagojevich’s recent ad accuses Topinka, three-term state treasurer, of being connected to the last administration’s corruption because she was “George Ryan’s treasurer.” As recently said by Charlie Wheeler, director of the Public Affairs Reporting program at the University of Illinois at Springfield, the treasurer has no more to do with the legislative process than a Statehouse janitor does. And isn’t Topinka also Blagojevich’s treasurer?

But if a voter still wants to see what is being produced across the state, a person in northern Illinois can look up political ads being aired in the relatively hot state senate race in east central Illinois to replace Republican Sen. Rick Winkle. A commercial for Republican Judy Myers is posted targeting Democrat Michael Frerichs. He also posted his own TV ad on his Web site.

For those who are interested in how Illinois races compare to races in other states, there’s a new national resource online in the form of a daily blog. Most of Illinois’ political insiders know of Rich Miller’s Capitol Fax Blog, but it now has been added to The Hotline Political Network. While the site has room to grow, it’s designed to feature bloggers who are the unofficial sources for insider news and analysis from their respective states.

Obama mania

You couldn’t miss seeing Barack Obama’s face if you tried this week. He’s promoting his new book, The Audacity of Hope, landing him on the covers of Time, Men’s Vogue and Sojourners Christian magazine. And he was interviewed on the “Oprah Winfrey Show,” NBC’s “Today” show, and will appear tonight on CNN’s “Larry King Live.”

His media blitz crosses state lines. Two newspaper reporters for Lee Enterprises — Kurt Erickson in Springfield and our former Statehouse bureau chief, Patrick Guinane, who now works in Indianapolis — co-wrote an article about Obama Monday. While Obama campaigned in Indianapolis, his colleague, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, another Illinois Democrat, encouraged the junior senator to run for president in 2008. Durbin had stopped in Springfield to campaign for state treasurer candidate Alexi Giannoulias, but his thoughts on Obama dominated a few minutes of questioning.

This is all on the heels of numerous reporters following Obama’s every move in Africa and his campaign stops in Iowa last month. (A politician’s trip to Iowa typically breeds a presidential nomination). It’s all quite unbelievable. But out of all the media coverage, one quote sticks out.

Joe Kline’s Time article draws particular attention because it hints that Obama no longer rules out a run for president in 2008. Here’s an excerpt from when Kline asks whether Obama would consider a presidential bid after November 7: “‘When the election is over and my book tour is done, I will think about how I can be most useful to the country and how I can reconcile that with being a good dad and a good husband,’ he says carefully, and then adds, ‘I haven’t completely decided or unraveled that puzzle yet.’”

Kline picked up on Obama’s journey in piecing together that puzzle. He counts about 50 times Obama uses “on the other hand” in his new book. Voters may appreciate how on-the-other-hands show thought and consideration of opposing viewpoints, but Kline suggests voters might want to consider whether they would feel comfortable voting for a presidential candidate who teetered with on-the-other-hands before and after the election.

Obama is 45 years old. He has spent less than two years representing Illinois in the U.S. Senate. Yet, vocal supporters say his inexperience matters less than his ability to engage and unite a diverse electorate that’s yearning for a genuine leader.

In the Capitol press room Monday, Durbin said the time is now. “Those people who are arguing, ‘Well, wait four more years,’ do you think 2,000 more votes cast in the United States Senate are going to make you a better candidate for president? I’m not sure they will.”

Asked why he thinks Obama is the right person for the job, Durbin said, “I have found him to be approachable and very intelligent and trying to find ways to solve problems in practical terms. And I think people like that. They want to move beyond the mendacity of our current political scene and try to find someone who is going to reach out to the other side of the aisle and unite our country and unite the political scene to solve some problems. He has a way about him, and you know it if you’ve covered him and seen him. You just know that his style is a very engaging and comfortable style.”

