Breaking A Logjam

Lawmakers and the governor still can't agree on a budget solution. There's little, if any, chance that the House will call a vote on a tax hike today. It's much more likely they they will send the governor a budget that doesn't raise taxes, instead relying on borrowing, fund sweeps and other gimmicks to get a "balanced" budget that would keep the state going for most of the fiscal year. Then lawmakers would probably have to come back to vote on taxes after they know whether they'll be facing any significant challengers in the 2010 election.

But yesterday lawmakers did essentially end one dispute with the governor by releasing the $30 billion capital plan. Lawmakers approved the plan in late May. But Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) had placed a legislative hold on the capital plan last month after Gov. Pat Quinn said he would not sign it until he got a budget deal he would support. That infuriated Lang, who was the chief House sponsor of the construction plan. So he stopped it from going to the governor by keeping it under House control. He removed that roadblock yesterday, but not until he gave the governor an angry tongue-lashing for going back on a promise that he would not link the capital bill to the budget. “We had just gone through six years of a governor who didn't tell it to us the way it was. We have just gone through six years of a governor that attempted to use the Illinois General Assembly as his own personal play toy and you and I for those six years were fed up with that," Lang said. "These bills need to be signed for the good of the state of Illinois. And while I support more revenue in the budget, it is unconscionable to withhold his signature on those bills." However, there's no indication that the governor will sign the capital plan right away.

Winding Down

These next two days will be my last as an intern for Illinois Public Radio at the Capitol. It's been an amazing experience for the most part. I've made a lot of great friends here in Springfield and, I never thought I'd say this, but I'll miss this place when I'm gone; not so much the city itself, but the friends I've made here. It really stinks that after making so many wonderful friends, we'll most likely all end up scattered all over the place. I know that's how life goes, but it doesn't make it any easier.

Anyway, the House will be back in session today to deal with budget issues, but it doesn't seem any more likely they'll take a vote on a tax hike. Figuring out what is going to happen by tomorrow night is getting to be like trying to study a quantum physics textbook written in Sanskrit. Nobody can seem to agree on how big the budget deficit is at this point, much less how to fill the hole.

With less than two days left until the next fiscal years, the budget mess is playing havoc with social service agencies. Some are planning layoffs and service cuts unless an unexpected budget deal comes through to fully fund those providers. However, some are moving forward with cuts already. Threats of budget cuts are nothing new to social service agencies, but the threatened cuts have never been this big before. On top of that, with the economy still in the tank, borrowing money to hold them over until there's a full state budget isn't an option this year. Not to mention, raising money from private donors won't get most of these groups anywhere near the amount of money they need to avoid layoffs and service cuts.

Applying Some Pressure

The capitol was quite the scene yesterday as 5,000 protesters or more swarmed the statehouse to try to pressure lawmakers into voting for a tax hike. Protesters packed nearly every corridor of the capitol rotunda, crammed onto stairwells and gathered outside nearly every entrance. The crowd was so big that at one point, security guards blocked any more protesters from coming inside. I don't know whose idea it was to tell protesters they should wear black t-shirts, but they're lucky demonstrators weren't fainting left and right. A heat index above 100 combined crowds of people packed like sardines, all while dressed in black on a sunny day is not a healthy mix. A mix of labor unions and social service agencies organized the protest to oppose budget cuts that would slash social service funding in half.

Those same groups have been staging smaller protests around the state the past few weeks. It sounds like they may be changing the minds of some lawmakers who originally voted against a tax increase. For example, Rep. Mike Boland (D-East Moline) says he may change his vote if the House brings up a tax hike again. But with only 42 House Democrats voting the first time and 71 votes needed now to pass a tax hike, it will take a lot of work to get a tax hike approved. It also means bringing at least one Republican on board. Realistically, maybe 10 Republican votes would be needed, as there are some Democrats who just won't vote for a tax hike, no matter what.

Regardless of where things stand right now, there won't be a tax hike vote this week. And there's a chance there won't be a vote at all before the end of the fiscal year. If House members can't get together enough votes to pass something, there doesn't seem to be much reason to call a tax hike for a vote again. And Senate President John Cullerton says the Senate won't vote on a tax hike again until the House passes something. Most Senate Democrats already went out on a limb last month to approve a larger tax hike than the governor was seeking, only to see that proposal die in the House without a vote. Cullerton won't let that happen again. So, while we might see lawmakers only one more day after today before FY 2010 begins, those should be two interesting days.

