Bomke: State's economic crisis should not come as a surprise

[November 25, 2008]  SPRINGFIELD -- History was made in the Illinois Senate during the second week of the fall "veto session" with the election of a woman to a top leadership position, and the state's budget crisis continued to be a focal point with Gov. Rod Blagojevich asking to borrow more money and cut up to 8 percent of both state agency and program budgets, according to state Sen. Larry Bomke, R-Springfield.

On Nov. 19, Senate Republicans chose state Sen. Christine Radogno, R-Lemont, to be the next Senate Republican leader, making her the first woman in Illinois history to lead a legislative caucus. She will replace Sen. Frank Watson, R-Greenville, who has served as leader since 2003. Watson recently announced he would not seek re-election to the leadership role, after suffering a stroke in October. Watson has been undergoing therapy and was able to return to the Senate for the final week of the veto session.

In budget news, Bomke said the governor is simply trying to deflect his budget responsibility to legislators and constitutional officers, because he does not need the General Assembly's permission to withhold funds from state agencies under his control -- which constitute the bulk of the budget.

Bomke said the state's economic crisis should not come as a surprise, noting that for years Senate Republicans have warned that Illinois' overspending and the constant expansion and creation of new programs would result in staggering state debt. The state currently owes $4 billion to businesses and other service providers, and the number is expected to increase to $5 billion by spring if the problem isn't addressed. The delays are a serious burden for Medicaid providers, who account for almost $2 billion of the backlog and already wait months for reimbursement by the state.

In other news, the Senate approved two bills that will advance a $2.5 billion clean-coal energy project in Christian County. The proposed Tenaska project at the Taylorville Energy Park is expected to create about 1,500 construction jobs, 200 permanent plant jobs and provide opportunities for hundreds of coal mining jobs around the state by promoting the use of Illinois coal.

One bill allows for bonding authority to help finance the construction, and the second bill authorizes the initial engineering study, which is needed before construction can begin.

Radogno, the new Republican leader, has served as Watson's deputy leader since 2007. For the past several years, Radogno has been the Senate Republicans' chief budget negotiator and a leader in passing ethics, open government and budget reforms. She has traveled the state promoting reforms to restore discipline and accountability to the state's borrowing and contracting practices. She has also sponsored Medicaid reform legislation, advocating common-sense changes to bring the state's skyrocketing public health costs under control.

Radogno has served in the Illinois Senate since 1997. She currently represents the 41st District in Cook, DuPage and Will counties.

Measures passed by the Senate this week:

Autism coverage -- Senate Bill 934 mandates insurance coverage for individuals younger than 21 for diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders.

Railroad police -- Senate Bill 620 allows the Illinois State Police to investigate, if they deem necessary, allegations of abuse of authority or misconduct by railroad police.

Movie tax credit -- Senate Bill 1981 extends the state's movie tax credit to encourage movies to be made in Illinois.

Court officials -- Senate Bill 2452 makes it a Class 2 felony to interfere with a judicial officer; also prohibits filing a false lien on property owned by judge, as retaliation.

Pheasant hunters -- Senate Bill 2562 implements a gradual increase in hunting fees for pheasant hunters only.

EPA -- House Bill 4249 changes the repeal date for the law licensing environmental health practitioners from Dec. 31, 2008, to Jan. 1, 2019.

School mergers -- Senate Bill 2824 protects taxpayers of one school district from having to pay the debt of a second school district when the two school districts merge.

Housing -- House Bill 2973 allows borrowers up to a 90-grace period for foreclosure action if they seek counseling approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Pension reform -- Senate Bill 2520 implements a number of pension reforms for Chicago municipal employees, Chicago police, downstate firefighters, downstate police officers, Cook County municipal employees, forest preserve employees and state employees. Senate Bill 2558 allows employees of state veterans homes to purchase pension credit for time served as contractual employees. House Bill 2047 revises disability pension statutes for downstate firefighters whose departments merge.

[Text from file sent on behalf of Sen. Larry Bomke by Illinois Senate Republican staff]