He added that other senators were “dazzled” by Obama, who had already been launched into stardom by his keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention before he was even elected. Yet, Obama didn’t fall into the “small boat full of titanic egos” that makes up the U.S. Senate, Durbin said, and the momentum behind Obama 2008 has continued to grow before it’s even started.

Rezko repercussions

In the aftermath of a long-rumored federal indictment of Antoin “Tony” Rezko this week (see our Illinois Issues news item), Gov. Rod Blagojevich is being asked to answer questions about his chief fundraiser, advisor and friend.

Federal prosecutors announced Rezko’s two indictments (see 1 and 2) Wednesday afternoon, detailing pay-to-pay schemes with at least five others who allegedly used their positions on public boards to pressure investment firms into paying illegal fees and making political contributions.

The governor responded in a press conference Wednesday night, streamed live on the Internet. Blagojevich said, “On a personal level, what is so disappointing to me and so surprising to me is that he would engage in a criminal conspiracy to personally enrich himself, and do that behind our backs and then repeatedly deceive us, deceive me, lie to us and reassure us that the rumors about him weren’t true.” He also said he would donate about $60,000 to $70,000 of Rezko’s direct campaign contributions to charity.

Meanwhile, candidates for Illinois' legislative seats and statewide offices are jumping at the chance to claim their righteousness this election season.

The Republican gubernatorial candidate, three-term state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka, stopped by the Capitol Thursday with her running mate, DuPage County state’s attorney Joe Birkett, to say the governor should answer questions about the gifts he received from Rezko. She also touted her ethics plan.

“Things do not have to be this way,” Topinka said. “We can have good, honest government in Illinois. There’s no reason why Illinois has to be different from other states on that front. I just want to be a governor who will do a good job and do the right thing.”

Power play

Storyline The same day Gov. Rod Blagojevich walked in Chicago’s Columbus Day parade, a state House committee met for nearly six hours in Springfield and approved a measure to freeze electricity rates in Illinois for three years despite warnings that the state’s two largest utilities could face bankruptcy.

Background Rates have been frozen for a decade due to the 1997 state law that was intended to make the electric industry more competitive in buying electricity and distributing the energy to consumers at a fair price. Competition didn’t quite develop as expected, so the Illinois Commerce Commission and the utilities came up with a type of auction in which more than 20 companies bid to supply energy. The September auction resulted in a projected 22 percent rate increase, or about $13 more per month, for Commonwealth Edison’s residential customers in northern Illinois. Ameren’s residential customers south of Interstate-80 could expect a 45 percent to 55 percent rate increase, costing them about $25 to $35 more per month. Commercial and industrial customers could pay even more. House Speaker Michael Madigan urged the governor to call a special legislative session to approve a rate freeze.

SCENE 1 A last-minute rally of Commonwealth Edison employees formed Monday morning in the Capitol rotunda, kicking off a long day of seemingly staged events. The employees wore white T-shirts that said, “be emPOWERed” and held signs that read, “Keep the lights on with reliable power.”

SCENE 2 Two consecutive press conferences polarized the issue. First, a group called CORE, for Consumers Organized for Reliable Electricity, represented the utility industry and business interests. The group warned that ComEd customers, particularly those in low-income communities, would be negatively affected by a three-year rate freeze because utility companies would have to buy electricity at a lower price than they could pass on to customers, which utilities say would result in bankruptcy and an unstable electricity supply.
Then a group called CUB, the Citizens Utility Board, joined AARP and Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn to argue on behalf of residential customers. “The consumers of Illinois are not going to be fooled by powerful utility companies with scores of lobbyists and corporate executives who are paid more than King Midas and will get even more money if this so-called rate increase is allowed to proceed,” Quinn said. “This is really an epic battle in democracy in the Land of Lincoln.”