Here We Go Again

Hundreds, if not thousands, of advocates for state-funded social service programs will be descending on the state capitol today. Lawmakers will be at the capitol for a special session to deal with the state budget mess and other issues. The advocates will be there to greet them with a major rally to demand an income tax hike to avoid massive cuts to social service programs. Social service agencies say they expect up to 5,000 people dressed in black to take part in the rally. It's an interesting choice to bring that many people dressed in black to a protest rally on a sunny day with temps in the mid-90s and the heat index expected to hit 101 to 106.

As I've mentioned on the blog before, so far lawmakers have approved a budget that would cut the budgets for social service programs by 50 percent or more. Gov. Pat Quinn reiterated yesterday that he's not willing to accept what he calls a "half-baked" budget. But he wouldn't offer a direct answer when asked if that means he'll veto the budget if lawmakers don't provide more revenue. He's still pushing for an income tax hike that was rejected last month. He says some lawmakers who voted against the tax hike in May are willing to vote for it now. He wouldn't offer any names and it seems doubtful he's convinced enough legislators to switch their votes to get the three-fifths majority he'd need to pass a tax hike now.

The governor has been making the rounds across the state the past month to push for his tax plan, warning about the deep cuts that would need to be made to social service agencies without more revenue. So it shouldn't be a surprise that he took another opportunity while in Springfield yesterday to call on lawmakers to approve a tax hike. The thing is, he did it at a ceremony to honor Illinois students who competed in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. It seems like an odd choice of events to push for a tax hike, especially since the crowd consisted entirely of the kids, their parents and the media. He even staged an impromptu spelling bee as he handed each kid their certificate, asking some of them to spell words like whistleblower, gridlock, mudslinging and legislature. Not exactly subtle, but certainly entertaining.

Back to the grind

It was nice having the lawmakers out of town for a few weeks, but to be honest, it will be good to have them back here for at least a couple days next week. It doesn't look like they're any closer to a budget deal, but it's possible that could change by next week; a slim possibility, sure, but a possibility nonetheless. Governor Pat Quinn is still warning of deep cuts to social service programs unless lawmakers agree to a tax hike. Republicans are sticking to their demands of reforms to Medicaid, pensions and other areas before they'll support any effort to raise taxes. They sound willing to let the state slide by with a month-to-month budget until they get their way. We'll see if Quinn and other supporters of a tax hike can change a few minds over the next week or so.

Meantime, social service groups are staging dozens of rallies across the state this week. They're targeting lawmakers who voted against a tax hike to fill the budget hole. They are warning of dire consequences if a tax hike does not go through and the cuts proceed. The groups say thousands of children will lose day care services, forcing parents to quit their jobs to stay home with the kids. Thousands of specialists who help care for the disabled would lose their jobs and their clients would be forced to move into nursing homes. Thousand of senior citizens would lose home care services, also being forced to move into nursing homes. Social service groups say all of that would cost the state more money in the long run through lost income tax revenue and increased demand for nursing homes and other services.

The Quinn administration has also been trying to convince the state's labor unions to agree to contract concessions to help reduce the budget shortfall. But the unions are resisting. Henry Bayer, executive director of AFSCME Council 31, the state's largest worker union, says the savings from any contract concessions would be just a drop in the bucket. The state is trying to get the union to agree to take unpaid furlough days and accept pay freezes or even pay cuts. It doesn't sound like that's going to happen, considering the state signed a new contract with AFSCME last fall. Bayer is right that union concessions would help the state with only a fraction of its estimated $9 billion budget shortfall, but there's a good argument to be made that every little bit helps avoid major tax increases or service cuts.

What Is He Thinking?

Gov. Pat Quinn deserves praise for quite a few things he's done, or at least tried to do, since taking over for the reviled Rod Blagojevich. The word "courage" gets used too often in describing actions elected officials take, but I definitely think it took some guts for Quinn to seek an income tax hike to help balance the budget. That kind of proposal will never go over well with taxpayers, especially in a recession, but at least he offered some specific numbers to back up his budget plan. Whether or not raising taxes is a good idea is not my area of expertise, so I have no idea if higher taxes would help or not. But offering specifics on his plan is better than some critics who say more spending needs to be cut, but then only give some general ideas about where to cut, without offering real numbers to show how it would work.

But Quinn has still made some puzzling decisions in his tenure. Backing off the recommendations of the Illinois Reform Commission, for instance. Or appointing a 29-year-old man with no background in law enforcement to run the Illinois State Police. (Yes, Jonathan Monken is a decorated war veteran and a genuine hero, but I think he's in way over his head at ISP.) But this week we saw a particularly odd decision by Quinn. If you remember, last month when House Speaker Mike Madigan was pushing his so-called "fumigation bill" to get rid of hundreds of state officials appointed by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and former Gov. George Ryan, one of the biggest names he went after was John Filan.

