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Also during the week of July 19-24,
the Senate approved a plan to reform the State Board of Education
and advanced legislation that further cleans up state government
by taking the profit out of influence peddling.
Left unresolved, however, is
comprehensive medical malpractice legislation that includes
meaningful medical reform, court reform and insurance reform.
Skyrocketing medical malpractice insurance premiums are forcing
Illinois doctors to move their practices out of state or to
retire.
Brady and Bomke say the fiscal 2005
budget includes the Senate Republican goals of maintaining a
competitive jobs climate, limiting spending, prioritizing spending
and implementing a new debt responsibility policy.
The fiscal 2005 budget also reflects
Senate Republican spending priorities. Elementary and secondary
education receives an additional $365 million. University funding
is maintained at current levels. Nursing homes will receive a 3
percent rate increase effective Jan. 1, 2005. A task force will
study ways to manage the anticipated growth, and skyrocketing
costs to taxpayers, of the Medicaid program.
The prisons in Vandalia and Pontiac
and the Illinois Youth Center in St. Charles will remain open.
Funding for road construction and improvements will be restored,
thanks to a provision that will eliminate Gov. Rod Blagojevich's
raids on the Road Fund to pay the state's day-to-day bills. The
budget agreement will also free up $283 million to accelerate more
than 100 road projects to fiscal 2005.
Senate Republicans also successfully
rejected the governor's proposed cuts in important programs such
as Illinois tourism; Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural
Research, which promotes agriculture and food products research;
and Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development grants that help
local governments develop lands for public outdoor recreation.
The fiscal 2004 budget was loaded
down with tax increases that are pushing jobs out of Illinois, and
Blagojevich wanted more of the same for the fiscal 2005 budget.
Senate Republicans were successful in repealing some of the
business taxes passed last year and fought off many new tax
increases that would hurt Illinois jobs, including taxing business
software, taking motor fuel for non-road vehicles like road
graders and coal mining equipment, and taxing farmers' seed and
chemicals. The Republican Caucus does support efforts to truly
close corporate loopholes and crack down on foreign tax havens.
Senate Republicans were successful in
forcing responsible management of state debt rather than a
continuation of the governor's financial schemes that saddle
future generations with staggering debt. Since the governor has
taken office, the state's general obligation debt has doubled to
more than $11 billion. In addition, there will be no new bond
authorization until a thorough review later this year. At that
time, all capital projects will also be reviewed.
The budget compromise comes more than
two months after the initial May 21 deadline set by Democrat
leaders for passing a state budget.
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in this article]
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In other business, the Senate passed
legislation July 23 providing $10 million in fast-growth grants to
school districts throughout Illinois that experience rapid student
growth over two consecutive school years. The grant money was
secured by Republicans to bring more education dollars to rural
and suburban areas.
House Bill 766 was approved by the House of Representatives
July 24 and will become law when signed by the governor.
Lawmakers also approved a scaled-back
version of Gov. Blagojevich's original plan to replace the State
Board of Education with a Department of Education under his direct
control.
Senate Bill 3000 replaces current board members and authorizes
the governor to appoint seven of the nine new members, as well as
have line-item veto power over the board's budget. The legislation
also creates a voluntary school employee prescription drug benefit
program, requires the board to develop a five-year policy plan and
creates a statewide purchasing program that school districts can use
to save money when buying supplies.
Also during the week, the Senate and
House approved legislation to prohibit contingency fees paid to
lobbyists for influencing executive or administrative actions. State
law currently prohibits such fees for legislative action.
House Bill 7307 also requires the governor to replace the nine
current members of the controversial Illinois Health Facilities
Planning Board with a new five-member board. The legislation now
moves to the governor for further consideration.
In accordance with the State Officials
and Employees Ethics Act, the Senate appointed Thomas J. Homer as
legislative inspector general. His term will run through June 30,
2008. A native of Illinois, Homer was admitted to the Illinois bar
in 1974. After serving as an assistant state's attorney in Lake
County and as the Fulton County state's attorney, Homer served in
the House from 1982 to 1994 and was elected to the 3rd District
Appellate Court in 1996.
The Senate also approved Scott Kaiser
as the new assistant secretary of the Senate, replacing Jim Harry,
who retired earlier this year after more than 30 years of
governmental service. Kaiser returns to the Illinois Senate after
working for the office of the president at Southern Illinois
University. He was also the deputy director of legislative affairs
for Gov. Jim Edgar and a member of the Senate Republican legislative
staff.
The Senate
observed a moment of silence July 24 after learning that the nephew
of state Sen. Dave Sullivan of Park Ridge had been killed in action
sometime July 23 while on a second tour of duty with the Marines in
Iraq. Sen. Sullivan was notified of the death of 22-year-old Vincent
Sullivan while on the Senate floor listening to lawmakers discuss
death benefits for Illinois service personnel serving overseas. The
Senate approved the legislation, then stood silently for a moment.
Passed earlier by the House,
Senate Bill 1668 now moves to the governor for further
consideration.
[Illinois
Senate Republican Caucus
news release]
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