SCENE 3 The ComEd employees chanted “reliable power” as soon as the House Electric Utility Oversight Committee convened in the Capitol. Here’s a summary of nearly six hours of debate.
- The Illinois Attorney General’s Office said the utility companies would still make a profit if rates remained frozen, and the energy auction did not achieve the intent of the 1997 law to spur competition.
- Republican Rep. Ron Stephens of Greenville alleged the committee hearing was only called for the political benefit of two vulnerable Democrats up for reelection, Rep. Bob Flider of Mount Zion and Rep. Mike Smith of Canton, both substitutes on the committee Monday. Stephens voted present when the rate freeze proposal was called to a vote.
- ComEd Chief Executive Officer Frank Clark said the company’s $7.8 million in costs would not be recovered by $6.4 million in revenue if the rate freeze took effect. He said a rate freeze also would shatter the stability of the supply of electricity in Illinois.
- Ameren Illinois utilities president Scott Cisel said a rate freeze could cost his company $1 billion more per year than it would receive in revenue. The trickling down effect would start with an immediate layoff of 700 employees and all contractors, as well as delayed connections and customer service.
- Martin Cohen, Blagojevich’s director of consumer affairs, said the governor opposed the auction from the beginning because the 1997 law is ambiguous about how the Illinois Commerce Commission can restructure the way utilities buy and distribute electricity. Cohen said the word “auction” never appears in hundreds of pages of the 1997 law. (Cohen also is the former executive director of the Citizens Utility Board and Blagojevich’s first pick for chair of the Illinois Commerce Commission, which was denied by the Senate.)

SCENE 4 By a vote of 9 yes, 4 no and 1 present, the committee approved the measure to freeze electricity rates for at least three more years. It would need approval by both the House and Senate before January 1 to stop projected rate hikes from taking effect.

Finale After the long day, Speaker Madigan granted a rare five minutes to answer about a dozen questions from the press. “There’s solid evidence coming out of the committee that there’s bipartisan support for this, where both Democrats and Republicans in the committee voting for the extension of the rate freeze,” Madigan said. “And so I think the governor ought to take note of what happened in the committee today. He ought to call the special session.”

One potential hang up could be Senate President Emil Jones Jr.
Madigan: “I’ve talked to Sen. Jones, but I don’t have any commitments from Sen. Jones.”

Ag wish list

The recent E.coli outbreak in spinach and last year’s string of hurricanes indicates our vulnerability to disease and disaster. Now states want the federal government to better address food safety standards and preparedness. Illinois and other farm states also want the feds to help farmers grow more fruits and vegetables, fund research and development of renewable fuels and create a standard disaster response program. Illinois’ Department of Agriculture Director Chuck Hartke this week provided a taste of Illinois’ wish list for agriculture, including the alternative crops we discuss in-depth in our October issue (due out the first week of October). Hartke recently attended a weeklong meeting of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture in Norfolk, Va. Here are a few talking points:

Ethanol “Ethanol is just exploding in the Midwest, especially those states that produce corn and soybeans,” Hartke said. Illinois has six ethanol plants online, one more coming soon. There also are another 50 or so plants in various stages of development, from studying the feasibility to filing their permits to build. While Hartke said not all of the “wannabes” will work out, he gave an optimistic outlook: “Within two years, we’ll be producing 2.8 billion gallons of ethanol and utilizing 1 billion bushels of Illinois corn, which is half of what we have.”

At the same time, Illinois has dipped from No. 1 to No. 3 in the gallons of ethanol produced a year. But there’s a reason for that. Hartke said Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota saw the light a year-and-a-half ago and went gung ho to develop ethanol plants while the market was hot and the corn was cheap. They’re also big cattle states, meaning they can feed a lot of animals with their corn. Illinois, on the other hand, has more corn and fewer cattle. That means farmers have to spend more money and energy to dry the grain before they can send it down the Mississippi River to other states or countries. “I don’t think we’re behind the eight ball,” Hartke said. “We have a lot more corn, and at some point in time, we will be able to produce more corn than those plants are willing to buy and pay for.”