Filan is a former Blagojevich budget director who wrote many of Blagojevich's controversial budget plans, such as the proposal to create the maligned Gross Receipts Tax that lawmakers killed unanimously. Filan is also a longtime friend of Gov. Quinn, so while lawmakers can't stand Filan, it was somewhat understandable that Quinn kept Filan on board to run the Illinois Finance Authority and help craft his budget. Quinn didn't exactly have a lot of time to line up a cabinet and Filan was already there. But it quickly became clear lawmakers -- Madigan in particular -- wanted Filan gone. When the fumigation bill specificially targeted Filan, rather than let his friend get fired by law, Quinn struck a deal with Madigan. The speaker took Filan's name out of the fumigation bill and Quinn agreed that Filan would resign effective July 1.

We found out yesterday that Filan will be staying on the state payroll for up to four months after July 1. Sure, he's technically resigning as director of the Finance Authority. And it was the IFA that requested he stay on up to four more months to help with the transition to a new director. And yes, they wanted his help implementing a $3 billion program for renewable energy grants, which he played a key role in creating. However, it should be no surprise to Quinn that lawmakers are angry that Filan is staying on the state payroll beyond July 1. Quinn's office can use lawyer talk all they want to say he's keeping his word that Filan would resign as director of IFA. Lawmakers might even concede that Quinn has the right to hire and fire who he wants for that position. But it still appears on the surface that Quinn is going back on his word by keeping Filan around longer than he said he would.

Congress Cracking Down On Tobacco Industry

The U.S. Senate has approved legislation that allows the FDA to regulate the tobacco industry. The FDA would be allowed to set the levels of nicotine and other ingredients in tobacco products. Manufacturers would be required to list the ingredients of their products on packaging. The FDA would also be allowed to require stronger safety warnings and regulate advertising of tobacco products. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin has been pushing for regulation of the tobacco industry for years. He spoke to reporters in Springfield earlier this week about the legislation. He supported efforts to pass similar legislation in the late 1990s, but that effort died when supporters couldn't block a filibuster in the Senate. That wasn't a problem this time around. The House is expected to give final legislative approval today and Durbin says President Obama will sign the bill.

Taking it easy

With the legislature gone, this week has provided a nice respite at the capitol. No more 16 hour work days. No more staking out leadership meetings on a daily basis. So I've also been taking a little break from the blog.

But before the lawmakers left late Sunday night/early Monday morning, I spoke to several legislators about what they think of the job Pat Quinn has done as governor. While they almost unanimously think he's a hard-working, honest man (I say almost unanimously because I didn't talk to all 177 lawmakers), several think he wasn't ready for the responsibility of the governor's office. Though they also recognize he came into a really difficult situation, despite taking over for the despised Rod Blagojevich.

Native American groups get exemption to smoking ban for religious ceremonies

Lawmakers also recently signed off on an amendment to the state's 17-month-old indoor smoking ban. It's a very limited exemption that applies only to Native American religious ceremonies, since their rituals include smoking ceremonial pipes and smudging -- the burning of prairie grasses or herbs as a cleansing ritual. Native groups have been pushing for this exception since before the smoking ban was enacted. Welcome to the process of getting legislation passed in Springfield. Unless you've got a ton of clout, you're not getting anything passed quickly, not even something as simple as this.

Tying Up Loose Ends

Working close to 90 hours last week covering the budget, ethics reforms and other last-minute legislative issues at the capitol, I haven't had the energy to update the blog as thoroughly as I'd like. I've already mentioned that lawmakers left town after passing a budget that has enough money for about half the fiscal year. They also arguably fell short on campaign finance reform and left a recall measure in the hopper until they come back later this year.

The first-ever limits on campaign contributions in Illinois are headed to the governor's desk. I've already gone into a lot of the details on the limits, so I won't rehash them in this post. However, one effect I think hasn't been covered enough is that the way the limits are set up could potentially make it harder to track who is giving money to the candidates. Say what you will about having no limits on contributions, to date, Illinois has had a pretty thorough disclosure system for donations. Granted, some candidates might have failed to disclose who was giving them money, but for the most part it was easy to see where the money was flowing. But with all the different committees politicians can set up -- campaign committees, constituent services committees and multi-candidate committees -- I can easily see them hiding donations by funneling a questionable donation through one committee and then transfering it to another.

