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Governor should support
vote on contract abuse legislation Lawmakers should be allowed
to vote on Senate Republican reforms that target questionable
practices by the Blagojevich administration in awarding state
contracts, as well as other ethical breaches.
Senate Republicans unveiled the "Responsible Public Contracting
Act" on March 1, but Senate Democratic leaders have not allowed the
legislation to have a public hearing or be voted on by lawmakers. In
addition, I am sponsoring legislation that would require public
bidding for all state bond sales and prohibit campaign contributors
from being awarded no-bid state contracts.
It is rather ironic -- or perhaps not -- that not long after this
legislation was introduced in March, the governor was hit with
allegation after allegation of contract abuses. We are told that the
attorney general and federal authorities are investigating some of
those incidents.
More recently, the governor's Office of Management and Budget has
awarded yet another consulting contract to Maximus, one of the
Central Management Services contractors hit in the auditor general's
report. And a recent legislative analysis of legal contracts and
contributions also shows that half of all law firms contracted by
the Blagojevich administration since January 2003 -- 27 of 54 firms
-- have contributed to his campaign, with an average contribution of
$16,555 and an average contract of $539,871.
The time for rhetoric is past. We need to put an end to these
kinds of contract abuses sooner rather than later.
Legislative leaders need to meet about gas prices
Illinois' legislative leaders need to meet to discuss what the
state can do about skyrocketing gas prices, which are hurting
Illinois consumers across the board -- farmers, senior citizens,
people on fixed incomes, businesses.
Senate Republican Leader Frank Watson has contacted House Speaker
Michael J. Madigan, House Republican Leader Tom Cross and Senate
President Emil Jones to meet before the veto session begins on Oct.
25 and discuss options, such as a sales tax holiday on gasoline.
There is also the matter of what is to be done with the windfall
revenues the state is receiving because of the high price of
gasoline. For every penny the price goes up at the pump, the state's
General Revenue Fund takes in another $2 million. The Commission on
Government Forecasting and Accountability currently estimates the
windfall at $175 million this fiscal year, based on the 6.25 percent
sales tax on an average price of $2.72 per gallon. Illinois is one
of only nine states that impose a sales tax on gasoline.
[to top of second column in this article] |
We need to how the windfall revenues are going to be
spent. It makes sense to put this new money in the Road Fund, which
the governor has raided repeatedly, much to the detriment of our
roads and bridges. This new money should not be spent on more pork
projects or lucrative contracts benefiting the governor's campaign
contributors.
Internet site offers tips on fuel economy, prices
With gas prices topping $3 per gallon, consumers may
want to check Internet sources that provide tips on fuel economy and
list the lowest prices in their communities.
The
www.fueleconomy.gov site offers tips on making the most of a
car's fuel economy, and provides information on a number of 2005
automobile fuel efficiency numbers for consumers looking to switch
to a smaller or more fuel-efficient car.
Among the many features
of the site, consumers can:
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Get tips
on improving the fuel economy of their current vehicle, such as
keeping tires properly inflated and keeping the air filter
clean.
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View
information on mileage per gallon, emissions and safety for cars
dating back to 1985.
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Learn
what makes a gallon of gas cost what it does.
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Research information on
hybrid electric cars, including the latest news on tax
incentives.
Consumers can also check for the lowest gas prices
by clicking the
"Gasoline Prices" link on the left side of the fuel economy Web
page and then exploring the "Gasoline Price Data" menu.
The fuel economy website is hosted by the U.S.
Department of Energy, the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Energy, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Consumers can also visit
www.illinoisgasprices.com
and www.gaspricewatch.com
and enter their ZIP codes to find out where the cheapest gas is
being sold in their communities.
[From
Sen. Bill Brady] |