Biomass While corn ethanol benefits Illinois’ economy and environment, it’s not the magic bullet. “We know that if you took all the corn and we planted every acre of corn in the United States, we would not have enough to be energy independent,” Hartke said. “And so we’re going to have to look at other sources that would produce more ethanol per acre and still conserve our soil and our land as we now know it.” That includes experimenting with more switchgrass, miscanthus and other plants that form biomass, which can turn into clean-burning, renewable fuel. “We know it’s a possibility. We can do it in the labs, but the technology and the enzymes for mass production of that is just not there yet.” That’s where the federal government’s research and development would come in. Read more in our October issue.

Farm Bill Congress is considering an extension of the Farm Bill beyond 2007. Hartke said he supported an extension in Illinois, at least. A wish list could include more assistance for conservation programs, standard disaster insurance coverage for all crops and support for young farmers to get into the agriculture business.

Pension promises

In a rare move, members of a congressional subcommittee came to the Illinois Capitol Wednesday to learn about the security of the state’s public employee pensions.

The backdrop to the hearing was President George Bush’s decision to sign the Pension Protection Act of 2006, an attempt to halt the nationwide problem of unfulfilled pension promises in the private sector. U.S. Republican Reps. Judy Biggert of Hinsdale and John Kline of Minnesota conducted a hearing for the U.S. House Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations. They listened to Illinois officials paint a pretty rosy picture of chronically underfunded pension systems.

Biggert said the hearing was conducted because the public sector is just as troubled as the private sector. In her written testimony, she said four out of five public pension systems in the nation are underfunded collectively by hundreds of billions of dollars. Worst of all is Illinois.

“I’m troubled to say that my home state of Illinois manages a plan for its workers and retirees that is underfunded by $38 billion, making it the worst-funded state pension plan in the nation,” she said.

Interestingly, Biggert served in the Illinois House in 1995 when the legislature passed a law to put Illinois on a gradual track to fully fund the five pension systems by 2045.

Things changed under Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s Administration when the General Assembly allowed the governor to float $10 billion in pension obligation bonds and pay the required amount in 2003 and 2004. Then they yanked $2.3 billion in state contributions in fiscal years ’06 and ’07. (See more details in the August 2006 report of the legislative Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability.)

John Filan, Blagojevich’s budget director, called the 1995 law a “conscious plan to underfund the pensions for 40 years.”

“What everyone is ignoring is we’re ahead of their funding schedule,” Filan said after the hearing. “If we followed the 1995 funding schedule to a penny, we’d be far worse off. We are 60 percent funded. They wanted 52 percent funded. It’s simple arithmetic.”

Simple arithmetic? Hardly. But he was right when he said the state has had the same problem for 30 years, which is why he thought the timing of this congressional hearing was particularly interesting.

“I think it is more than coincidental, all the sudden, out of the blue, after many years, there’s this hearing in the middle of an election, right here in Springfield. It is what it is. It’s an obvious question that you’re asking. I think the timing is interesting.”

Biggert said there were no political motivations with this hearing. She also said Wednesday’s testimony showed some people don’t think there’s a problem in Illinois and that it is her committee’s job to sort that out and look at other states. While she said the last resort would be the federal government stepping in to regulate the states’ pension systems, it is time to consider whether the new federal standards for the private sector could also apply to the public sector. (See a breakdown of the new federal law on this fact sheet.)

Valuable toll roads

What’s the difference between $1 billion and $24 billion? A lot, considering Gov. Rod Blagojevich wants to put that cash into public education and other services if he wins re-election.

The governor proposed to raise that cash by leasing part or all of the Illinois Tollway system to private investors. The estimated value of such a lease was presented at a public hearing Tuesday.

The state’s bipartisan legislative Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability paid Credit Suisse investment banking firm $30,000 to analyze the value of the state tollway system and how the state could maximize that value.

Sen. Jeff Schoenberg, an Evanston Democrat and co-chairman of the commission, said last week that the decision to lease the tollway “should not be decided by a handful of investment bankers in Armani suits.”