Meantime, one of Gov. Pat Quinn's top priorities for reform, a proposal to allow voters to recall a sitting governor, will have to wait. The proposal would allow Illinois voters to decide at the 2010 election whether the state constitution should be amended to allow a sitting governor to be recalled. The House overwhelmingly approved the measure on Saturday and, at first, it seemed like the Senate was going to speed it through the process so the bill could get the required three readings on three separate days -- Saturday, Sunday and shortly after midnight on Monday -- and pass it before leaving town. It got the first reading it needed in the Senate on Saturday, but the second reading didn't happen until early Monday morning.

Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) said he told Quinn that it will get the required third reading on the first day the Senate returns to session, whenever that is. He explained that since the proposal requires voter approval to become law and the next general election is November 2010, there's no need for lawmakers to give their approval right away. That's a good point, though it didn't stop Republicans from making a bit of noise criticizing Democrats for not pushing the recall effort through before they left town.

I think the bigger problem here, though, is how hard it would be for the recall measure to actually be used. One hurdle would be requiring supporters of recall to gather voter signatures equal to 15 percent of the voters who cast ballots in the previous election for governor. They'd have 150 days to get what would amount to hundreds of thousands of signatures. Yes, that's a pretty high hurdle, but it seems an appropriate one to make sure there's widespread support for recall. But before that could happen, 30 lawmakers would have to initiate the process by signing an affidavit supporting recall. At least 20 House members and 10 senators -- evenly divided between the two parties -- would have to sign the affidavit. That essentially means if one of the four caucuses didn't support recall, they could block it before voters got a say. Let's put it like this, if this recall measure had been in place a few years ago and voters wanted to recall Gov. Rod Blagojevich before he was impeached, does anyone think former Senate President Emil Jones would have let Senate Democrats sign off? Me neither. If recall is supposed to be a tool for the people to decide if the governor should be removed, lawmakers shouldn't have a say at all, I think.

Some might argue this move was largely symbolic since lamakers already earn a minimum salary of about $70,000, but the House and Senate approved a bill this past weekend that prevents them from getting a 3 percent pay raise next fiscal year. It would also require them to take four furlough days. I shouldn't be surprised, but there were a few legislators who voted against the bill. Considering the state's budget mess and that the Senate approved a major tax hike (even if it ultimately died in the House), it takes some major ego to vote for raising your already significant salary.

The bill would also eliminate the independent Compensation Review Board which recommends raises for lawmakers, constitutional officers and judges. The board's recommendations are automatically approved unless both the House and Senate vote down the raises. It's a process that has often been criticized as convoluted. If the governor signs the bill (I can't see him not signing) lawmakers would have to introduce and vote on their own proposal to raise pay for the state's top officials.

Civil unions will have to wait

Gay and Lesbian advocates pushing for civil unions in Illinois will have to keep waiting. Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago), an openly gay member of the House, decided not to call a civil union bill before the legislature went home. He didn't want the debate over civil unions bogged down with all the other politically sensitive issues lawmakers were deciding at the end of session. He wants lawmakers to focus their full attention on the issue when it comes up for a vote and he accurately observed that the atmosphere just wasn't right to accomplish that this past week. Whether or not things will be any calmer when lawmakers come back is yet to be seen.

"The People Will Suffer"

Gov. Pat Quinn is meeting with the four legislative leaders today to discuss the budget, after lawmakers sent him a spending plan that provides only about half of the funding that Quinn was seeking. The House rejected his plan to raise income taxes by 50 percent to help eliminate a 12 billion dollar deficit and did not even consider an alternative plan from the Senate. That plan would have generated even more money, through a 67 percent increase in the income tax and an expansion of the sales tax to many services.

Quinn has said he won't sign the budget plan. “We have to stay after school,” he said late Sunday. “Right now, the budget is not in balance. People will suffer.” Since the plan does not have enough funding for the entire fiscal year, he won't sign the capital plan that lawmakers approved last month. But he doesn't have that option right now. Lawmakers aren't happy with his vow not to sign the construction plan until he gets a full balanced budget. Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) is using a parliamentary maneuver to essentially hold the capital plan hostage until Quinn will sign it. So much for stimulating the state's economy this summer.

Lawmakers went home after passing that half budget, but they did not technically adjourn for the summer. At some point, either Quinn or the legislative leaders will likely call them back to pass a full budget -- that is, if Quinn and the leaders can reach a deal. The big hang up in this seems to be what Speaker Mike Madigan wants. Senate President John Cullerton was able to get his members to approve a tax plan without Republican Help. Madigan might not have the super-majority that Cullerton does, but he's got 70 Democrats and needed 60 to approve a tax plan. If he really wanted it, he could have gotten it. He's made that pretty clear in the past. Is he trying to make Quinn look bad so his daughter, Attorney General Lisa Madigan can have another advantage if and when she runs for governor? Who knows. Madigan isn't exactly forthcoming about his motives.