Senate week in review         

Week of Jan. 16-20

[JAN. 23, 2006]  SPRINGFIELD -- Last week Senate committees began looking at hundreds of pieces of legislation introduced for the spring 2006 legislative session, and Gov. Rod Blagojevich delivered his fourth annual State of the State address to citizens and lawmakers, according to state Sen. Larry Bomke, R-Springfield.

One Senate Republican proposal already under way is Senate Bill 2746, which seeks to tighten up Illinois' eminent domain definition in order to avoid certain abuses. Currently, property rights are being challenged under a Supreme Court decision that ruled that municipalities could invoke eminent domain only for economic development purposes, even by private entities. In the past, municipalities could invoke eminent domain only for public use. Senate Republicans hope to address this and other discrepancies in the law in order to protect home and property owners and assure property owners receive just compensation.

The following pieces of legislation were also approved in Senate committee and now head to the Senate floor for full consideration:

Glaucoma (SJR57) -- Recognizes January as Glaucoma Awareness Month in Illinois.

Public safety (SB2137) -- Responds to the recent fund raids by the governor's office by establishing the Illinois Public Safety Agency Network as a not-for-profit corporation to develop and operate comprehensive communications systems for law enforcement. By making this operation a not-for-profit organization, the bill prevents future fund raids.

Visitation rights (SB2162) -- Prohibits fathers who have been convicted or pleaded guilty to one of the listed offenses under the act from visiting or taking custody of the child.

The following bill was signed by the governor:

Taxes (HB 2133) -- Requires quarterly payment of taxes for household workers or domestic service providers when any private employer pays them at least $1,000 in any calendar quarter.

In other news, the governor presented his State of the State address to a joint session of the General Assembly, outlining several concepts but including few specifics.

Bomke says the governor's address sounded more like a re-election speech, throughout which Blagojevich lauded his work over the past three years, publicizing programs and improvements he wants to make, but failed to address the fiscal reality of the state or how his proposed programs and improvements will be funded.

What the governor's speech did not include was his controversial proposal to install keno machines in as many as 2,000 restaurants, bars and convenience stores in Illinois to fund part of his capital plan. He also neglected to comment on prior raids to the Road Fund and spending cuts to higher education -- cuts that have resulted in an average tuition increase of 40 percent at Illinois' institutions.

The senator added that Blagojevich was exceedingly optimistic about the current fiscal situation in Illinois, omitting his authorization of a $2.1 billion pension raid less than a year ago and the fact that he has doubled the state's bonded indebtedness from $9 billion to almost $21 billion since taking office. Illinois also continues to trail the nation in job growth, ranking 45th -- largely attributable to the $1 billion in fee and tax increases the governor imposed on small business.

Bomke said that while he and Senate Republican colleagues fully support improving local infrastructure through capital spending, they want a dedicated, proven revenue source and a guarantee that the money will be distributed to all parts of the state. Additionally, they share concerns stemming from a demonstrated mistrust of the governor. As a result of his failure to follow through with his promises, Republican and Democratic lawmakers in previous sessions have required the governor to detail his commitments in unprecedented written agreements.

[News release from Sen. Larry Bomke]