That’s partially why Credit Suisse’s analysis, presented to the commission in Glen Ellyn, was broadcast live on the Internet Tuesday (I hope to create a link if the commission posts it on its Web site soon).

“Don’t think of it as Geraldo Rivera,” Schoenberg joked in the Capitol last week (at one of seven Senate committee hearings on public-private partnerships). “We have decided to weigh in on the side of greater transparency.”

The Credit Suisse estimate counts Illinois’ four toll highways — 274 miles’ worth — as well as the fiber optic network beneath it and the buildings on it.

But the estimate depends on many factors, some the state can control and some it cannot. One of the most volatile is the interest rate on borrowing by potential investors. “Time begins to matter here,” said Steve Doll, director of Credit Suisse. “If interest rates continue to rise, the value of the system could deteriorate with time.”

Other factors were not detailed in the estimate. Among them were possible labor agreements between the state and a private investor that could impact the investor’s confidence in the deal.

Interested companies might also come up with different numbers based on their own assumptions, such as how much traffic will increase over the next 75 years. Credit Suisse calculated that if traffic grows 1.5 percent annually, “the range of difference goes from a system value of $8.3 billion to $15.4 billion,” Doll said.

The potential value could also drastically change depending on the length of the agreement. Twenty-five years is too short for investors to realize a profit, while 75-year leases are more appealing to investors, Doll said.

In short, the tiniest change in any lease agreement could mean billions for the state.

Rep. Terry Parke, a Hoffman Estates Republican and co-chairman of the commission, said the numbers presented Tuesday sounded great, but they start to dwindle when the state considers requests from special interest groups.

Schoenberg got an earful a week ago from AFSCME Illinois Council 31, Business Leaders for Transportation in the Chicago area, the Mid-West Truckers Association, the Transportation for Illinois Coalition, and the Laborers International Union of North America Midwest Region. Each offered wish lists for safeguarding wages, benefits, retirement and training of current tollway employees. They also urged caution in deciding how the extra state revenue would be spent.

Schoenberg voiced his own wish list for any extra revenue. He said it should be set aside as a cushion for taxpayers if toll rates increase, with the rest spent on transportation and paying down the state’s unfunded pension liabilities for public employees.

But the governor and the General Assembly first have to decide whether leasing the tollway system would be good public policy for the people who drive on it. We could see as soon as this fall’s legislative session whether they’ll crack under pressure to get that big influx of cash before interest rates rise.

NOTE I’m officially back! We’ve taken a month-long blogging break. Summer has been busy, but fruitful.

FOIA facts

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office is looking into whether the governor’s office is responding appropriately to requests under the Freedom of Information Act, according to Cara Smith, the attorney general’s policy director and interim spokeswoman.

Early July headlines let it be known numerous state agencies received federal subpoenas for an investigation into hiring and contracting practices of Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s administration.

If anyone asks to see those subpoenas under FOIA, the state law does protect some records related to law enforcement if – emphasize “if” – disclosure would interfere with litigation or an ongoing criminal investigation. (See more “ifs” that qualify for exemptions on this FOIA fact sheet.)

Smith said 100 percent of the burden is on the public body, in this case the governor’s office, to spell out the legal basis for denying a request. They’d have to cite a specific provision within the act that protects the requested info from being released.

But the law also allows for part of the request to be granted. If releasing certain details could interfere with the investigation, the administration could still grant a copy with those items blacked out (or redacted, in legalese).

Again, the governor’s office would have to show that disclosing the blocked out portion would interfere with an ongoing investigation, said Don Craven, a Springfield attorney who concentrates on media law (and who represents 18 former Department of Transportation employees who filed suit in Sangamon County against the administration).

“I’m not willing to concede that the entire subpoena is not subject to disclosure under FOIA,” Craven said. “Knowing there are 17 subpoenas to the governor’s office is not going to interfere with anything.” (He said he pulled the No. 17 out of thin air as an example.)

