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SPRINGFIELD
–Voters won’t have the opportunity to decide whether or not they should be able
to recall elected officials, said State Senator Randy Hultgren (R-Wheaton). Senator
Hultgren supported the proposed recall amendment and said he was frustrated by
political game-playing over the proposal.
The defeat ended a busy week in the Illinois Senate, which
included the announcement of bi-partisan ethics reforms, an apparent signal
from the Governor’s office that at least a portion of long-awaited agriculture
funding might be forthcoming, a call from Senate Republicans to provide
much-needed dollars to deal with the higher than anticipated costs of road
maintenance over the winter and the defeat of an effort to raise the state
income tax.
All Senate Republicans supported recall, but Senate
President Emil Jones (D-Chicago) kept enough Democrats from voting for the
measure to assure its failure. The legislation received 33 votes, but needed 36
votes to pass the Senate. Jones then abruptly adjourned the Senate,
effectively running out the clock on the recall effort, even though an
alternative measure remained in the Senate that could have been placed the
referendum on the ballot.
Following the defeat of the recall amendment, Jones told
reporters he supports a legislative pay raise. “I need a pay raise. I need a
pay raise,” Jones (D-Chicago) told reporters.
Under SJRCA 70 elected officials at all levels of government
who receive a taxpayer-funded salary, including Executive Officers, General
Assembly members and judges, and local elected officials, with the exception of
members of school boards, would have been subject to recall. The
Constitutional Amendment would have also allowed for the Governor and Lt.
Governor to be recalled on the same ballot, in addition to setting the terms of
a prospective recall election and establishing how successor candidates would
be selected.
After SJRCA 70 narrowly failed, numerous members of the
Senate Republican Caucus requested that a similar Constitutional Amendment,
House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 28 be discharged for
deliberation. However, Senate Democrat leaders rejected requests to
consider the alternative recall measure, denying voters the right to consider a
recall provision on the November 4 ballot.
Earlier in the week, members of the Senate Republican Caucus
joined a bi-partisan group of lawmakers to announce a compromise on contract
reform in the State of
Illinois. If
signed into law, the legislation would address the culture of “pay-to-play”
politics that continues to dominate
Illinois
state government.
House Bill 824 bans campaign contributions from contractors
to confirmed candidates for the office that would be awarding donor contracts,
as well as current elected officials. In addition, the bill also mandates that
businesses with state contracts register with the State Board of Elections,
creating a searchable database connecting names of companies doing business
with state to all of their contributions to political committees. Failure
to register or falsified registrations would be a criminal offense, punishable
by a fine.
In other news, lawmakers were given notice late on April 30
that the Blagojevich Administration has committed to releasing at least some
long-awaited funding for
Illinois’ Soil and
Water Conservation districts and the
University of
Illinois Extension
offices.
On April 15th, Republican lawmakers called on the state’s
legislative leaders and the Governor to unite in support of agriculture in the
State of
Illinois.
Many legislators say it will be a relief when the funding is finally released,
but expressed concern over the Governor’s notoriously unreliable record of
releasing revenue. They also noted that other agriculture programs across the
state are worried about a remaining $6 million which has not been earmarked for
release.
Senate Republican lawmakers are trying to get more state
funding to cover weather-related costs from the difficult winter just past.
According to the state’s transportation agency, the average cost associated
with winter operations is $40 million per year. The Fiscal Year 2008 cost was
approximately $85 million. Senate Bill 1106 includes funding for seasonal
personnel who drive snowplows on state routes; repairs for potholes and
washed-out roads; money for additional salt; and for higher than anticipated
fuel costs
In additional news, Senate Republicans joined with several
members across the aisle in voting down another proposed Constitutional
Amendment that would have likely led to major income tax increases. Senate
Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 92 would have paved the way to
replace
Illinois
low flat rate 3% income tax with a higher graduated income tax.
LEGISLATION PASSED OUT OF SENATE COMMITTEES
Air patrol (HB 5760) - Requires that employers grant unpaid leave
to employees who are civil air patrol members performing a civil air patrol
mission.
Universal Preschool (HB 4705) - Allows for the disbursement
of funds to achieve the goal of preschool for all children through June 30,
2010.
Illegal Immigration (HB 5756) - States that illegal
immigrants breaking the law may face deportation for the offense which they
have committed.
Sheltered Care (HB 4190) - Provides that the Department of
Human Services must increase sheltered care rates by 10% in conjunction with
Aid to the Aged, Blind or Disabled program.
Administrative Changes (HB 3508) - Amends the Illinois Act
on the Aging, the Nursing Home Care Act, and the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive
Business Practices Act and establishes various duties for the Office of State
Long Term Care Ombudsman. |
