 A
major gaming expansion was approved by the Illinois Senate, and a long-languishing plan for a new coal plant got Illinois House of Representatives approval.
Kent Redfield, a longtime Illinois government observer and
professor emeritus of politics at the University of Illinois at
Springfield, said that while this flurry of action came during a time in the fall typically referred to as a
"veto session," to understand what's going on in the Statehouse, you have to realize that there are really two separate but concurrent things happening.
"We need to distinguish between the kind of veto session kind of
narrowly defined, where there wasn't a lot of activity, ... then
there's kind of the fall legislative session, and that was where we
were productive and may continue to be productive," Redfield said.
In fact, only one veto got much attention this week. Quinn used his amendatory veto power to exempt local police officers and state troopers from legislation that made all public employees' performance evaluations in the state subject to the Freedom of Information Act.
Both chambers overrode Quinn's changes, leaving all public
employees' evaluations exempt.
Why is it that the legislature took up items like civil unions and pension reform during a time that has historically been reserved for addressing the governor's vetoes?
Mostly the election in November, according to former Republican state Sen. Rick Winkel.
"The special situation here is it's right after a general election where there was a larger turnover in membership, with members not running or being defeated. That makes it unique, and that's why this session saw more of the controversial bills move through the process," said Winkel, director of the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois.
Legislators who, for whatever reason, aren't returning in the spring are like free agents, able to vote more freely because they aren't as beholden to their political party leadership or their constituents.
Another reason hot issues were taken up during the short time frame was simply because they are easier to pass that way, according to Redfield.
"The longer you let something like that pension reform bill sit out there, the longer you're going to be under pressure from municipalities who don't want to pay more ... and pressure from the police and fire unions who don't want the changes in the benefits. So there's a real incentive to just move things through very quickly," he said.
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 Both Redfield and Winkel said there is likely a third, much-less-tangible factor playing into the passage of some legislation this week.
The state is facing a $13 billion deficit.
Generally, the Republicans are calling for major cuts to state programs to remedy the problem, while Democrats are advocating for raising revenue
-- a tax increase.
Most likely, some kind of compromise between the two parties will be the result, according to Redfield. He said some of this legislation and the two reform committees set up for workers' compensation and Medicaid could be intended to help massage the votes needed for such a compromise.
Lawmakers are slated to be back in Springfield in January for a lame-duck session before the new General Assembly is sworn in, and coming with them to the
Statehouse could be more controversial legislation.
"In the January session you could see something big happen. It's possible. I doubt it, but they are trying to get ready either to do something with the lame-duck legislators, voting on maybe a controversial tax measure," Winkel said.
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By ANDREW THOMASON]
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