“Even if they black out the details of what [the requestor is] asking for, they can produce the top half of the subpoena,” he said. Another such detail could be the date the subpoena was issued.

“If the governor is doing all that he can do, show us,” Craven said.

When in Rome

Or in this case, “When in Sparta.” Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich said Thursday the media like to polarize the state on issues. That was shortly after he highlighted the cultural differences between northern and southern Illinoisans, shooting basketball hoops in Chicago versus shooting quail in Sparta.

The Governor joined other state and local politicians in cutting the ribbon of a huge, $50-million World Shooting & Recreation Complex in Randolph County (the state’s share of the cost was $29 million, explaining why $29 million appears on all state press releases). The 1,600-acre complex was built on an old coalmine and boasts of trap fields, sporting clay courses, all terrain vehicle demonstration areas, archery courses and exhibition center with restaurant.

The theme of the complex was best stated by Sparta Mayor Randy Bertetto: It’s been a road long traveled. The effort started more than five years ago under Republican Gov. George Ryan’s administration and hit one GOP senator called “a bump” – a transition into a Democratic administration.

Republican Sen. Dave Luechtefeld of Okawville said the credit of ensuring the shooting complex remained a priority goes to Joel Brunsvold, retired director of the state Department of Natural Resources and 20-year member of the Illinois House. (He chaired the Illinois Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus and the Illinois Democratic Sportsmen’s Alliance – Blagojevich joked that Brunsvold wore his nickname of “Gunsvold” as if it were a badge of honor.)

“It’s a little bit political in Illinois,” Brunsvold said during the ceremony. “When you get $29 million in bonds like this, there has to be a little blood [shed], a little yelling and screaming. Everybody had to get their piece of flesh.”

Everyone seemed pleased Thursday, patting each other on the back. Rep. Dan Reitz, a Steeleville Democrat, thanked fellow Democratic Reps. Brandon Phelps of Norris City, Tom Holbrook of Belleville, John Bradley of Marion and Democratic Sen. Gary Forby of Benton for their lobbying. And, Reitz said, he “definitely” needed to thank the governor.

Blagojevich said he has supported building the complex since before he became governor. From an economic development standpoint and out of respect for the cultural and traditional sport, it was good for the state. He compared it to why the Legislature approved using taxpayer dollars to renovate Soldier Field for the Chicago Bears and the former Comiskey Park for the Chicago White Sox. “Why would it be different then when you pursue a legitimate sport down here in southern Illinois?” Blagojevich said.

Some eyebrows rose, considering his stance on gun control. The governor’s State of the State speech in February highlighted his effort to ban assault weapons after a federal ban expired in 2004. Thirteen years earlier, the governor tried to increase the fee for FOID cardholders as a way to raise money for other services. Thursday, Blagojevich said the FOID card effort was “worse than youthful discretion.”

“I’ll be damned if we raise your FOID card, I’ll tell you that,” the governor said Thursday, repeating his pledge not to raise income or sales taxes if re-elected in November. Citing his own campaign commercial, he added, “I’m a little bit older, wiser and prouder today.”

The governor acknowledged regional differences, repeating his favorite anecdote about his immigrant father settling in Chicago and working as a steelworker. He grew up “shooting hoops” rather than shooting guns. “It’s a little bit different down here,” Blagojevich said. “A guy in my neighborhood who has a gun, that's a ‘gang banger,’ and he ain’t hunting deer or quail. That guy’s up to no good.”

He said if his dad would have settled in southern Illinois and worked as a coal miner, he would have grown up shooting quail just like “you all” (many standing audience members were Polo-shirted state and local government workers).

After the ceremony, Blagojevich said he hasn’t flip-flopped on gun control issues. “I think people get it. I think people recognize there’s a big difference between respecting and supporting the rights of law-abiding citizens to be hunters, to pursue their sport, whether it be trap shooting or skeet shooting or target practice, and whether or not gang bangers who are criminals ought to have assault weapons and AK-47s.”

