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.