Week of March 8th., 2010
This Wednesday, March 10th at Noon, Governor Pat Quinn will deliver his 2010 budget address to the Illinois House and Senate. You can listen and view the address live by going to www.ilga.gov and clicking on the audio/video link under either the House or Senate heading on the webpage. I know many of you are very concerned about programs and possible cuts that are in store for FY11 and want to hear the governor’s proposal.
I want to thank all of you who took the time to send me letters and e-mails regarding the budget. I also hope you have taken advantage of the governor’s offer to listen to your input by posting comments at www.budget.illinois.gov There is still time to make your thoughts known by simply going to that site and weighing in. Most of the people who contacted me had a simple message. The overwhelming majority of constituents want to see reform in government spending before any revenue enhancements in the way of tax and fee increases take place.
The number one area of reform that was mentioned was the need for real modernization and reforms to the state public pension system. In addition, everyone understands the need to stop spending on any new programs and they also know that now is not the time to expand existing program. Many people correctly identified the need to make Illinois more job-friendly as well. I am hopeful that Governor Quinn will recognize the need for reforms to Worker’s Compensation and Unemployment Insurance in Illinois as key components to making Illinois more competitive in attracting employers to this State.
Last week, there were a few bills acted on that are significant. First of all, a long-standing program that allows legislators to provide eight one-year tuition waivers (per year) to worthy students in their legislative districts was the target of legislation that would eliminate that practice. HB4685 was proposed by Representative Mark Walker to end legislative scholarships. These scholarships provide a full year of tuition waiver to any state university for the recipient. The university is supposed to receive funding for the waiver form the state. However, due to the current economic problems that Illinois faces, the payments have not been made for a while. So, in effect, schools are left to foot the bill and the result is that other students pick up the cost.
The program has been the source of a lot of controversy over the years. Legislators are basically free to give the scholarships to anyone they want except family members of members of the General Assembly. There have been numerous scandals involving the waivers where wealthy campaign donors have had children or relatives benefit.
I have awarded these scholarships during the time I have been in the House. I established a committee made up of retired teachers and educators from the eight counties I represent. That committee meets annually, reviews the applications and chooses the winners. Most legislators follow this type of protocol. However, clearly not all waivers are granted in this manner. In any case, I voted for the legislation and the elimination because during a time of fiscal crisis, we simply cannot afford to require schools to foot the bill for this program and the State clearly cannot afford the millions that this program costs. The bill passed by an 80-36 margin and now moves on to the Senate for approval.
Another interesting bill this week was an effort to increase various agricultural fees. HB4866 increases fees on dozens of agricultural related licenses and permits. The additional funds are supposed to go toward supporting programs specifically within the Department of Agriculture. However, the legislation did not contain language that would protect the funds that the fees are deposited in from being swept. In fact, many of the exact funds that will receive the increase in fees were swept in recent years. So, without an iron clad guarantee that these funds would not be swept, I voted against the proposal.
Another thing that caused me to vote No on the proposal was the fact that this is the same as a tax increase. As I have stated many times, without some type of reforms to government spending, we should not approve new sources of revenue. Unfortunately, the bill passed by a vote of 63-46. I was shocked to see that some of the people who voted for the fee increases are also the same people who warn against any new taxes. A fee, without specific language in the legislation to protect the fund, is a tax. When the funds are swept, the money goes into the same general revenue fund that taxes are deposited within.
For those who support conceal and carry legislation for Illinois, there was an encouraging event this week. HB6249 passed out of the House Agriculture Committee this week. The legislation is on the House floor. It will be interesting to see of the Speaker allows the bill to go to a vote on the floor. I will certainly support the legislation and work for passage.
I will have more for you from Springfield next week. I am sure there will be many things to discuss related to the Governor’s budget proposal. Please keep the correspondence coming, you can reach me at: P.O. Box 125, Hutsonville, IL 62433, call me at 618-563-4128 or 217-558-1040 or e-mail me at reddyunit1@aol.com. You can also read more on my web site: www.peopleforeddy.com or and follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RepEddy and www.tweetillinois.org.