Also after the ceremony, Luechtefeld said, “I think people know where the governor stands on gun issues. The groups that do care, we’ll let them know how strongly he is against guns. I’m just happy he was willing to support this project, and I think he made the decision that, politically, this was good to support. And that’s what he did.”

Headlines are good

Gov. Rod Blagojevich said Thursday afternoon that the recent headlines about investigations into state hiring practices are a good thing. “I think the headlines are great,” he said after cutting the ribbon of the new, $50-million World Shooting & Recreation complex in rural Sparta (more on this later). “I think what they suggest is that this is an administration that doesn’t tolerate wrongdoing. That it is, in fact, a different day in state government, that we have an inspector general that we created that didn’t exist before I was governor.”

In 2003, Blagojevich signed a measure creating an independent, nonpartisan inspector general for each constitutional officer, minus the lieutenant governor. The IG is intended to investigate whether employees or state contractors are violating ethics laws or involved in improper campaign financing, said David Morrison, deputy director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. The IG would file complaints, investigate and recommend action against the violating employee or contractor. The more severe violations would be referred to the attorney general, then to an ethics commission for review.

What the law didn’t do was allow the IGs to tell anyone what they were investigating, nor did it require their reports to be public documents. Morrison said the Campaign for Political Reform argued there ought to be detailed, public reports when the inspectors figured out something was wrong. “We got shot down,” he said. “They were concerned about employees’ privacy rights. They didn’t want false complaints or complaints that didn’t amount to anything to become a public blemish to anyone.”

So far, Morrison said he knows of more than 3,300 complaints filed by the governor’s IG. (Some context: The governor’s office employs more than 57,000 people.) Morrison said of those 3,300 complaints, about 1,000 have been investigated, 700 have been closed and only one has been referred to the attorney general’s office. “There’s a whole lot going on," Morrison said. "We’re just not ever going to see it the way it’s structured now, unless it’s leaked.”

Disclosing the reports, he said, could let the public know whether the inspector generals are doing their jobs or whether they’re dismissing some complaints for legitimate reasons. He added more disclosure could spell out what behavior is OK and what behavior is not, reaffirming what good government looks like. “We have no reason to think that what they’re doing is inherently wrong,” he said, “but we have no reason to think what they’re doing is right.”

Going private, or not?

Gov. Rod Blagojevich is on the record saying he has no intentions of selling the state’s tollway system, a multibillion dollar idea Chicago and Indiana already pursued. At the same time, the state’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability hired Credit Suisse (see links on the left) consulting firm to study the value of the Illinois Tollway. Sen. Jeff Schoenberg also scheduled four Senate committee hearings this summer, the next to be held in Springfield August 15. (You can listen to the May 26 and 31 meetings by clicking on the MP3 files to the left.)

While the governor says he has no intentions of selling the tollway, he has proposed selling another state asset, the Illinois Lottery, as a way to boost education funding (see my May 23 blog).

Want more context? Indiana reporter Pat Guinane explored the “Public to Private” trend in the June Illinois Issues. Charlie Wheeler will give another perspective, whether it’s fiscally responsible, in his column for the July/August issue.

Going public

Check out the House Democrats' Web site, and you’ll see three interesting links, all suggesting an emerging trend as House Speaker Michael Madigan releases information to the public in his own, interesting way. He’s usually rather tight-lipped when approached by reporters, but in the last few weeks, he’s written letters that he's also passed out to the press and posted on the Web site.

The newest post publishes the FY07 memorandums of understanding. MOUs basically formalize state money designated for so-called member initiatives, which are pet projects asked for by legislators. The memos are rather vague and don’t name any lawmakers, but they do give a dollar amount. Some initiatives fund pretty important services. For example, Rep. Larry McKeon, a Chicago Democrat, asked for $250,000 for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago to help pay for medications for low-income residents living with HIV and viral hepatitis, which is not currently covered by the state-federal AIDS Drug Assistance Programs. Other member initiatives may be a little more politically charged.

