A rough Senate week in review

[July 11, 2009]  SPRINGFIELD -- On July 7, Gov. Pat Quinn vetoed $3.85 billion in general revenue funding that was sent to him by lawmakers in late May. Quinn had spoken out publicly against the legislation, so the veto was expected; however, state Sen. Larry Bomke, R-Springfield, said that the state is now operating without a budget in place for fiscal 2010.

In his veto message, Quinn criticized House Bill 2145, which contained billions of dollars in revenue to finance state operations and employee salaries. He said the legislation did not make significant cuts in spending. However, rather than use his reduction and line-item veto powers to make those cuts, the governor simply outlined $1 billion in cuts through press statements and then vetoed the entire budget measure. 

Critics pointed out that the spending levels in House Bill 2145 were those that the governor himself had requested in his budget proposal. The governor was also criticized for the blanket veto of the entire measure, rather than using his authority to target spending reductions. By vetoing the entire measure, Quinn gave lawmakers the difficult choice of either overriding his proposed cuts in their entirety or completely rewriting the budget two weeks into the new fiscal year.  

If the cuts outlined by the governor are approved, they would lead to approximately 2,600 state employee layoffs, including more than 1,000 layoffs of Department of Corrections personnel. Quinn is also proposing 12 furlough days for state employees and downsizing of some correctional facilities -- with possible early release for some state inmates.  

The cuts advanced by Quinn would reduce state funding to programs and services under many state agencies. However, Bomke noted that with no budget in place, many social service programs that rely on state funding have already been forced to close their doors, lay off employees and reduce services.  

Lawmakers are scheduled to return on Tuesday to consider the governor's veto of House Bill 2145 and Senate Bill 1197 -- a funding measure for social service programs that was also vetoed. It is unknown whether legislators will choose to override the governor's veto in order to keep state government operating and prevent the deep cuts proposed by Quinn. 

This week, the governor did sign one budget measure. House Bill 2194 contains $4.7 billion in general revenue dollars for state Medicaid obligations. Although the provisions do not fund all state Medicaid obligations, they target obligations that the federal government has required be paid with 30 days in order to earn the enhanced rate for federal matching funds associated with the federal economic stimulus package. The stimulus provisions require a 30-day payment cycle for hospitals, nursing homes and practitioner services. 

Although the Senate is scheduled to be in session on Tuesday, a special hearing on gerrymandering reform is, at least for the time being, still planned for the following day in Chicago. The Senate Committee on Redistricting is set to convene at 11 a.m. in the 16th-floor Hearing Room of the James R. Thompson Center in downtown Chicago on Wednesday.

The hearing is the first of four planned by the committee to receive testimony on how Illinois can reform its current system of drawing legislative and congressional district boundaries, in order to curb the political gerrymandering that lies at the heart of much of Illinois' political gridlock and excessive partisanship

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