Feeling the Pain At the Post Office

1 comment April 9th, 2008

It’s 7 p.m., and I just got out of a marathon Senate committee hearing, where several state agencies talked about their budget proposals for next year.

I’ll have more later on the hearing’s juicier details, but a quick tidbit from Comptroller Dan Hynes‘ testimony took me by surprise.

He said his office, which is in charge of paying the state’s bills, expects to pay $1.6 million for postage in the upcoming fiscal year, which runs from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009. That number shocked me until I got back to the office and saw this:

Starting on May 12 from the U.S. Post Office:

To add to the misery, Hynes said his office’s $800,000 postage budget was eliminated last year when the budget got to the governor’s office. He told the committee that the $1.6 million for postage was, “the lion’s share of the increase” he was seeking for his agency.

Conservative Group Blasts State Lawmakers For Wasteful Spending

Add comment April 9th, 2008

The Illinois Policy Institute blasted state lawmakers Wednesday for $686 million in “pork” spending, which is money that it says could have been diverted to pay down Illinois’ growing budget deficit.

The conservative organization joined up Wednesday with the equally conservative Citizens Against Government Waste, an anti-pork group in Washington, for the second edition of its, “2008 Illinois Piglet Book.” You can read the entire report here.

Using expampes such as $550,000 for the conservation of pheasants and $4 million for a Ford Technical Training Center in Chicago Heights, Greg Blankenship of the Illinois Policy Institute called the earmarks tucked into last year’s $59 billion budget unnecessary spending for lawmakers’ pet projects.

The issue of earmarks took center stage on a national level earlier this year when President Bush targeted it during his State of the Union speech. Some lawmakers argue that even though this money goes to a place or program considered a pet project, it is still a worthwhile venture.

“Our worthwhile needs are unlimited,” Blankenship said during a news conference Wednesday.

Blankenship said the state should reprioritize its spending to go toward the budget’s big ticket items such as education and health care.

“If those are a real priority, we should spend money on that first,” he said.

The report targeted projects such as Rural Medical Edcuation program at Rockford’s University of Illinois campus as wasteful spending.

Blankenship said such pork projects should be eliminated from the budget before lawmakers can raise taxes to increase state spending.

House Tussles Over Gun Legislation

Add comment April 9th, 2008

The House has debated two gun-control bills over the past two days, but both times the measures failed to pass.

Today, Rep. Deborah Graham, D-Chicago, presented a bill that would require adult gun owners who have minors under 18 years of age living in their house to keep their gun in a locked box. Rep. Chuck Jefferson, D-Rockford, is a co-sponsor on this bill.

Since September, 21 students in the Chicago Public Schools have been killed. Twenty of those are by gunfire. Last year, 24 students were shot to death. In previous years, the numbers have been between 10-15.

This legislation was one of many bills the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus is carrying this session, prompted by a rash of gun violence among teens in Chicago.

Graham, the bill’s sponsor, moved the bill to postponed consideration before the vote was officially recorded, which sponsors often do when it looks like they haven’t gotten enough votes to pass the bill. By doing this, Graham will be able to call her bill for a vote again later.

According to the bill, if the gun is not locked up or otherwise temporarily unusable, the offense is punishable by a Class C misdemeanor. The punishment, a Class A misdemeanor, becomes harsher if a minor shoots someone with the unlocked gun.

During the debate, Graham called the bill a preventative measure, “much like having a smoke detector in your home.”

Despite Republican speculation during the debate, Graham said the homes of gun owners would not be ransacked to check for compliance.
“The authorities are not going to bombard your home if you have not done this,” she said.
Rep. Dennis Reboletti, R-Elmhurst, said the Chicago gun violence is simply about “gang warfare,” a comment that Graham disputed.

“This does not do anything to save peoples lives,” Reboletti said.

On Tuesday, a bill backed by Rep. Luis Arroyo, D-Chicago, also failed to pass. The bill aimed to limit the number of handguns a person could buy in one month to help curb illegal gun traffiking. Hunters and sportsmen purchasing rifles and shotguns in bulk would be exempt.

Before the vote could be recorded, Arroyo also moved his bill to postponed consideration.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich issued this statement:

“We’ve already lost over 20 Chicago students to shootings this school year. Parents, friends and neighbors are crying out to their elected leaders for help. How many more children have to die before lawmakers pass legislation that will save lives and keep guns out of the wrong hands? … Today’s House vote is a big disappointment to everyone involved in the fight against gun violence. But we won’t give up, we’ll keep lobbying and pushing lawmakers to take action. The young lives at stake are too important to forget.”

3 Area Lawmakers Approve Provision To Recall Elected Officials

Add comment April 9th, 2008

Three of four legislators from the Rock River Valley voted Tuesday for a constitutional amendment to allow voters to recall their elected officials.

In a 75-33 vote, Rep. Chuck Jefferson, D-Rockford, was the lone area lawmaker to vote against the proposal, which still must clear the Senate and the governor. Then the question would be put on the ballot for the voters to decide.

But the obstacles this amendment faces in the Senate cannot be ignored. House sponsor, Rep. Jack Franks, D-Woodstock, has openly said the momentum behind this provision stems from increasing dissatisfaction with Gov. Rod Blagojevich. This wouldn’t be the first time that Senate President Emil Jones, D-Chicago, has protected Blagojevich from legislation like this.

Here’s the background on the recall amendment.

Rep. Dave Winters, R-Shirland, spoke during Tuesday’s debate in favor of a proposed amendment.

“This is a do-over for the public,” Winters said in the House chamber. “I do encourage this body to approve the recall provision. … I trust the public’s maturity.”

Winters supported the recall, and many of his House colleagues on Tuesday agreed, voting for the proposal 75-33.

Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago, opposed the legislation, saying the current impeachment process is sufficient. She said a recall amendment gives too much power to special interest groups and those who oppose elected officials.

“(Having a recall amendment) raises the specter of a permanent election cycle,” she said. “It gives them a second, third, a fourth bite at the apple, what’s the sense in that?”

Last week, the chamber talked about this amendment as well. The debate so infuriated Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Collinsville, who is known as the governor’s chief ally in the House., that his words sent a ruffle through the statehouse.

“End the cycle of finger-pointing,” Hoffman said. “Stop the bull****!”