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State
Sen. Bill Brady,
R-Bloomington, says Blagojevich's spending blueprint is "just more
of the same" -- increasing taxes, spending now and paying later, and
expanding social programs the state can't even afford now. Fiscal
2006 runs from July 1, 2005, through June 30, 2006.
The governor's plan includes a 75-cent
cigarette tax increase, a tax on computer software, a tax on
landfill-generated electricity, more raids on dedicated state funds
and the continued expansion of social service programs.
The governor is also proposing the
creation of a two-tier state employee pension system to cut future
costs -- but spend the money now. Brady says it's a good idea to
examine the need for pensions reforms but warns that Blagojevich
wants to underfund the constitutionally guaranteed system by $800
million now and is relying on a hoped-for estimate of future cost
savings as the basis of his latest quick fix for the state's
finances.
Brady also expressed disappointment
with the governor's third expansion of the FamilyCare Program, which
offers free, taxpayer-paid health care coverage to parents living
with their children 18 years old or younger and to relatives who are
caring for children in place of their parents. Blagojevich has
expanded the FamilyCare program twice already, and his proposal to
expand the program again would mean that a family of four could have
a household income of $38,500 and qualify for FamilyCare, whether
their employer offers health insurance or not. Brady says FamilyCare
is an important program for people who need it, but it is hard to
justify continued expansion when the state cannot pay its bills on
time right now.
The governor's budget address is
only the first step in the long and complex budget negotiation
process, and in the coming months, lawmakers will be making changes
that reflect the priorities of Illinois citizens.
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The following bills were approved by
Senate committees during the week of Feb. 14-18 and now head to the
full Senate for consideration:
Steroids (SB 64)
-- Requires school districts to teach junior high and high school
students participating in athletic programs about the dangers of
using anabolic steroids.
Sex offenders (SB 100)
-- Prohibits a child sex offender from knowingly being present on
school property or a school vehicle when people younger than 18 are
present. Also eliminates an exception for an offender who is the
parent or guardian of a student enrolled in the school and requires
the offender to notify the principal before gaining accessing to
school property.
"Right to Know" (SB 241)
-- Requires state government to notify the public about releases of
all environmental contaminants
Ammunition (SB 53)
-- Allows Illinois citizens to purchase ammunition from an out-of-
state seller by providing a copy of their FOID card and a copy of
their driver's license or state ID card. Provides that ammunition
may be shipped only to an address on one of those two.
Hunting licenses (SB 123)
-- Removes the Social Security number from the face of the hunting
and fishing license documents and requires the Illinois Department
of Natural Resources to create a customer identification number to
keep track of people who annually get these licenses.
[Illinois
Senate Republican Caucus news release]
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