Friday, Feb. 28

Bomke, Brauer to open Lincoln office

[FEB. 28, 2003]  SPRINGFIELD – Sen. Larry Bomke, R-Springfield, and Rep. Rich Brauer, R-Petersburg, are opening a second district office, in Lincoln, on Friday, March 7.

The two lawmakers will host an open house from 1 to 3 p.m. that day for area residents to meet with them informally and see the new office.

According to Bomke, the office will allow him and Rep. Brauer to better serve their constituents in Logan and Menard counties.

"Opening an office in Lincoln is something we both pledged to do while running for office and something we want to do," said Bomke. "There is no substitute for talking with constituents and finding out exactly what their concerns are. Opening a second office makes us both that much more accessible."

The office will be located in the Logan County Farm Bureau building at 124 S. McLean St. in Lincoln. Bomke and Brauer will have office hours in the Farm Bureau office every Friday from 1 to 4:30 p.m. The phone number will be (217) 732-4433 and the fax number will be (217) 782-5406.

"Senator Bomke and I hope this second office will give us the opportunity to talk with constituents who otherwise wouldn't have come to see us in person in Springfield," said Brauer. "We want to make it as convenient as possible for all of the residents in our district to meet with us and discuss whatever concerns they have. Whether by mail, phone, e-mail or in person, we both encourage area residents to contact us and let us know their thoughts on issues facing our area."

 

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Bomke will still be available Monday-Thursday at his Capitol office, 105D State House, Springfield, IL 62706; (217) 782-0228; fax (217) 782-5406. The senator can also be reached by e-mail at senator_bomke@yahoo.com.

Brauer's Springfield office is on the first floor of the Stratton Office Building, Room 1128-E, Springfield, IL 62706. He can be reached at (217) 782-0053, fax number (217) 782-0897 and at Brauer100th@aol.com.

Lori Bottrell from Sen. Bomke's office and Della Thomas from Rep. Brauer's office will alternate staffing of the office on Fridays.

[News release]


Refinancing pension fund could save
$2 billion and close gap on state deficit

[FEB. 28, 2003]  SPRINGFIELD -- Continuing to press for innovative solutions to address the state's fiscal challenges, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich proposed Wednesday that Illinois take advantage of an unusually favorable climate for low-interest rates by refinancing a portion of the state's outstanding $35 billion pension obligation.

If Blagojevich's proposal is enacted, the state could experience budget relief of close to $2 billion over the course of this fiscal year and the next, thereby helping to close a large portion of the state's deficit.

"This is a creative, yet commonsense approach," Blagojevich said Wednesday. "It represents a new -- and a better -- way of doing business."

The governor said that he would urge lawmakers to enact legislation calling for an increase in general obligation bond authority and for permission to use those proceeds to fund pension obligations of the five state retirement systems.

Blagojevich emphasized that pension refinancing presents an opportunity to significantly slash the state's current budget deficit by approximately $300 million during the remainder of fiscal year 2003 and by another $1.6 billion during upcoming fiscal year 2004.

Normally, state contributions to the pension funds are paid primarily through the General Revenue Fund. Under this proposal, however, contributions for the remainder of fiscal 2003 and all of fiscal 2004 would be covered by the newly offered bonds instead.

 

Under the governor's proposal, proceeds from the bonds, rather than funds taken out of GRF, will be used to make payments owed for the current and next fiscal year, resulting in $1.9 billion of deficit relief.

"By taking this step today, we can address our state's current fiscal crisis," he said.

In addition, the proposal offers long-term possibilities for savings to the state by effectively lowering the interest on the state's current 42-year $35 billion obligation, which stands at 8-8.5 percent. Through the use of new pension obligation bonds financed at current market rates, the state can effectively reduce interest costs on a portion of the obligation to around 6 percent.

As a result, the state could enjoy long-term savings of around 10 percent or more over the life of the bonds. Annual savings would depend on the structure and terms of the bonds.

 

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Blagojevich said that the proposal demonstrates that his administration "is committed to responsible spending and to fulfilling our sworn responsibility to the people who have worked hard to serve the people of Illinois."

The governor and his budget director, John Filan, unveiled the proposal at press conferences in Chicago and Springfield and were joined by business and civic leaders supporting the plan.

If no changes are made, Illinois' annual pension burdens will increase by as much as a billion dollars per year by 2007.

Blagojevich said that the concept should sound familiar to many homeowners who take advantage of opportunities to refinance their mortgages. After the bonds are issued, a certain portion of pension obligation will likely remain at the original interest rates of 8-8.5 percent. However, another portion of the obligation (representing the amount offered in bonds) will be set at the rate of approximately 6 percent, allowing taxpayers -- like homeowners who have refinanced a mortgage -- to benefit from the reduced financial burden.

While the proceeds from the proposal could help erase a large share of the state's nearly $5 billion deficit, Blagojevich stressed that refinancing the pension obligation would be appropriate regardless of the state's fiscal challenges.

"I would just as strongly promote this idea if I had inherited a surplus or a balanced budget rather than the largest deficit in state history," he said.

Several independent groups offered their support for the plan. In Springfield, the governor was to be joined by representatives from the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, the Taxpayers' Federation of Illinois, the Illinois Manufacturers Association and the Governor's Council of Economic Advisers.

Scheduled to appear with Blagojevich in Chicago were representatives of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, the Illinois Manufacturers Association, the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, the Chicago Civic Federation, the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

[Illinois Government News Network
press release]

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