 In the end, a bill to OK the state’s spending about $5.2 billion in federal
funds on human services, as well as $166 million in state money toward debt
service for Chicago’s Metropolitan Pier & Exposition Authority, passed with no
opposition.
But an earlier House Democrats’ plan to add $585 million in state general fund
spending, as well as $170 million from other state funds, put the rhetoric from
both sides on high heat, even though it appeared to lack votes from the start.
House Republicans blasted the Democrats for trying to add state spending to the
Senate’s $4.8 billion federal “pass through” authorization.
Rep. Ron Sandack, R-Downers Grove, said Democrats knew the GOP was opposed and
knew they didn’t have the votes needed to pass the measure as amended.
Instead, he said, they were trying to force a “sham vote” and paint the
Republicans as the bad guys who refused to support money for programs such as
childcare and breast cancer screenings.
“You’re clearly politicizing the process now,” he said.
Sandack called the House Democrats’ proposal “a thwarting measure. It gets in
the way of good process. It gets in the way of way of getting something done
today because the governor, as you all know, announced he would not sign
anything with a poison pill” provision attached.
He asked Democrats to drop their amendment in favor of another one already being
prepared so the House could “get something done today and get the pass-through
money to recipients as soon as possible.”
Republican Leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs made a similar plea. He said the
federal pass-through bill marked one of the few times nearly everyone was in
accord on an important financial issue.
“We know exactly what this bill in this form is about,” he said, arguing that
Democrats were continuing an “unfortunate summer” of doing little more than
running impractical votes for use in attack mailings.
“Let’s not continue down this road,” he said. “Let’s not go on with the
charades,” he said as he asked Democrats to bring out the language that everyone
knew could pass, be supported in the Senate and get Rauner’s signature.
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 Democratic representatives, however, said they had philosophical
and and practical reasons for adding state spending to Senate Bill
2042.
“It now becomes even more important to let these folks know that
there are services out there and that we don’t want to deny them
those services,” said Rep. Fred Crespo, D-Hoffman Estates. “If the
governor doesn’t like it, he can use a line-item veto.”
Rep. Frank Mautino, D-Spring Valley, argued the spending was
necessary to keep from losing certain federal funds and having to
pay back others. He said there were hundreds of millions of dollars
at risk, and the matter was time-sensitive.
Rep. Christian Mitchell, D-Chicago, and others rejected the
“poison pill” terminology and allegations of political charade.
“You dare to be indignant at this side of the aisle?” he asked
Republicans. “You dare to be indignant with this side of aisle over
process … when there are people next week who don’t know how they’ll
be taking care of their child or if they’ll be able to go to work?”
When the plan fell well short of the needed 71 votes, Democrats
brought out House Amendment 3, and it and the bill passed on
identical 98 to 0 votes.
House Amendment 3 removed most state general and special funding;
added some federal fund authorization for the Illinois State Board
of Education and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency; and
authorized a state payment of about $166 million for the
Metropolitan Pier & Exposition Authority
The bill now goes back to the Senate, where bipartisan support for
concurrence is expected. Durkin said the governor supports and will
sign the bill.
After the House debate, Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, said the
final vote was another piece of evidence that he and House Democrats
are willing to work with the Rauner and the GOP.
But, the speaker added, he took “great exception” to funding for
programs such as cancer screenings being labeled “a poison pill.”
Also, he said as of his last check, “Republicans are way ahead of
us” in both political mailers and television advertising.
The Senate is next scheduled to convene Aug. 19 and the House on
Aug. 25.
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