Recall the end of the spring session (see my May 2 blog), when the Latino Caucus gained leverage in budget negotiations by saying members would reject the budget unless their projects were funded. One example is $150,000 for Holy Cross Immaculate Heart of Mary Church for teen pregnancy programs.

In any case, funding everything from after-school programs to street improvements in Chicago’s 13th Ward (of which Speaker Madigan is the Democratic Committeeman) can’t hurt in an election year.

One more note: Construction projects account for the largest dollar amounts, most going to select Chicago colleges:
- Northwestern University: $8 million to finish building a new floor for regenerative medicine in the Robert H. Lurie Medical Research Center.
- DePaul University: $9 million to help build a new science center at the Lincoln Park campus.
- Loyola University Chicago: $8 million for “redevelopment” of the Mundelein Center Skyscraper Building.
- Harry S. Truman College: about $13.4 million to start construction on a new student services center, including a parking structure. “It’s not a done deal, yet,” said Truman spokesman Clifton Daniel. “We’re hopeful. We’re maybe even a little bit excited, but we’re still trying to work out where all the rest of the money is coming from.”

Horse subsidy hurdle

A few days after Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed a measure into law intending to help the state’s horse racing industry, the measure hit a hurdle. Chicago-area casinos filed a lawsuit in Will County Circuit Court arguing the new act is unconstitutional.

The act imposes a 3 percent tax on the profits of four riverboats: Empress Casino and Harrah’s Casino in Joliet, Hollywood Casino in Aurora and Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin. An estimated $36 million would go into a new “Horse-Racing Equity Trust Fund” to help improve and market the racetracks.

The complaint is filed against the Illinois Racing Board, which would administer the fund, and state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka, who would transfer the money. The boats said they will pay the tax, but the complaint requests the money be held until the court rules whether the act is constitutional.

The casino companies gave three reasons they believe the act violates the state constitution: 1) Taxing one private industry to subsidize another ailing competing industry doesn’t count as using tax dollars for public purposes. 2) The tax is unfair because it only applies to four Chicago-area riverboats, not five others operating downstate. 3) The legislation was written to benefit particular racetrack owners with no legitimate state purpose.

Of course, the Illinois Casino Gaming Association supports the challenge. Executive Director Tom Swoik said he hasn't read the complaint, yet, but he believes the lawsuit sets a precedent and is symptomatic of a broader problem. “One of the reasons it was filed was because of the inequities the business community has in this state,” he said, adding some of the business fees the governor imposed earlier are still stuck in court.

Rep. Ruth Munson, an Elgin Republican who represents the district including the Grand Vic., said that’s exactly why she was one of the 37 reps who voted against the bill before it was sent to the governor. “What we’re saying to businesses is, if you’re very successful in the state of Illinois, we’re going to penalize you. And we’re going to give [the money] to a less successful industry, your competitor,” she said. And she warned the act would take profits away from the Grand Victoria Foundation, which wouldn't be able to donate as much to local not-for-profits.

Rep. Bob Molaro, the Chicago Democrat who sponsored the measure in the House, called from outside his doctor’s office after getting knee surgery this week. He said the lawsuit was expected, but what is unexpected is that the judges will overturn the legislation. First, he said the legislature already voted to impose a graduated wagering tax on riverboats, which is based on the casinos’ total income minus the amount they give out to winners. “Obviously, places like Elgin are paying a heck of lot more tax than places like Rock Island,” he said.

Second, Molaro said he expects the courts to take a narrow look at the issue. “[Judges] don’t get into what the business climate of the state should be,” he said. “That’s for the legislature to decide, not the courts.”

Side note Waiting for his doctor’s appointment, Molaro gave me some humble advice: “Don’t get old.”