Week of March 1, 2009

Last week was not an overly productive one in the General Assembly in terms of passing substantial amounts of legislation, though a few noteworthy bills were considered. Both chambers approved House Bill 1027, which I discussed in last week’s article. The bill outlines a plan to borrow more than $500 million from special state funds to initiate a five-year hospital assessment program that pulls in additional federal money. The borrowed money is to be repaid to the special funds with interest by April 14. Gov. Quinn signed the bill into law in hopes of putting a dent in the state’s $2.2 billion in unpaid Medicaid bills to health care providers.

Along with health care, this will be an especially tough year for education funding, and my position as a school superintendent gives me a unique view to introduce legislation to positively affect our schools. Last week I presented five bills to the Elementary and Secondary Education committee, all of which passed overwhelmingly and were sent to the House floor for consideration. HB 999 allows for short-term borrowing flexibility for school districts and HB 944 assures that a school district that does not receive timely payment of state aid will not be negatively charged by the State Board of Education in their financial profile. Another bill, HB 1108 proposes changes to the structure of regional office of education advisory boards within each region that advise administrators of professional development programs and services. The use of an electronic process for communicating, accepting and opening competitive bids for school district contracts would be permitted by HB 613. Finally, HB 1107 provides that, if the need arises for emergency repairs under certain conditions regarding the Life-Safety Code, school districts may proceed prior to approval by the State Superintendent of Education.

I also co-sponsored House Bill 80 last week, which would reform the process of appointing members to the State Board of Education. Presently, the governor has wide discretion in selecting board members; this bill would create a nominating panel to screen prospective members and choose three finalists for each vacancy. The governor would then be required to choose the new member from that pool of candidates. Under the new proposal, this nominating panel must be composed of people with specific backgrounds in the education system. This bill passed out of the House with strong bi-partisan support, and was sent to the Senate for consideration.

This is just one of the many steps currently being taken in Illinois to de-politicize certain government processes and prevent an overly-powerful executive branch. Last week, Gov. Quinn instructed state agency directors and legal staff to do everything they can to make government records more accessible to the public and better comply with the Freedom of Information Act. He is also encouraging state agencies to develop a “pro-disclosure” attitude by making more information available online. These measures are necessary in order to do away with the culture of secrecy created by the Blagojevich administration and promote a more transparent government.

Last week, Gov. Quinn reopened seven state parks that former Gov. Blagojevich closed last fall in a budget-cutting effort. As warmer weather and vacation time approaches, these state parks provide inexpensive modes of recreation while many families are forced to tighten their wallets in the present economy. Gov. Quinn was also the next to join the growing chorus of officeholders and citizens recommending that Sen. Burris resign, and a special election be held to fill the seat. In an opinion released last week, Attorney General Lisa Madigan said that the state does not need to wait for Sen. Burris to resign in order to go ahead with a special election. However, her father, House Speaker Michael Madigan, still refuses to call any legislation that would provide for a special election. House Democrats maintain that a special election would be too costly. I continue to believe that we cannot put a price tag on democracy, and we must let the people of Illinois choose their representatives.

Among the important legislation I expect to be called this week will be HB 2619, a bill I sponsored to authorize the Martinsville Community Unit School District 3C to issue $4 million in bonds to replace their school that was forced to close due to flood damage. I am hopeful that this bill will move quickly through the General Assembly, and the Martinsville School District can move ahead with building a school that will greatly benefit their children and community.

I will continue to keep you up to date as this legislative session progresses, and I want to know where you stand on the issues. You can track legislation at www.ilga.gov and also follow the action on my website, www.peopleforeddy.com. Please feel free to call one of my offices at (217) 558-1040 or (618) 563-4128 or (217) 932-9082. You may also e-mail me anytime at reddyunit1@aol.com, or send mail to Box 125, Hutsonville, IL 62433 or 222-N Stratton Office Building, Springfield, IL 62706. Also, remember to check out the “Illinois Recovery” website— http://recovery.illinois.gov –for more information on the federal stimulus plan and its implications for Illinois, and to submit proposals for deserving projects.