Week of June 4, 2007
It was indeed an interesting week in Springfield leading up to the May 31st budget deadline. A budget did not pass both the House and Senate prior to that deadline. It seems that any budget that is passed will now take a super-majority rather than a simple majority. That means that the Democrats will now have to include Republicans in the budget process. If they had passed a budget prior to the May 31st deadline a simple majority would have sufficed.
There is one way that the budget that was passed by the House Democrats could become the final FY08 budget. SB1544 did pass out of the House prior to the May 31st deadline. This budget legislation included language to eliminate a few of what the Democrats describe as “corporate tax loopholes”. To me, these “loopholes” look more like business and job incentives. Anyway, the bill did pass prior to the deadline and could become the budget with just the simple majority of Democrats in the House voting for it. That is because the Senate already has the super-majority of Democrats needed to pass the bill in after the May 31st deadline. The Senate could take the bill as is and apply enough votes to meet the super-majority status. Any changes to the bill would mean that it must come back to the House for a final vote and that would take a super-majority vote, meaning the Republicans are in on budget negotiations.
The reason that SB1544 was not considered immediately in the Senate is that a downstate lawmaker filed a motion to “reconsider” the House vote on SB1544. The reason for the “reconsideration motion” was that the electric rate issue has not yet been resolved. Many downstate lawmakers (myself included) have been demanding action on the electric rate crisis for months without any success.
At this time, it appears that we finally have the attention of the leaders of the General Assembly regarding the electric rate crisis. There was some movement last week toward a fair compromise on this issue, although I am not sure exactly what the final agreement will be. However, it will include a significant reduction in the rate increases experienced by customers at the first of this year. In addition, we can expect changes in the electric procurement laws with emphasis on developing competition in the electric market. This coming week will be critical to the eventual compromise. I can promise you that I am working hard on this issue and will join other downstate lawmakers in demanding a fair compromise and end to these outrageous rates. Thanks to the hundreds of you who have called, written or e-mailed me regarding this issue. It is by far the issue I hear about the most, and rightfully so.
No one really knows how long the overtime session will last. The Senate passed a budget that includes a huge increase in gaming. The measure would call for four more Casinos, including a land-based casino in Chicago. There is some support for the Chicago casino, but once you add one additional casino, everybody wants one. A group from Danville visited Springfield last week to pitch for a riverboat casino to be located there. It appears that Speaker Madigan does support some type of gaming expansion and the Senate version of the budget may actually be considered in the House. However, changes are likely to be made in the House to that attempt at a budget. Plus, House Republicans would have to vote for it since it now takes a super-majority to pass. I am interested to hear from voters in the 109th district as to whether or not you feel gaming should be considered as part of the budget solution.
Significant commitments were made last week by the IEPA and Director Doug Scott regarding NPDES permits for existing septic systems in rural Illinois. It certainly appears as if the IEPA is now going to apply the minimum requirements of the Federal EPA on Illinois septic system owners. Existing systems will likely be “grandfathered” in some fashion as long as the systems are not violating pollution laws. There will be no fees or additional inspections or maintenance requirements imposed on these homeowners. It is possible that the IEPA will require permits upon ownership transfer though. It appears as if the minimal federal rules would require that type of permit system upon property transfers.
This week, the House will also act on SB17. The bill attempts to deal with the wooded land assessment increases imposed by the Illinois Department of Revenue a few years back. The new Department of Revenue rules would mean huge increases in the assessed value of wooded land in Illinois. The rule already prompted many rural residents to level important timber ground to avoid the huge tax increases. SB17 brings sanity to the issue as it allows assessments to remain relatively low if the wooded land is registered in a program through the Department of Natural Resources. Since the DNR does not have enough people to handle the implementation of planned programs, the increases can be avoided by simply registering with DNR to have a plan written and approved. You can read the entire bill and get more details at www.ilga.gov. If you own wooded land, you will want to read the entire bill to see how the provisions apply specifically to your property.
Many of you might have read last week about a near fist fight that occurred in the Governor’s office when the governor apparently applied a little too much pressure on a rural Senator in an effort to get the 30th vote on a budget deal which would have expanded the state Medicaid program into a universal health care system in Illinois. The Senator refused to vote for the spending increase and the Governor reportedly threatened to run someone against him next election as well as making various other threats. People have asked me what I think of all of that. The only thing I can say is that it is embarrassing to the entire General Assembly to see this type of ineptness. Threats and counter-threats do nothing to solve problems. It strikes me that both the Governor and the Senator were alone in a room trying to cut a deal regarding tax payers money without public debate and that should bother us all.
As important issues arise during the overtime session, I will keep you as up to date as possible. Let me know what you are thinking, E-mail me (reddyunit1@aol.com) or call us at either 618-563-4128 or 217-558-1040. You can also keep up with important issues at my web site (now with audio clips) www.peopleforeddy.com
E-mail me at (reddyunit1@aol.com); write
to me at Box 125, Hutsonville, IL 62433 or call us at 618-563-4128. You
can also keep up with important issues at my web site (now with audio clips)
- www.peopleforeddy.com