Not a good week to be an Illinois governor

[October 29, 2011]  SPRINGFIELD -- This week didn't hold a lot of good news for Illinois governors, past and present.

The Legislature, in its first week of a two-week fall veto session, bucked Gov. Pat Quinn on several hot-button issues and moved to prevent former Gov. Rod Blagojevich from receiving his state retirement checks.

Smart grid

A plan to modernize Illinois' utility infrastructure through customer rate hikes sailed through the Legislature. Lawmakers overrode Quinn's veto of legislation that will have Commonwealth Edison Co. customers paying $36 more a year for electricity and Ameren Corp. customers paying $40 more a year for the next decade.

The total cost for the upgrade is pegged at $3.2 billion.

Many, including Quinn, said the legislation passed, in part, because of campaign contributions and not because it's good public policy.

"There's been a lot of money flowing from the power companies. I'm not going to accuse anybody of their votes being for sale, but we know money influences votes," said state Sen. Kyle McCarter, R-Lebanon.

McCarter said the legislation is about guaranteeing rate hikes for Illinois' two largest energy providers.

But the measure's sponsor said it is about modernizing the aging infrastructure, using what is referred to as a smart grid, and eventually lowering people's power bills.

"This bill is about ... reliability, jobs and economic development. It's about regulatory reform. It's about customer savings," said state Sen. Mike Jacobs, D-East Moline.

Facility closures

The state's Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, or COGFA, voted against Quinn's recommendation to close four downstate facilities that serve people with mental and developmental disabilities.

Quinn, who proposed closing a total of seven facilities to save $313 million, said the Legislature's $33.2 billion budget wasn't enough to keep their doors open and employees working.

Lawmakers may use some of the $376 million Quinn struck from the budget with his veto pen to keep the facilities open.

"I think it's incumbent on us to find dollars in other areas of the budget to keep those (facilities) open," said state Rep. Mike Tryon, R-Crystal Lake.

The vote isn't legally binding, and Quinn still can move forward with the closures, but his office said it is working to prevent that from happening.

[Illinois Statehouse News; By ANDREW THOMASON]