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On Jan. 10, Senate Democrats passed
House Bill 626, increasing real estate taxes by $34 million. The
bill imposes an initial $10 tax on every real estate-related
document submitted to county recorders. The fees would then be
deposited into a Rental Housing Support Program to help landlords
better provide affordable housing to low-income tenants.
Senate Republicans said the intentions
of the program are good, but even supporters of the legislation
admit the $10 tax will not be sufficient to adequately fund the
program in the future. Also, a disproportionate amount of funds from
this tax will go to landlords in Chicago. In addition, Senate
Republicans noted there were no provisions in the bill to prevent
the governor from taking the money from the new tax for other
programs -- something the governor has a history of doing.
Senate Democrats also pushed through
House Bill 949, which restructures judicial boundaries,
primarily in suburban counties. Senate Republicans balked at this
not-so-veiled partisan maneuver because of the manner in which the
bill was passed. Republicans did not see a first draft of the bill
until Jan. 10, the day it was intended to be called, and the exact
language for the new judicial "subcircuit" boundaries was not
available until that afternoon. Senate Republicans said such a
significant change in public policy deserved more time and
consideration.
The intended purpose of the bill is
to help bring more minorities into the judiciary, yet leading
Hispanic members of the Senate were not informed about the contents
of the bill until the very last minute, nor were they consulted for
their input. In fact, many prominent minority advocacy groups
throughout the state were unaware of this legislation. In light of
these inconsistencies, Senate Republicans argued the bill should be
considered in the upcoming spring session, but the Senate Democrats
pushed it through anyway.
94th
General Assembly convenes
On Jan. 12, the 94th General
Assembly officially got under way. Opening-day activities were
interrupted when fire alarms sounded in the Capitol and the building
was evacuated. Once the false alarm was identified, the Senate went
back to work.
During the inaugural ceremonies in
the Senate Chambers, Illinois Supreme Court Justice Charles E.
Freeman administered the oath of office to the senators.
Brady was sworn in as the state senator
for the 44th District.
"I was proud to support Senator
Frank Watson of Greenville, who was unanimously re-elected as Senate
Republican leader," Brady said. "Our caucus now has 27 legislators
who will continue to fight for issues important to Illinois
citizens, including medical malpractice reform, economic development
and education."
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of second column in this article]
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Rule changes limit public access
The will of Senate Democrats prevailed as dramatic changes to the
Senate's rules were adopted.
In a move that will cost taxpayers more money, the number of Senate committees
was expanded from 17 to 22, which means
10 new committee leaders who will all receive stipends for their
work on the committees. The total cost of the new committees will be
about $100,000 a year.
In a procedural change, the rules
now require only one-hour notice for review of conference committee
reports, instead of the 24 hours previously required. This change
will give lawmakers very little time to review the reports and will
limit public input on important issues.
Other rule changes allow for temporary replacement of
committee members, which gives legislative leaders the ability to
shield potential political targets from controversial votes. The
changes also allow fluid deadlines on legislation and make it easier for legislation to move through the
process without public hearings.
While recognizing that change is
inevitable as a new legislative session convenes, Senate Republicans argued
vehemently against the changes that will limit public access to the
lawmaking process, saying that the legislative
process should include more -- not less -- debate.
DNR budget cuts hurt parks
Finally, Senate Republicans met with
Illinois Department of Natural Resources Director Joel Brunsvold to
discuss alarming budget cuts at that agency. The department has
taken a $23 million hit in the last year, which represents more than
a 10 percent cut. In terms of dollars, funding for the Department of
Natural Resources decreased from $210 million to $188 million last
year. In the last two years, the department budget has been cut
about $40 million, with a loss of about 600 employees, from 2,300 to 1,700.
The budget cuts are raising concerns
about the ability of the department to adequately maintain
conservation efforts and other tasks. Senators voiced their concerns
that Illinois' parks and natural areas are suffering as a result of
the cuts.
"Clinton Lake is a major draw to the
region's tourism industry, so it is foolish to cut funding for
employees and programs," Brady said. "I also have serious questions
about safety issues related to the reduction of security personnel
at Clinton Lake, which surrounds a nuclear power plant."
He said he would continue to do what
he could to lessen the effect of the budget cuts on the state's
natural areas, tourism and outdoor recreation.
Senate Republicans believe the state
should honor current financial obligations such as state parks
before spending money on new programs.
[Illinois
Senate Republican Caucus news release] |
