 The Transportation for Illinois Coalition, a group of big businesses
and labor unions, is pushing for answers on road building from
candidates on the November ballot.Jennifer Morrison with the
coalition said the group just wants to remind lawmakers that only
half of the money for the nearly $10 billion building package has
been authorized.
"It seems as though it's a technical, small detail, and in the
bigger picture of everything that's been going on, this wasn't
uppermost in anyone's mind. After the election we're hoping that a
lot of the other things are cleared off the deck and they can focus
back on the small things that make government work like it’s
supposed to," she said.
But lawmakers say the road building plan, and its details, are
not small issues and have never left their thoughts. Although who
remembers exactly what depends in large part on which person you
ask.
State Rep. Pat Verschoore, D-Milan, said Democrats pushed to
approve the entire $10 billion, but they were thwarted because
Republicans wanted to hold up Gov. Pat Quinn or hold out for their
share of the money.
"It was distrust on part of the Republicans. They would only vote
to authorize half of (the capital plan). I'm assuming they wanted to
make sure they weren't going to get cheated out of their projects.
The money was appropriated for the whole (thing), but they'd only
vote to authorize half of it," he said.
There is still a lot of distrust at the Capitol, but state Sen.
Pam Althoff, R-Crystal Lake, said that's the lingering effect of
former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. She insists the GOP only wanted to make
sure the new governor wasn't going to play the same shenanigans with
the road projects.
"Not saying, 'Here, you have billions of dollars to spend,
Governor. Have at it.' I think our feeling from the General Assembly
was that we designated specific projects where that money could be
spent, and we were going to make sure that there was General
Assembly oversight," she said.
But state Rep. Jim Watson, R-Jacksonville, said the delay was
policy, not politics.
"It was decided that the capital bill would be funded by several
new revenue sources. And when you look at something like video
poker, where there is no existing infrastructure and that all had to
be built from scratch, several of us said this could be problematic,
and that's the case. It's not up and running because they had to
build the system," he said.
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Morrison, from the Transportation for Illinois Coalition, said
she's not interested in re-fighting the battles of the past. She
said the coalition just wants to get lawmakers moving on the next
multibillion-dollar piece of the road plan.
"Once November comes, veto session is here and the election is
over with, it's our hope that the General Assembly approve the
(money) and the rest of the program can (begin)," she said.
Watson adds he'd like to see that happen, but he's not sure if
lawmakers will vote this fall or wait for next year.
"Finally the General Assembly did something. Some people may or
may not like it, but we did something collectively that can add to
job creation," he said. "And we're sitting here idle because nobody
in the right areas can work the revenue sources through the
process."
Verschoore said the problem is not with the process, but with the
politics of this election year.
"The ball is in the Republicans' court now," he said.
Lawmakers are scheduled to return to Springfield after the
election for the annual fall veto session. But no one knows what
action the General Assembly will take then.
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By BENJAMIN YOUNT]
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